Right at home: the latest trends in campus dining mirror the retail world

University Business, March, 2006 by Caryn Meyers Fliegler

According to Vicki Dunn, senior director of Marketing for Campus Services at Sodexho USA, which manages George Masons food operations, the Damon's addition works with current campus preferences. "We all went through the whole branding phase back in the late 1980s and early '90s," says Dunn. "Now what we're finding is a much more sophisticated taste."

Sophistication--not something that has always been associated with collegiate dining. Yet today's new campus offerings, from diners serving breakfast all day to chophouses grilling up juicy steaks, herald a new day in dining--and induce envy in the rest of us.

Resources

Aramark, www.aramarkhighered.com Chartwells, www.chartwells-usa.com The Cornyn Fasano Group, www.cornyn-fasano.com Porter Consulting, www.porterconsulting.com Sodexho USA, www.sodexhousa.com Student Monitor, www.studentmonitor.com Technomic, www.technomic.com

RELATED ARTICLE: Food for thought.

* In the fall of 2005, students spent on average $74.10 per month eating off campus and $64.50 per month eating on campus, excluding meal plan costs.

* In the same semester, the total monthly student food expenditure averaged $417 million off campus and $282 million on campus (also excluding meal plans).

* About 1 in 4 students were enrolled in a full meal plan, and about 1 in 6 had a partial plan.

* 24 percent of students said dining services was one of the best campus features.

* 22 percent of students found dining services to be one of the worst features.

Source: Student Monitor Fall 2005 Lifestyle & Media Study. Sample size included 1,200 students selected on 100 campuses. The margin of error in the study was 2.3 percent.

RELATED ARTICLE: The drink dilemma.

WHILE ANTI-DRINKING MESSAGES ARE PERVADING CAMPUSES, SOME schools want to be able to vend alcohol at on-campus facilities--particularly as more venues resemble retail establishments--and draw not just students but staff, faculty, and alumni. "How do you create an environment on campus that matches whatever's in town?" asks food management consultant John Cornyn. "It's a huge challenge, and I'm not aware of any university that's been able to step up and say, 'We have the answer'"

Even those schools that don't want to serve beer and liquor are feeling a backlash from alumni, who provide significant financial support through the attendance of on-campus events like football games and fraternity reunions, traditional bastions of casks and beer-filled plastic cups.

The new Damon's Grill at George Mason University, outside Washington, D.C., has applied for a liquor license to meet customer needs. Should the license be granted, which university officials feel is likely, the restaurant may consider implementing a drink limit, says George Mason spokesman Daniel Walsch.

As a public entity, the University of North Carolina won't be serving alcohol anytime soon. "We don't even consider alcohol to be a possibility," says Ira Simon, director of Food and Vending Services. "We are trying to create a place on campus for students to come and enjoy themselves."