– Provide a market analysis in order to develop a viable and exciting program plan for the renovation of the UMC and its foodservice venues.
• Qualitative market research
–
Site visit: October 3-5, 2005
• Personal interviews
• Focus groups
• Intercept interviews
– Quantitative market research
• Web-based survey
• Environmental scan
• Retail SWOT analysis
• Market penetration analysis
• Meal plan consideration
• Confirm/challenge existing and future retail operations

– Venues in the UMC
• Alferd Packer Grill
– Excellent location
– Wide variety of foods
– Dark and dated “capsule”
– Inefficient customer throughput
– Can’t quickly scan all options
– Perceived as “expensive”
– Current mix of options are customer friendly
•
Other foodservice options
– Good mix, customer friendly
– Sweet Spot is problematic
• Baby Doe’s
– Schizophrenic
– Too much variety
– Dull and dated
– Inefficient customer throughput

– Seating areas
• Inefficient seating (all four-tops and large rounds)
• Noisy and uninviting
• No soft seating
• Unpleasant, non-customer friendly lighting
– Other UMC issues
• Limited quiet study areas
– No 24 hour study lounge
• Dated services
– Bowling alley/game room
– Ballroom
• UMC does offer many student-friendly services
– Bookstore
– Travel agency
– Credit union
– Computer lab
– E-mail stations

– Satellite operations
• Challenging locations in some cases
• Stocking issues
• Overall ambiance is an issue
– Make-shift serving areas
– Customer throughput

– Catering
• Campus budget cuts have impacted business
• Delivery challenges with dock area
• Mixed customer feedback
– “Sometimes the food is great, other times not so great”
– Some dissatisfaction with the coffee and quality of baked goods
– Some dissatisfaction with delivery/pick up
• On time/too early/late
• Complete order (sometimes missing plates, sugars, creamers, etc.)
•
Scheduling/catering office are separated
• Communication challenges

• Alferd Packer Grill
– Slumgullion Grill
– Al’s Lodge – Meat Paninis
– Al’s Fresco – Vegetarian Paninis
– Al’s Garden – Salad Bar – Organic, Locally-grown Produce
–
The Tabor
– Home-style Comfort
– Feature Homemade Soup and Chili Bar
– Feature UMC Herb Garden
• Baby Doe’s Coffee House
– Fair Trade Coffee
– Celestial Seasonings Teas
– Feature Scratch Bakery – Breads, Cookies, etc.
• Fresh Mex – Illegal Pete’s?
• Subway
• Wok & Roll
• Domino’s

• Gut rehab
– Receiving
– Storage
– Production
– Self Op and Commercial Service Areas
– Dining Rooms
• Elements of Design
• “Boulderesque”
• Colorful Task Lighting
• Warm Natural Wood Tones
• Natural Light
• Funky Eclectic Merchandising
• Aroma Influences - Scratch Bakery, etc.
• HD Music
• Warm and inviting
• Customers can see all options/concepts in one visual sweep
• UMC venues share a common kitchen
• Each concept has its own registers

• Offer combo meals at each of the UMC food concepts
• Mimic structure of off-campus competitors
• Dollar menus
• Farmer’s Marketplace Hours: 7 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday
• Offer limited venues after 5 p.m.
• Rotating All-You-Care-To-Eat Bar
• Homemade Soups/Chili/Breads
• Pizza/Pasta
• Seating:
• Create a central, comfortable and more efficient seating area
– Large and small tables
– Booths
– Single counter seating
– High-top tables
• Promote FREE wireless internet access
– Increase power outlet options
• Consider noise reduction ceiling tiles to reduce/absorb noise.

• Locate at edge of new marketplace so that customers can see/smell the baked goods from the atrium entrance.
• Create a coffeehouse-style atmosphere with wood finishes, colorful lighting, and a variety of seating options (tables, overstuffed chairs and couches, etc.)
•
Feature a display-style scratch bakery so customers can see and smell the freshly-made baked goods.
• Streamline menu items to top sellers
– Gourmet coffee
– Celestial Seasonings Tea
– Smoothies with vitamin and protein boosters
– Bottled beverages including organic juices and energy drinks
– Pre-packaged sandwiches and salads
• Offer centrally-located touch screen ordering systems to increase speed of service
• Hours of operation:
– 7 a.m.-Midnight, Monday-Friday
– 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday

• Consider offering three tiers of catering:
• Premium Service: For presidential and high-level catered events
• Standard Service: For traditional luncheon meetings and similar gatherings
• Budget Service: For groups with limited budgets (pick-up/no delivery or set up)
• Re-evaluate current menu options.
• Introduce new items to relieve customer boredom
• Consider hosting a tasting event for catering customers to identify customer preferences
•
Invest in new catering equipment, especially serving equipment.
• New coffee-holding equipment
• New trucks (image is everything/mobile advertising)
• Consider creating an on-line catering order form.
• Consider combining the scheduling/catering office for one-stop shopping
• Ensure that the Eatec system is fully operational, interfaces with the POS system and that all catering administrators are fully trained on the system.

• Create a detailed training program for all new hires.
• Focus on:
– Customer service
– Tours of all on-campus catering facilities
– Catering protocol
– Delivery/set up/clean up procedures, etc.
• Evaluate current staffing levels to ensure high-quality service
• Ontime deliveries (not too early so food isn’t sitting out too long)
• On-time pickups
• Regularly survey catering customers to identify issues and opportunities
• Follow-up calls after events
• Electronic evaluation form
• Periodic focus groups with regular customers

•
Maintain current locations but give each one an extreme makeover
•
Merchandise food and beverage options in a more attractive manner to increase impulse sales and generate interest.
• Use business systems to better forecast food needs so venues don’t run out of food.
•
Stream menu options to top sellers/customer preferences
–
Bottled beverages
–
Fresh whole fruit
– Pre-wrapped sandwiches/wraps
– Bagged snacks
– UMC soup
–
UMC baked goods
–
Hot and cold beverages
•
Create better signage in the buildings where these venues are located to raise awareness/provide direction.

• Introduce a UMC Meal Plan Option
• Three buy-in levels
– $375 per semester ($5 per day Monday-Friday)
– $750 per semester ($10 per day Monday-Friday)
– $1,125 per semester ($15 per day Monday-Friday)
• Most undergraduate off-campus students said that they would be somewhat likely to consider purchasing this plan
• Available to students and faculty/staff
• Can be paid for at the registrar’s office at the beginning of each semester
• Money can roll over between semesters
• Offer special events/offers for UMC Meal Plan holders as added incentive to buy
– All-you-care-to-eat meals (pizza, tacos, etc.)
– Cooking classes
– Food seminars
– Tastings

• Create a marketing campaign to raise awareness of all UMC services.
• Grow the Baby Doe’s brand by introducing an attractive, eye-catching label
• Logoed cups, aprons, hats
• Logoed pre-wrapped sandwiches, salads, baked goods
• Develop promotions that attract business
• Coupons
• Frequent buyer cards (buy 10, get one free)
• Table tents
• Campus newspaper ads
• Keep all marketing fresh, fun and exciting!

– Strengths
•
Menu variety and selection
• Authenticity (soups, chili, baked goods)
• Superb location in the building
• Affiliation with UCSU
• Student workers
• Staff dedication
• Heavy customer traffic in and through the building
• UMC is the center of everything non-academic
• UMC is steeped in University history
• UMC student services are located in this building
• Biggest ballroom in Boulder
• Herb garden
• Diverse operations
• Strategic mix of self-op & contracted foodservice operations
– Weaknesses
•
Underdeveloped brand
• Trying to be everything to everyone
• Fluctuating business plan based on changing political leadership.
• Lack of space (receiving, storage, production, service, dining)
• Inadequate reserves for replacement of equipment
• Institutional-like seating area (i.e. high school cafeteria)
• Dated, dark inefficient design
• Unappealing facilities
• Poor sight lines between pedestrians and food venues
• Tied into campus debt capacity issues
• Tuition/student fee package
• Lack of flexibility (organizationally)
• Inefficient marketing
• Lack of awareness of satellite locations
• Challenges related to closing financiallystruggling venues operated by UMC Food
Services
• Balancing business decisions against student services issues.

– Threats
• Flatiron Meal Plan (non-University)
• Restaurants on the Hill
• Commuter meal plans offered by CU
Housing/Dining
• Proposed conference center in Boulder
• Sophomore residency growth due to increase/upgrade in on-campus housing capacity (possible future sophomore live-on requirement)
• UMC dining renovation project not approved
• Local workforce
• Difficulty in responding quickly to changing customer expectations and preferences and level of customers’ sophistication
– Opportunities
•
Direct access between dining room and fountain plaza
• Provide service to more students/customers
• 15,000 traffic counts per day
• Expand dinner business
• Capture more catering business
• Introduce a new UMC Meal Plan
• Renovate food/dining facilities
• Increase dining capacity
• Create additional study space in the building to relieve pressure from dining area.
• Clientele with disposable income

– Off-Campus Competitors
• CU students indexed 83 restaurants within ¼ mile of the UMC
• Areas included the Hill, Baseline Road, Arapahoe Avenue and Pearl St.
Mall
• Photos and detailed information for each restaurant will be provided to
CU.
– Market Penetration Analysis
• 15,000 potential customers pass through the UMC every day Monday-Friday.
• Current daily transactions at the Alferd Packer Grill: Approx. 2,500
• Approx. 5,000-6,000 CU students live on the Hill.
• Result: UMC could increase revenues by making changes that would make all of the dining options in the UMC more inviting and customer friendly to building and surrounding traffic/customers.

– Map detailing offcampus restaurants’ locations relative to the UMC will be delivered to CU.

– Form follows function, but what style is right for the UMC?
• Theme
• Ambiance
• Concept
•
Interior design
• What is Bouldersque?

•“I like the combination of booths and tables.”
•“I like the large windows that let in lots of natural light. It makes the area comfortable and cozy.”
•“The ambiance is warm and airy.”

•“I like the queuing system where customers order their food and beverages and then move down the counter and watch as their food is being prepared.”
•“I like the light-colored wood and the interior design.”
•“I like that it has a sense of design and how all of the elements work together.”
•“It has the feel of a student union.”

•“It’s fun!”
•“I like the bar seating option, where students can eat and watch their food being made and interact with the dining staff.”
•“There is lots of natural light. I also really like the light fixtures.”
•“It appears to be a high energy kind of place.”
•“I like the display cooking aspect.”
•“It looks inviting and contemporary.”

•“It’s classy.”
•“It has a clubby feel that is inviting and cozy.”
•“It looks like a pub and a place where students would like to hang out.”
•“It reminds me of a student hangout.”

•“I like the beautiful food display and I like that you can see your food being prepared while you wait.”
•“It feels like a warm space with the blond woods, brick interior and task lighting.”
•“I don’t like the seating area.”

– Porter and UMC Administrators Hit the Road!
• Toured area surrounding campus looking for design and menu ideas that could be incorporated into the new dining venues in the UMC
• Stops included:
• Wild Oats —Organic salad bar, display bakery
• Amante —Contemporary, inviting, European
• Paradise Bakery —Warm, inviting, brick walls
• Whole Foods —Abundance, promotions, beautiful food displays
• Noodles & Co.
—Interesting menu boards, good use of small space
• Peabury’s Coffee—Inviting interior, copper finishes, feels “special”
• Buchanan’s—Eclectic, funky, student operated
• Illegal Pete’s (on the Hill)—Dive, cool, huge burritos
• Espresso Roma —Very popular, small
• Qdoba —Painted cement floor, industrial look