Sage Moves on Campus

By The Editors -- Restaurants & Institutions, 4/1/2003

Nondairy chocolate brownies, papaya smoothies and vegan burgers have come to Colorado College thanks to Wild Sage, a 60-seat quick-service restaurant that opened at the liberal arts campus in Colorado Springs.

Wild Sage had a former life as a health-food restaurant in Los Angeles in the 1990s, according to Lauren Bell, founder and chef-owner. Now president of a food company in Mill Valley, Calif., Bell has a six-month licensing agreement with Gaithersburg, Md.-based Sodexho USA, contract manager of campus foodservice at Colorado College. With a $6.70 check average, Wild Sage’s nutritious spins on sandwiches, burgers, wraps, salads and desserts price slightly higher than local competition, says Greg Soukup, Sodexho general manager of foodservice. The contractor expects the 45-item menu at Wild Sage (where student Lynn Gorfinkle, below, is shown with a salad) to generate weekly sales of $8,000.

Students—vocal about eco-friendly concerns such as recycling and turning used cooking oil into fuel for campus vehicles—have embraced the concept, according to Soukup. “They initially objected to the higher prices. But they’re learning that foods such as organic carrot bread and sweet-potato fries cost more to produce.” Although the school already offered an organic-foods station in the dining room, students wanted more organic options in other locations.

Wild Sage is Colorado College’s first venture into branding. Bell intends to open her own unit in Mill Valley in 2004.

Menu Focus

Spring stirs the appetite for many foods, from local asparagus and sweet strawberries to succulent lamb. Domestic cuts as well as lamb from Australia give diners options to pork, duck and other proteins.

CHARLOTTETOWN, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Holland College: Spring lamb with lavender risotto and beurre blanc

LOS ANGELES
La Cachette: Roasted baby rack of lamb with horseradish Dijon mustard, green beans and garlic-thyme jus

MALIBU, CALIF..
Granita: Salad of stir-fried lamb in radicchio cup with plum-soy glaze, ginger, chiles and mint

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Outback Steakhouse: 14-ounce rack of lamb with cabernet sauce
Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue: Barbecued lamb ribs served with coleslaw, french fries and toasted French bread

NEW ORLEANS
201 Restaurant & Bar: Grilled rack of lamb over mushroom-and-spinach-stuffed Creole tomato with goat-cheese gratin, finished with tarragon demi-glace and crispy leeks

PHILADELPHIA
Paris Bar and Grill at The Ritz-Carlton: Rack of lamb with eggplant and peppers

SAN FRANCISCO
Gordon’s House of Fine Eats: Lamb two ways (grilled and sausage) with crispy eggplant and yogurt cucumbers

Compass Points

The relationship between Restaurant Associates (RA) and Compass Group, North America (CGNA) is shifting through what RA CEO Nick Valenti calls “evolutionary changes.” A new joint venture between Valenti and Charlotte, N.C.-based CGNA is being created that will operate New York City-based RA’s restaurants and sports and entertainment catering business. This includes such New York City dining spots as Brasserie, Nick & Stef’s, Rock Center Café and The Sea Grill.

Separately, control of RA’s business-and-industry contract-foodservice operations will be transferred to CGNA’s Eurest division over the next nine to 12 months. “The idea there is to leverage RA’s expertise into the various B&I brands of Compass,” Valenti says. CGNA’s other B&I subsidiaries include Palo Alto, Calif.-based Bon Appétit Management Co. and Rye Brook, N.Y.-based Flik International.

Valenti will retain his title at RA and continue to serve on the board of directors for CGNA, a division of London-based Compass Group PLC.

One in the Oven

Move over, Barry White. Arby’s has a new spokesperson that’s friendly, fun and always ready to lend a hand: Oven Mitt, an animated character who sings the praises of the chain’s signature oven-roasted beef.

The new national advertising campaign, which made its debut last month, builds on the “adult fast food” angle played up in Arby’s previous ads, says President and CEO Michael Howe.

“Everybody’s talking about comfort food and high-quality tastes. People are looking for a better fast-food experience,” he says. “Focusing on the oven justifies to consumers why we’re different, why it’s worth coming to Arby’s.”

While an animated spokesperson may not be an obvious choice for reaching adult consumers, Howe says the creative character helps Arby’s break through the advertising clutter while clearly communicating the brand message of “Oven Fresh ... Oven Good.”

“There is an emotional tie consumers have with the oven. It takes them back to a comfortable time,” he says.

Pumping Up

When fueling their cars at Sheetz gasoline/convenience stores, some customers have a new ordering option. At two of its 280 locations, the Altoona, Pa.-based chain is testing touch-screen kiosks on gas-pump islands that allow users to order and pay for food for pickup inside the store. Sheetz’ complete menu—from its Made-to-Order (MTO) sandwiches and Burgerz line to salads and breakfast foods—is available at the kiosks, including its full range of 50 toppings and bread choices. A single credit-card swipe pays for both fuel and food.

The same touch-screen technology has been used inside its c-stores since 1997, but Sheetz wanted to test whether it could survive winter weather in outdoor applications.

“The number of orders being placed at the island kiosks is probably three times greater than we anticipated,” says Rich Steckroth, manager of new business development. The test soon may be extended to more locations.

In addition to the MTO and Burgerz lines, Sheetz’s branded foodservice offerings include Dotz Bakery baked goods, Fizz City beverages and Sheetz Coffeez.

The Main Course

One of Outback Steakhouse’s newest locations isn’t near a strip mall or along a busy thoroughfare. Instead, the restaurant is inside Houston’s Westside High School, part of a program conceived by the Texas Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (TRAEF).

Under the banner Entrepreneur 101: Realizing the American Dream, the course seeks to bridge the gap between traditional classroom education and business by allowing students to learn firsthand what it takes to run a business through on-campus, real-life experience.

“Instead of taking students out of school to the industry, we’ve brought industry into the school. That’s a dramatic change,” says Bill Vear, TRAEF senior director.

About 140 students are enrolled in Westside’s E-101 course, divided into six separate classes. The first part of the four-year curriculum is an introductory course. The second year delves more deeply into running a restaurant and basic entrepreneurial understanding, while the third covers management and business ownership. By the fourth year, students take on the responsibilities of CEOs and other executives.

For the most part, the classroom mirrors a typical Outback restaurant. An open-kitchen lab exposes students to culinary education, but the course focuses mainly on business. Vera says it’s up to administrators to decide how often and to whom the restaurant will serve meals.

A similar program is up and running at Del Valle High School in Del Valle, Texas, in partnership with area restaurateur Carmelo Mauro.

Ivy Idea

The popular Cooking Club at North Carolina State University (Ivy ’88) in Raleigh was established by Executive Chef Bill Brizzolara as a fun way for students to test and improve their cooking skills and learn to take control of their food choices. “People at this age have relatively little or no experience cooking, yet they soon will be out on their own,” says Brizzolara. “This is a way to share that knowledge and also have direct contact with the students who are our customers.”

Contributors: Scott Hume, Allison Perlik, Margaret Sheridan, Laura Yee.