Openers: Space Exploration

By designing a highly functional concept in minimal square footage, Metz & Associates corners the market on flavor and convenience at Gannon University.

By Kate Leahy, Associate Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 5/15/2007

Concept: InterMetzo Café by Dallas, Pa.-based Metz & Associates
Location: Gannon University, Erie, Pa.
Opened: January 2007
Footprint: 280 square feet total; the service counter is 12 feet long with combined depth of 9 feet
Staff: 2
Total Installation Cost: $80,000 ($65,000 for the kiosk)
Average Check: $3.10
Key Equipment: An automated espresso machine that allows for multitasking and an open-air merchandiser for grab-and-go traffic. The unit also has hot-soup and hot-sandwich capabilities with two hot wells.
Key Design Element: The unit assembles easily and includes a hand sink. Once connected to utilities, it’s up and running.

The story: With its low profile and small menu, the food cart that previously occupied the space didn’t command student attention. Additionally, nearby Beyer Cafeteria, which had grown in popularity after an extensive 2004 remodel, was overburdened by the lunch rush. Redeploying the food-cart space as the InterMetzo Café concept doubled sales to an average of $800 a day (250 transactions) and attracted not only students but also Gannon University faculty and staff.

Bigger isn’t always better: InterMetzo’s baked-goods display case is small, but that can be a positive, says Jim Dickson, Metz & Associates’ division vice president for higher education and corporate dining. "By replenishing more frequently, you ensure that product in the bakery case stays fresh."

Room to grow: Encouraged by InterMetzo Café’s low operating costs, ease of installation and popularity, Metz & Associates plans to open the concept for four more university and corporate-dining clients next year.