Noncommercial: Higher Learning, Higher Dining

A new bistro concept at the University of Missouri, Columbia, promises more panini and prosciutto than PB&J.

By Christine LaFave, Associate Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 11/1/2007

When Campus Dining Services (CDS) officials at the University of Missouri, Columbia, began looking two years ago at how they could improve the Mizzou dining experience, they honed in on a missing piece of the campus-foodservice puzzle: a concept meant to appeal to more-sophisticated tastes.

"Our goal was to create more of an upscale environment for the university campus," says Andrew Lough, CDS’ marketing manager and an organizer of campus-dining focus groups. "We had a lot of very inexpensive options, but there seemed to be an increased demand especially from faculty and upperclassmen for something a little nicer, a little more upscale that wouldn’t necessarily be more expensive."

The soup-salads-sandwiches concept developed to meet that demand, Wheatstone Bistro, opened this fall in Mizzou’s Memorial Union. Wheatstone showcases freshly sliced deli meats, house-made dressings and updated takes on classic soups.

"We’re taking some very basic foods and really kind of taking them to the next level, making them a little more upscale than what you’d expect to see on a college campus," Lough says.

One example: a spinoff on a traditional Italian sandwich, featuring roast beef, prosciutto and Italian salami with a house vinaigrette on an herbed ciabatta roll. Among the salads, one specialty variety consists of mixed greens with pears, roasted pecans, Gorgonzola and a sparkling-wine vinaigrette.

Executive Chef Eric Cartwright says that the challenge in developing the menu was trying to strike a balance between sophisticated and safe. "After the first [customer sampling], I was getting kind of some mixed feedback on some of the products," he says. Cartwright says some students were wary of such sandwich accents as blue cheese and roasted-red-pepper mayonnaise.

Going back to the drawing board, Cartwright and his staff adjusted ingredients and menu wording. "I started to look at, ‘Does everything have some sense of familiarity to it?’" he says. "The next several testings that we did, the feedback was much more positive." A turkey sandwich on multigrain bread with smoked Cheddar and honey Dijon mustard works, Cartwright says, because customers know honey Dijon and can accept a smoked version of a favorite cheese. One of the most popular items in menu testing, he adds, is an updated take on chicken cordon bleu: a grilled chicken breast, prosciutto, Parmesan mayonnaise and Swiss cheese on multigrain bread, warmed on a panini grill. "It’s something so simple in my mind, but people just went crazy over it," he says.

Wheatstone Bistro takes the place of a three-unit food court that contained a branded-sandwiches outlet, a homestyle-dining concept and an Italian cafe. "Each of the three locations really had one item that drew customers in," says Lough. "We didn’t have one single outlet that did an excellent job combining those three and really specializing in that niche [of soups, salads and sandwiches]."

The new concept will offer variations on select favorites from the food court. Baked potatoes, menued previously at the home-style concept, for example, will be reimagined as a loaded-baked-potato salad—a potato salad featuring red-skin potatoes, bacon, green onion, Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Cartwright says the Wheatstone Bistro name conveys both the concept’s atmos-phere—"something that’s a bit upscale but casual," he notes—and its menu focus. "[With] Wheatstone, one of our driving points on this was, ‘What do we want to be known for?’ ‘Ooh, for a good sandwich.’ Well, what makes a good sandwich? Some nice bread—let’s start from there."

Theory of Profitability

As part of an ambitious expansion plan, Einstein Bros. Bagels is focusing attention on a lucrative customer segment—one whose members aren’t averse to wearing pajamas to dinner.

At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in September, Lakewood, Colo.-based Einstein Bros. opened its 68th location on a college campus. "Students identify with our brand," says Rich Guckel, senior director of franchise and license operations for parent company Einstein Noah Restaurant Group. "We’ve always done well in campus locations."

In a one-month period at the start of the 2007-2008 school year, Einstein Bros. opened stores at East Carolina University in North Carolina, Mississippi State University, the University of Missouri-Rolla, John Carroll University in Ohio and the University of Tennessee. The concept appeals to students as a comfortable change of pace from everyday dining-hall fare, says Guckel, who describes Einstein Bros. as an oasis for students between work and classes.

"Our food is prepared fresh; it’s on-trend; [and] the students want us, that’s the most important piece," Guckel says. "Our food is comfort food … residential dining is the norm, so this is something a little different, a treat."

Guckel notes that campus units have mostly the same menu as noncampus units. The pressure to stay current is felt especially at college locations, however. Students seek regular menu updates and seasonal beverages in particular, Guckel says. "The students on campus many times eat with us 10 times per week," he says, adding, "Probably the biggest challenge or opportunity we have is keeping our menu relevant" and avoiding menu fatigue. On the other hand, says Guckel, with the constant demand to innovate and update, campus locations become Einstein’s spearhead. "This becomes our showcase for our brand," he says.

The University of Tennessee Einstein Bros. is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday. Dining Dollars, which are included in four of five Tennessee meal plans, can be used at the restaurant.