For those who don't know, Ryan and I are working with UC's Faculty Club on how we can increase membership and overall awareness of the Club. The Faculty Club is a restaurant located in Lindner Center and provides catering and event services as well as offering a full lunch menu and buffet. While membership is exclusive to faculty and staff, anyone is currently able to dine there due to such low membership rates. As of right now the club has 280 members, with 180 of them being retired faculty. Membership is down from 340 members only two years ago, and that is because the Club's members are, literally, dying off.
It is evident that The Faculty Club has done a great job at retaining their customers over the years. At a certain point, however, it is critical to switch the focus to acquiring new customers (while keeping current customers in mind, of course). While the details of "how" still have to be worked out, the "what" of the situation is to give younger faculty and staff members an updated perspective of The Faculty Club, while also keeping the mission, values, and atmosphere of the Club consistent.
While analyzing their current situation, I find myself thinking about how they got to be here, exactly, and why they are struggling. The food is delicious, the prices are comparable to other restaurants on campus, and the overall atmosphere is one to be desired for casual business lunches. Mick & Mack's, a similar restaurant, is always thriving at lunch time, showing that a lack of dining out is not the problem. It seems that the seemingly difficult-to-find location is the hurdle that must be conquered.
Prior to the Club's relocation to Lindner Center, it was located in the Faculty Center, next to the Alumni Center and across from Lindner Hall. At that location, there was a waiting list for membership and there was always a line out the door for lunch. Every other variable is still the same as before (i.e. membership prices, food, the chef and staff). We ask ourselves whether or not faculty members know about the Club and choose not to go (and if so, why?), or do they just not know that it even exists? Once we investigate these questions, we will be able to nail down the details of how we plan on tackling the Club's membership issues.
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