Whether it is the lacrosse, cross country, field hockey or football teams, you can go to the head coaches & cut deals with them. You can give free dinner to the teams after the games and in return have them mention your restaurant at the games. If cheerleaders, fans & parents know the team will be at your restaurant after the game, they will all follow & spend money. You will become the new “after game hot spot” You can also ask about other advertising options on the field or in sports programs. Offer to print up the sports programs and save a place on the back to promote your restaurant.  Give a discount to anyone with a ticket stub, program or if no printing is used for games, give a discount to anyone who can tell you the final score.  Most important, you should always have someone handing out your takeout menus at every game & in the parking lots.

Colleges always hold dances, plays & pep rallies. You can get in touch with the committees who put these functions together. They can order x amount of pies & food to have at the dances. You can hand out your takeout menus at the pep rallies for late business. The director of the plays & concerts can work out “a dinner & a show” deal to sell to the theater goers. They can eat before or after the show. You can also offer a discount towards the total check when shown a ticket the day of the performances.  Don’t forget about cast parties, offer a good deal, if the cast, stage crew, production crew and everyone else involved like your restaurant, you will be sure to host every cast party.  Most theater departments do something called “striking the set", where after the last performance; students take apart the set that was built.  Usually this is an all night job and a few pizza pies & sandwiches make it much more enjoyable for the workers.  This is another opportunity to generate some business, get in touch with the theater department, find out who runs it and work out a deal.

All colleges & universities have some kind of orientation packets. These are given out to all new & returning students. They are filled with maps of school buildings & surrounding areas, rules & regulations & other information about activities, sporting events & where to eat & go off campus. This is your opportunity to get your takeout menu, business card magnets & free “V.I.P. cards” distributed to all. You can even offer to print some of these materials for free in turn your offer can be included in the packet. Hold a contest, fill out this questionnaire & win a $50.00 gift certificate towards future food purchases. Getting information on new & returning students is vital for your growth. If for some reason a school does not have a welcome packet offer to help put one together for them.

Faculty, Parents & Staff all need to eat out. This can be an untapped area that is being over looked. Target Staff & Faculty at the colleges for luncheons, meetings & deliveries on campus. Parents have to eat out when visiting their children.  Make up V.I.P. cards just for parents giving them a discount. Find out from the college when special events are going on. (Home coming, parent’s weekend, alumni weekend…etc) You can also contact the admission’s office find out the students who give tours to potential students who visit the campus with their parents. After the tour they will want to eat somewhere before they leave on their long trip back home. You can even work out a “free lunch” deal with the college. The college can offer a “free lunch” to potential students. Of course the college will pick up the tab. What a lasting touch on the parents to make the biggest decision in their child’s life.

Once students arrive at their dormitories on the first day of school, they always head for the long lines at the bookstore to get their books. Waiting in line can make people hungry. Talk to the person in charge of the bookstore. Ask if you can give out free samples of your food outside the bookstore the first few days the students return. This will give the students a chance to taste your food & get to know your brand. You can also give out your V.I.P. cards. Hand out your takeout menus, magnets & any other marketing materials. This is why they call it “branding” you want to “brand” your name in people’s minds. The more they see your restaurant the more they will buy from you.