Marketing a restaurant in Athens, Georgia: game days to graduation

The University of Georgia is one of the biggest things about Athens: a very large student body in a town of Athens' size, and it shapes everything a restaurant does. Here is a practical plan for marketing a restaurant in Athens, from game days to the summer lull. The same ideas apply to any Georgia college town, such as Statesboro, Valdosta or Milledgeville.

What does the university calendar do to your sales?

It runs your year. Move-in week in August brings new customers and parents. Home football weekends are the biggest days of the fall, with very large crowds of visitors. Midterms and finals fill coffee shops. Parents' weekends and graduation, in May and December, bring families who dine out and tip well. Winter break and summer thin the town. Get the dates from the registrar and the athletic department a year ahead, and put them on a wall calendar.

How do you plan for game days?

Treat each home game as a separate business. Decide whether to open early for tailgaters, stay open through the game or close and reopen after. Staff up, shorten the menu to what cooks fast and stock more of what sells. Consider pre-orders, a batch menu or a set-price plate. Expect road closures and parking restrictions, and tell your staff and your delivery drivers early. Use signs and an online post a week ahead to tell fans what you offer. After the game, run a cooldown offer for people walking back from the stadium.

How do you reach students on a small budget?

Go where they are. Campus newsletters, student groups, residence halls and student creators on social media are cheaper and more credible than paid ads. Offer one clear deal: a lunch combo at a fixed price, a free drink on a weeknight or a discount for a group of four. Sponsor a club event with a tray of food. A student who tries you in the first week often stays four years. Ask clubs to hold end-of-term dinners and give the organizer a free meal.

What does the Athens music scene mean for restaurants?

Athens is known for its music, and live shows bring audiences who eat before or after. Partner with a nearby venue to offer a pre-show menu or an after-show snack. Hire local bands for a weekly night, which draws regulars. Keep late hours on show nights if you can. Tell musicians and crew about your late kitchen, because they eat at odd hours.

How do you keep locals when students leave?

Do not neglect faculty, staff, hospital workers and long-time residents. They keep you open in summer and winter break, and they value a calm, friendly place. Create a morning offer, a quiet afternoon hour and a weekend brunch for them. The farmers markets on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings bring locals to the same streets; consider a stand or a pop-up there. Email your regulars before each break with your hours.

What about alcohol and age rules?

If you serve alcohol in a college town, you will meet students under 21, and you must check IDs carefully. Selling alcohol to underage customers is illegal and can put your license at risk. Train staff to check IDs, keep a log of incidents and avoid promotions that encourage heavy drinking. Many successful Athens restaurants build a name on food and coffee instead of late-night drinks.

How do you survive the summer?

Plan for a dip. Reduce your hours, close a slow day and cut the menu to what sells. Market to residents, visitors and camps. Run a summer special. Use the quiet weeks for repairs, training and menu testing. Put aside a share of each busy term's profit, because rent and insurance continue.

Measure each push so you learn from it. Give each campus offer a code word that students say at the counter, and count how many are used. If one club dinner brings in thirty guests and a flyer brings in two, you know where to put your time. Keep a short log of the dates that matter, such as the first day of classes, the first home game, midterm week, finals and graduation, with what you sold on each, so next year you can staff and prepare with confidence.

Remember that students graduate every year, so your base needs constant renewal. The relationships that last are the ones with residents, faculty, staff and the families who live near the campus. Cater a department meeting or a faculty lunch, and you may gain customers who stay for decades.

Do you want students to find your best dish before they find the chain?

Mosey is a food-first app where diners search by dish and mood, rate what they ate and keep lists of places they want to try. For a restaurant near a campus, that means a student craving a particular dish can find yours, and the ratings from other students tell the rest. Mosey also gives your business its own page and list of regular guests, so a student who loves your food stays a customer when they return as an alumnus.

More guides for your business:

• Savannah's visitor economy: what it means for restaurants
• Asheville restaurants after Helene: lessons for owners everywhere
• Marketing a restaurant in a Utah college town: Provo and Orem

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