When Rob McColgan, co-founder and CEO of Modern Market Eatery and a graduate of Notre Dame, heard that the university was developing a new student union, he wanted in. And the dining team at the South Bend, Ind. campus wanted Modern Market.
The partnership has been a hit with both sides, he says.
“We worked with Notre Dame to streamline our menu for ease of execution and to tailor it to college students,” he says. “Campus Dining helped us set competitive prices that work for the students’ and with our cost of goods.”
Although Notre Dame is Modern Market’s first campus location, the fast casual has gone into other nontraditional locations, including airports, which provided “great learning,” says McColgan. “The footprint is flexible—900 to 1,200 square feet in an open area with mixed use seating and a smaller kitchen. The kitchen in our restaurants is two to three times larger.”
The Notre Dame space is similar to that in the Denver airport, so the pared-down menu conforms with the smaller kitchen, retaining the same categories but with fewer options in each. Sustainability and clean ingredients are still a priority, but the Modern Market culinary team developed items with greater appeal for college students.
“We tested more approachable items, such as a chicken bacon ranch sandwich,” says McColgan. “This did so well that it’s now part of our regular restaurant menu.” Pizza and sandwiches are the best sellers overall.
Photo courtesy of Modern Market; credit South Bend Tribune
The breakfast category represented the biggest change, he adds. This meal part is included in students’ dining plans, so it was expanded to include more choices. Avocado toast is one of the most popular.
Everything on the menu was screened and maximized for off premise, which made the transition to pandemic dining restrictions a bit smoother, McColgan says. When the Notre Dame campus reopened in Sept. 2020, Modern Market’s operating hours were more limited. But students were able to place digital orders on their phones and pick up their food. This fall, Notre Dame is committed to fully reopen.
The revenue from the Notre Dame location contributed to Modern Market’s 187% year-over-year increase in off-premise, digitally-ordered, same-store sales, even amid a pandemic, according to a statement from the fast casual.
McColgan is bullish on expanding to more colleges and “is hard at work to get onto more campuses,” he says. “It’s fantastic exposure for the brand to get into the hands of college students, who can become loyal fans going forward.”
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