FOLLOW UP | Raising Cane sales pass IHOP sales in first week
About a week after its opening, the buzz surrounding the Laurel and Grace Dining Center is starting to wear down.
In its opening day, IHOP served 2,800 diners, but as the week went on, Raising Cane's caught up in sales. On average, Raising Cane's served 1,450 customers while IHOP served about 1,000 daily in the first week.
Michael Pasco
Contributing Writer
About a week after its opening, the buzz surrounding the Laurel and Grace Dining Center is starting to wear down.
According to VCU’s Ararmark manager, Michael Martin, the initial excitement could be attributed to the IHOP Express, though sales suggest another student favorite emerging from the three restaurants.
Currently, Raising Cane’s has the most sales of the three restaurants.
On opening day, the restaurant did modestly, but it has been on a steady rise ever since. They have an average of 1,450 customers daily, 775 of which are using meal exchange.
IHOP is in second place, with an average of 1,000 customers daily, 525 of which are using meal exchanges.
“We have work to do at IHOP in reducing ticket times,” Martin said.
According to Martin, average waiting time for IHOP is at 6-7 minutes, but their goal is for it to be 4-5 minutes.
“Cane’s ticket time is two minutes,” Martin said. “So for every three orders Cane’s doing, IHOP is only doing one. If a guy’s in a rush, Cane’s is the way to go.”
“The sleeper (hit) for me is Croutons,” Dining Sales and Services manager Tamara Highsmith said. “It exceeded some of our expectations.”
Croutons, Salads and Wraps, which was moved from its old location in the Commons, has an average of 400 customers daily, with 340 using meal exchange.
“I knew (IHOP) would be successful. If there were surprises for me, it’s how well Cane’s and Croutons actually did,” said Martin.
“We were not expecting (Croutons) to be that popular,” Highsmith said. “We knew we had a group of people who wanted to eat healthy, and we’re really excited they’re taking advantage of it.”
A big part of the success of the Laurel and Grace Dining Center may be in its variety.
“It’s three locations in one place. It’s kind of a destination to go with your friends where one wants to eat something very healthy and one is really craving pancakes,” said Highsmith. “It’s providing something for everyone.”
VCU and Aramark are already working on improving all of the dining facilities for VCU students.
Blinds and shades are being added and they have already figured out how to push people through the lines faster. There are also plans for menus to be expanded in the future.
Croutons will also be receiving a grab-and-go option for ready-made salads and wraps as well as packaged fruit and Lays-brand chips.
VCU and Aramark are looking to make the IHOP Express process even more efficient.
In addition to reducing wait time, waste is also going to be reduced by using just one plate per order for food as opposed to two.
“IHOP is actually looking at (VCU) to be a model (for) them for other expresses,” said Martin.
