College-Area Business Relations Restaurants Rely on College Diners

Author: Kelsey Rinehart

Middlebury College students and parents arriving in September or reuniting on Fall Family Weekends know that finding a place to eat in town is a daunting task. Those who forget to make reservations or rely on luck to find a table are often left to scrounge around the dining halls or drive for miles to a faraway restaurant.
The Middlebury College community — students, parents, faculty and staff — rely on Middlebury's restaurants. Whether they provide faculty with a quick bite to eat between lectures or give students a welcome escape from Proctoresque banality, Middlebury restaurants cater to the needs of the College. These restaurants, in turn, depend on College-related business and student employees to bring life to their businesses.
Middlebury restaurateurs estimated that College students and faculty provide as little as 10 and as much as 80 percent of business at any given time. At Two Brothers' Tavern, which opened in October, students make up about 10 percent of the dining clientele, 50 percent of the customers at the bar and 40 percent of the workforce.
Mack Lindsey, general manager of Mister Up's, said that around 30 percent of his business is College-related. "Every night this summer was packed. After graduation, it lulled, and then everything came back," Lindsey said. He observed that the combination of patrons from the Language Schools, the Bread Loaf writing program and camping and tourism create an influx of customers in the warmer months.
Paris Rinder-Goddard, dining room manager of Fire and Ice, said that the College brings a lot of revenue to the restaurant. Fire and Ice, started in 1972 by two Middlebury graduates, was originally a "rock and roll bar," as Rinder-Goddard called it — a place that catered largely to work-worn, hangout-seeking students. Over the years, Fire and Ice has grown significantly to become a dining hot spot on the College's big weekends. Rinder-Goddard noted that on Family Weekends, 75 to 80 percent of customers are students dining with their parents. Rinder-Goddard said he enjoys getting to know families that eat at the restaurant for the first time when their children arrive as first-years, and then make a reservation every time they come to Middlebury over the next four years.
Carolyn Dundon, a Middlebury native, runs Tully and Marie's, another place where a table is a hot commodity on a Family Weekend. Dundon, who once worked in the Glass Bead Game, a clothing store across the street from Tully and Marie's, accredited much of the restaurant's success to Middlebury College, in particular to customers from the College's summer programs. "At least 50 percent [of business] is College-related," Dundon estimated, noting that this figure fluctuates depending on the time of year. Dundon, like Lindsey, noticed an influx of patrons over the summer due to Middlebury College programs and tourism. "The customers from the Language Schools are excellent customers," Dundon said.
It's not just the revenue from Language School students, however, that pleases Dundon. "I've met so many interesting people. I really enjoy the people aspect of it," she said.
Shanny Singh of Taste of India said that the College likely provides 60 percent of his customers. Like other restaurateurs, he pointed to the College as a crucial part of his business' success. When students leave for the summer, Singh said, "It [business] kind of drops 60 to 70 percent." He agreed with other restaurant owners, however, that the Language Schools contribute greatly to his summer business.
Singh's views on the subject of student employment are largely concurrent with other owners' perspectives. Singh said that student employees are a great asset to his business. "When they're here, they do a great job," he commented. Most restaurateurs would agree with Singh that College students make great waiters, waitresses and kitchen staff. Middlebury College students are "predisposed for success," noted Rinder-Goddard. "With the odd exception, they've been reliable and hard workers," he said.
Lindsey of Mister Up's said that he has had more positive than negative experiences with student workers. If there have been problems, however, they have concerned students' reliability and work ethic. Lindsey described more generally his restaurant's relationship with the College as "love-hate."
"In one sense, it's great to have business," Lindsey said. He is delighted to provide meals for the majority of College-related clientele, whom he described as well-behaved and courteous customers. He noted, however, that some students drink too much, get out of control and become destructive. "That's the hate part of it," he said.
Overall, Lindsey is glad to have the College in Middlebury and providing business to Mister Up's. "Without the College, Middlebury would be just another tiny New England town," he said.
For the most part, Middlebury restaurateurs, like innkeepers and hotel managers, are very glad to have College-related business as a source of revenue. Many try to attract more College students by posting advertisements in The Middlebury Campus or by offering coupons and specials on Middkid.com. All owners agree that, throughout the year, Middlebury College provides workers and, from its various programs, a continuous and vital influx of patrons.