Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The FACTS speak for themselves.   Union has a tremendous positive influence on our community.
No further need for discussion.

if you like i can even help you announce it...hear ye hear ye.. "ATTENTION ALL" this discussion is over and a closed subject  

still here? move along...nothing to see

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The FACTS speak for themselves.   Union has a tremendous positive influence on our community.
No further need for discussion.

Quoted from sanfordy2

if you like i can even help you announce it...hear ye hear ye.. "ATTENTION ALL" this discussion is over and a closed subject  

still here? move along...nothing to see

Yep, in other words, he REFUSES to engage in INTELLIGENT, CIVILIZED discussion about the MASSIVE loss of tax revenue to the city when the college took so many houses off the tax rolls.

He REFUSES to address the increase in taxes that the homeowners are forced to pay.

And for the college taking all those houses off the tax rolls, oh, they paid for a cross walk?   Big whoop  

And paid for a few surveillance cameras?   Oh wow, the college is saving millions in taxes they don't have to pay over the years in exchange for a one shot deal of a few thousand for cameras?


But of course, since DV CANNOT address the MASSIVE NEGATIVE impact to financially struggling homeowners, and the loss of revenue to landlords and resulting reduction in their property values, he retorts to claiming "no further discussion."

But he REFUSES to address ALL the FACTS!!!!!!    But that's typical of a guy who cannot carry on a conversation because he doesn't have the intelligence, the knowledge, or the experience.   He only knows how to brag about food and his waistline shows it

Quoted Text

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The FACTS speak for themselves.   Union has a tremendous positive influence on our community.
No further need for discussion.

Gotta agree with this one. Union College is the real and ONLY jewel in all of Schenectady county. At least the college produces some brilliant adults. People come from all over the country to attend Union.

In other words.....Union colleges puts out some great products!!!!

Quoted from bumblethru

Gotta agree with this one. Union College is the real and ONLY jewel in all of Schenectady county. At least the college produces some brilliant adults. People come from all over the country to attend Union.

In other words.....Union colleges puts out some great products!!!!

SCCC is a real jewel, SCCC produces some brilliant adults, too.  Furthermore, its good reputation is quite well known FAR beyond our the Capital Region.  

Proctor's is a real jewel.  Its good reputation is known across America and beyond.  Truly a treasure.

Ellis Health Systems is a real jewel.  Again, nationally recognized.

Then there are the many fine churches, congregations, synagogues & temples and even mosques that do a wonderful job carrying on their faith traditions and serving our community.

There are other jewels -- Perreca's, Sindoni's, Villa Italia, Cappiello's, White Eagle hotdogs and kielbasa ... just to name a few.

The City-County of Schenectady has a lot of treasures with extremely good to exceptional  reputations.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

SCCC is a real jewel, SCCC produces some brilliant adults, too.  Furthermore, its good reputation is quite well known FAR beyond our the Capital Region.  

Proctor's is a real jewel.  Its good reputation is known across America and beyond.  Truly a treasure.

Ellis Health Systems is a real jewel.  Again, nationally recognized.

There are other jewels --  Villa Italia,

.

Would you care to state what SCCC does for the tax base in the city?????    

Would you care to state (with evidence) what percent of graduates of SCCC have chosen to own a home in the city and pay the outrageous taxes?

What city house does the president of SCCC pay taxes on?   If she has children, would you care to tell us what school district she sends her children to?

What city taxes does the head of Union College pay taxes on?

What does Proctors do for the tax base in the city?  

What does the lavish and very expensive Broadway shows and the profits that King Phillip lines is wallet with do for the tax BILLS of city residents?   What does Proctors do for the desirability of people to buy homes IN the city?   How many people attending shows at Proctors from out of the area are buying homes IN the city because of Proctors?

Why did Phillip Morris get the hell out of the city?   Why doesn't he want to live IN the city where the homeowners are robbed of their money to provide Morris a lavish quarter million salary?  

What does Villa Italia do for the tax base of the city?     Tell us what city residential homes the owners of Villa Itallia live in and pay taxes on?    What school district to the owners of Villa Italia send their children to?   What impact does Villa Italia have on the tax BILLS of city residents?  

How many people from across the country are flocking to Ellis Medicine for their doctor visits?   Or the hospital?  


Of course, since you have no evidence to support your statements, you will NOT respond.

Quoted from mikechristine1

Would you care to state what SCCC does for the tax base in the city?????    

Would you care to state (with evidence) what percent of graduates of SCCC have chosen to own a home in the city and pay the outrageous taxes?

What city house does the president of SCCC pay taxes on?   If she has children, would you care to tell us what school district she sends her children to?

What city taxes does the head of Union College pay taxes on?

What does Proctors do for the tax base in the city?  

What does the lavish and very expensive Broadway shows and the profits that King Phillip lines is wallet with do for the tax BILLS of city residents?   What does Proctors do for the desirability of people to buy homes IN the city?   How many people attending shows at Proctors from out of the area are buying homes IN the city because of Proctors?

Why did Phillip Morris get the hell out of the city?   Why doesn't he want to live IN the city where the homeowners are robbed of their money to provide Morris a lavish quarter million salary?  

What does Villa Italia do for the tax base of the city?     Tell us what city residential homes the owners of Villa Itallia live in and pay taxes on?    What school district to the owners of Villa Italia send their children to?   What impact does Villa Italia have on the tax BILLS of city residents?  

How many people from across the country are flocking to Ellis Medicine for their doctor visits?   Or the hospital?  


Of course, since you have no evidence to support your statements, you will NOT respond.

DV has STILL not responded to provide an answer with evidence of the statements he makes.

I think DV is full of more sh*t than the ex mayor of BS

DV WHINES that people don't discuss things, but he is the BIGGEST (in more ways than one) offender of his own complaint because he NEVER discusses, only spews nonsense babble statements that he cannot EVER substantiate.

Quoted from mikechristine1

DV has STILL not responded to provide an answer with evidence of the statements he makes.

I think DV is full of more sh*t than the ex mayor of BS

DV WHINES that people don't discuss things, but he is the BIGGEST (in more ways than one) offender of his own complaint because he NEVER discusses, only spews nonsense babble statements that he cannot EVER substantiate.

MC1 has STILL not responded to provide answers with evidence of the statements made on Civitello's thread.

I think MC1 is full of more sh*t than DVOR

MC1 WHINES that DVOR won't discuss things, but he is just as big an offender of his own complaint
because he refuses to discuss, and provide real facts and answers!

It wont be long before the college allows a Dunkin Donuts and Taco Bell and other franchises on the wholly exempt property.  The college will expand its reach and buy more property surrounding the college.  Taking more tax paying propertys off the tax roll.  Leading to higher taxes for everyone in the city.  

The college should be able to expand and it should if needed but any new properties bought from here on forward should be taxable unless they are going to teach a class in that property bought.  If they buy a property for housing and "profit" then it should pay taxes just like everone else.

DVOR.  If you think Union going 100% for on campus housing is going to help the city and increase student spending in the city and the county then you are more lost than I thought.  I wouldnt be suprised if the enrollment for Union suffered because of this new movement.  

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The FACTS speak for themselves.   Union has a tremendous positive influence on our community.
No further need for discussion.

BIG IMPACT
Union worth $274M to region
Universities group computes economic impact
Monday, November 26, 2012
By Michael Goot
Gazette Reporter  


SCHENECTADY — Union College has about a quarter-billion-dollar economic impact on the Capital Region, according to a report by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities.

The college employs 870 people and its payroll is $48 million, which makes it among the region’s largest employers and it is also a major purchaser of goods and services and construction and service contracts.

The economic analysis was done by the Center for Governmental Research at the request of CICU, which is an advocacy group for more than 100 independent colleges and universities in New York state.

It found that direct spending by Union in 2011 was $114.3 million; construction spending was $9.5 million; labor compensation was $106.5 million; and there was $19.6 million in spending by the 2,200 students and visitors to the college. Adding in tax revenue and factoring in spin-off economic benefits, the report concluded that the college had a $274 million effect on the economy.

Union’s economic impact of $274 million is part of the $63.2 billion the 100-plus independent colleges and universities in New York state contributed to the state’s economy in 2011, according to CGR’s analysis.

In the Capital Region, that impact was $3.7 billion, which includes $2.9 billion in direct spending by colleges and universities; $300.5 million in student and visitor spending; and $516.2 million in impact from academic medical centers. Colleges and universities in the Capital Region employ about 23,000 people.

Spokesman Phil Wajda said college officials were not surprised by the findings and noted that the Capital District Regional Planning Commission did an economic impact study five years ago and came up with similar figures.

“I think it just reaffirms the commitment the college has — not only to the city but the region as a whole. We take that tradition very seriously,” he said.

As a nonprofit, the college pays no property taxes, which has been a source of contention with the city. However, college officials point out that they have partnered with the city on a number of initiatives such as renovating a baseball field in Central Park, installing public surveillance cameras to help deter crime in the surrounding neighborhood and making improvements to crosswalks and sidewalks on the perimeter of the campus.

In addition, nearly 1,200 students spend more than 12,000 hours on community service projects each year, according to a college press release. This includes reading to children at the Kenney Community Center tutored and read to local children, serving as a Big Brother or Big Sister and participating in the state Volunteer Income Tax Assistant Program (VITA), which has obtained more than $2 million in tax refunds for local residents since its launch in 2005.

“As one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, we are proud to call the city of Schenectady and the greater Capital Region home,” said college President Stephen C. Ainlay in a statement. “For more than 200 years, Union has tried to be mindful of its responsibility as a good neighbor and we are always looking at practical and innovative ways to enhance the economic, social and cultural environment of our local community.”

Quoted from TakingItBack

It wont be long before the college allows a Dunkin Donuts and Taco Bell and other franchises on the wholly exempt property.  The college will expand its reach and buy more property surrounding the college.  Taking more tax paying propertys off the tax roll.  Leading to higher taxes for everyone in the city.  

The college should be able to expand and it should if needed but any new properties bought from here on forward should be taxable unless they are going to teach a class in that property bought.  If they buy a property for housing and "profit" then it should pay taxes just like everone else.

DVOR.  If you think Union going 100% for on campus housing is going to help the city and increase student spending in the city and the county then you are more lost than I thought.  I wouldnt be suprised if the enrollment for Union suffered because of this new movement.  

You are more clueless/out of touch with reality than I imagined.  MANY college campuses (state and private) have had national franchises ON CAMPUS for years.

A Lesson in College Foodservice
Millennial and Gen Z customers are the Holy Grail for quick-serve brands, and college campuses are ground zero for securing their life-long loyalty.

Quick service brands like Tropical Smoothie Cafe move to college real estate.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe aims to secure brand affinity among college students at its six campus locations. TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFÉ
B
Read More About
Operations, Moe's Southwest Grill, Subway, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Competition, Consumer Trends, Franchising
Millennials. Ever heard of ’em?

Of course you have. Millennials are all anyone in foodservice can talk about right now, the crème de la crème of today’s coveted customer demographics. Depending on whom you ask, they might be 20 years old or they might be 35 years old; studies vary on what, exactly, the age range for Millennials should be. But there’s no doubt that whatever their age and whatever you call them, the young, pre-family customers of today are driving food trends and throwing quick-service brands into a tizzy of new product development and promotional innovation.

Some fast-food operators are happy to let their products and marketing do the talking, to wait and let the Millennials and the proceeding Generation Z demographic come to them. But others are being more proactive by opening up shop smack-dab in the hornets’ nest, in the hotbed of youthful activity and purchasing power: college campuses.

For these companies, operating at a college or university presents an opportunity to position the brand on the permanent dine-out radar of a customer who is learning how to manage his or her own discretionary income for the first time.

“The strategy behind us wanting to be in universities is we’re always looking to be in venues that build awareness of our brand, especially in markets where we’re not yet,” says Paul Damico, president of Moe’s Southwest Grill, which has 17 operating college-campus locations. “There are, in some cases, thousands or tens of

thousands of people who are being exposed to the Moe’s brand that may be seeing it for the first time. So we’re getting them as loyal followers when they’re 18, 19, and 20. Then, as they go back home, we’re starting to develop those markets.”

Charles Watson, vice president of franchise development for Tropical Smoothie Café, which has six college locations, puts it a little more personally: “I know with my college experience, there were a couple food and beverage places that are near and dear to my heart because of my experience in college. It’s a great time in your life. The ability to get a lot of brand affinity by being on the campus and being in that special part of someone’s life [is a smart move].”

Running a college-based restaurant is not as simple as finding open real estate on campus and operating like a traditional, street-side location, brand representatives say. From the beginning, quick-serve companies have a host of challenges when it comes to expanding in tandem with an institution of higher education. For example, operators generally have three business-partner options when it comes to such growth: They can franchise directly with a school, partner with a third-party foodservice contractor like Aramark or Sodexo, or work with an existing franchisee who owns the rights to a school’s market or territory.

Once the partnership is in place, Damico says, the brand is faced with several hurdles unique to operating on a college campus. For example, constructing the space could be limited due to size or building restrictions, retrofitting for equipment, and time constraints.

“One of the challenges with higher education specifically is the building of the restaurant is extremely expedited, because nothing can be built during the school year,” he says. “So it has to be opened and fully operational by the first day of school. That leaves you about a 70-day window where you’ve got to get it designed, get it demolished, get it built, and get it trained and ready for that student population. And it’s not like you can have a soft opening; there could be 20,000 students flooding the student union on the first day of school.”

Once the restaurant is up and running, brand representatives say, ongoing challenges include training and retraining a staff made up of students; adjusting to early-morning and late-night dayparts, as well as a schedule in which the school shuts down for holidays and summers; integrating efficient marketing campaigns into the fast-paced livelihood of the students; and matching holding capabilities with the necessary volume in campus locations.

But today’s university environment is also an increasingly difficult puzzle in which schools are trying to design a foodservice program perfectly tailored to the needs of the students. Whereas the previous college foodservice landscape may have been no more difficult than a food court in the student union, schools today are strategically locating certain brands in certain places and meeting the needs of the students through both national chain brands and in-house, proprietary brands.

Ann Marie Solomon, vice president of strategy development and national brand partnerships for Aramark, which runs foodservice operations for about 400 colleges and universities, says the company has a development tool that helps it figure out where students and activities are located on campus so the company can “start mapping out where appropriate dining solutions should be.”

“What are the total number of outlets that we need to have, where do those outlets need to be, what type of categories should those outlets represent so that we ensure we have a good mix—and when I say categories, I mean industry categories like burgers, chicken, pizza, those types of things—and in those categories, what is the brand that those consumers are going to respond best to?” Solomon says. “Then, which brands as a brand set work best together?”

Aramark has partnerships with several top quick-service brands, as well as with emerging brands. It also has a suite of proprietary brands that it employs to fill specific needs for its university partners.

More college campuses seem to be trending toward proprietary brands, whether through a contractor like Aramark or through the school’s dining services department. Michael Wuest, marketing manager of campus dining services for the University of Missouri, says surveys repeatedly came back to the school saying the student body was tired of traditional brands like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell. While many of those brands had a presence on Mizzou’s campus in the past, of the 21 restaurants on campus today, only three, he says, are nationally branded: one is Starbucks, two are Subway.

He says the decision to move toward proprietary brands was partly facilitated so the university could more carefully control menus and costs, but also because students were expressing a desire for more variety in their dine-out options.

“People are like, ‘Well, I can just walk right off campus and go to Chipotle or I can go to Which Wich.’ There was a big disconnect in that they would go off campus because they can get better-quality food,” Wuest says. “And we really had to step up our game. I think that was one of the biggest things is, it’s easy just to bring in a national brand and follow their guidelines and standards, but it’s a lot harder when you have to develop it yourself and then maintain your own standards and meet the needs of your students.”

Wuest and his team have developed, among other services, a coffee shop brand, a salad-and-wrap joint, a pizza-and-pasta station, a restaurant featuring barbecues of the world, and a classic American grill called Mort’s, which was named after Beetle Bailey creator and Mizzou alum Mort Walker. Mort’s won the gold award for retail sales in a large single concept, as well as the grand prize among all university nominees, at the NACUFS Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards.

Wuest says Mizzou chose to keep Starbucks and Subway on campus because the restaurants were very successful and because the school had a strong partnership with each brand. The Starbucks location, he says, is a hands-off, low-maintenance operation for the school, while the Subway units help drive traffic to Mizzou’s convenience stores, one of which pulls in outsider traffic from the local hospital.

Janet Bencivenga, Subway’s global account manager who oversees college and airport development, says Subway has 515 college locations worldwide, adding that the brand is a natural fit for the higher education environment.

“Our goals and visions, in a lot of ways, already match up,” she says of college campuses. “For instance, one thing that comes to mind is, on a campus, social responsibility is a large component of what is on the students’ minds, the faculty’s minds, and the administration’s minds. We have many initiatives that have to do with social responsibility. That is one way we can be a rather attractive brand to bring onto the campus.”

“Goals and visions,” as Bencivenga says, are an important component to the relationship between a college and a quick-serve brand. Both sides want to ensure the partner will be financially beneficial, but also that the values of each institution don’t threaten to spoil either side’s participation.

Wuest says that relationship weighs heavily in the decision-making process at the University of Missouri.

“That’s one of those conversations that usually comes up in the beginning,” he says. “Their service model: Does that meet what our mission is? What are the values of the university, what are the values of our department, and are they aligned? Maybe it’s one of those concepts that’s pretty edgy but pretty popular, but maybe that type of edginess doesn’t really fit with what we believe, so that won’t be considered.”

Along with the broader values shared with the partner restaurants, national trends are very much determining the decisions that colleges are making for their foodservice programs.

“One thing that will always drive Millennials, and that hasn’t changed, is convenience,” Aramark’s Solomon says. “They want what they want when they want, where they want it. They are huge impulse buyers, so if you have something in the right place that’s a product that is appealing to them, they will purchase it. They are shifting toward more fast casual and the customization that comes along with that, and that’s a good service model. However, they’re not always willing to wait for that, especially in the college/university environment.”

The movement toward fast casual and customization isn’t the only trend affecting the overall restaurant industry that are trickling into the college environment. Just ask Kennesaw State University. The Georgia school has found great success in developing foodservice solutions in line with other trends popular with the Millennial and Gen Z demographics. For example, the school has an on-campus farmer’s market; brines its own pastrami, corned beef, and pickles; grinds its own grits, flour, and polenta; has in-house hydroponic units that supply 700 heads of fresh lettuce every three weeks; and locally sources everything from milk and vegetables to chicken, pork, and seafood. Kennesaw State’s The Commons culinary center is even LEED-Gold certified for its construction, waste reduction, energy conservation, and recycling practices.

The university’s culinary and hospitality services department has invested so much in next-generation campus foodservice options that the program this year won the National Restaurant Association’s Operator Innovations Award for sustainability, as well as its prestigious Innovator of the Year award.

Gary Coltek, director of Kennesaw State’s culinary and hospitality services, says The Commons is “more like a nine-station restaurant than it is a college campus,” with cooks that have their own mise en place and sinks, and food that is cooked to order. More importantly, he says, the school produces foodservice solutions that its students crave.

“We know our students well,” he says. “We interact with them every single day, we take their comments seriously, and we’re constantly evolving as it relates to retail and our dining halls.”

Coltek says he has seen Kennesaw State’s student demand shift toward more fresh, healthful offerings. When The Commons first launched four years ago, he says, the most popular station served hamburgers, hot dogs, and cheesesteaks. By the time the students who were then freshmen graduated this year, that station was the least popular. “They’re gravitating toward healthy proteins, lean proteins, salad bars, and composed salads,” he says.

Kennesaw State does partner with several national brands, including Chick-fil-A, Freshens, PJ’s Coffee Café, and Einstein Bros. Bagels. But Coltek says he’s carefully selecting brands that both make financial sense for the university and also fit into its push for a more socially conscious program.

“I’m looking for these small brands. They don’t even have to be local; they can be regional or national,” Coltek says. “You’re going to see a lot more brands coming out that operators like myself are going to gravitate to simply because of cost and menu.”

National quick-serve brands that have deemed college campuses an important part of future unit development are indeed adapting their business models to accommodate the shifts in college students’ demands. That’s especially true for companies like Bubba Burger, Zaya Mediterranean, and Freshens, which offer their products and services to colleges through license agreements instead of traditional franchise agreements, meaning schools do not need to pay marketing or franchise fees.

Steve Kibler, vice president of business development at Freshens, says his company readily adapts its model for colleges so it can position itself in front of the younger demographics. Roughly one-third of Freshens’ 850 units, he says, are on college campuses.

“There is a triangle there,” he says of operating on college campuses. “You’ve got the institution, you might have this contract manager with the dining-services department, and then you’ve got the brand. And you’ve got to manage that triangle of relationships. It’s really important because every stakeholder has got something that they want, and you need to accommodate both, but you can’t accommodate them 100 percent.”

Freshens’ smoothie, crepe, salad, and yogurt offerings are directly in line with the fresh, healthy fare college students are seeking today. But Kibler also believes the brand makes a solid partner for colleges and universities because it tweaks its standards and is flexible in its operations—even in its menu—to match whatever environment it is entering.

“For Freshens, we recognized that we had to adapt the footprint, because you’re going to find yourself in libraries, student unions, business schools, rec centers—there’s a wide variety of locations that you’re going to end up in, and that’s going to affect your ability to communicate and access traffic,” Kibler says.

The good news for quick-serve operators, Wuest says, is that the shifting demands from Millennials and other young demographics should guarantee that national brands have a place in the college foodservice conversation for years to come—so long as they keep up with the changing trends.

“Probably a lot of universities across the country are going to start going to a lot more of the quick-service, fast-casual restaurants,” he says. “You’re not going to see the all-you-can-eat facilities as much anymore, because there are just so many benefits to having the [quick-serve] model.”

And:

Fans for Life
Quick serves find loyalty in the growing college crowd by opening on or near campuses. By Jill Watral
Quick-Serves seek life-long patrons by positioning stores on college campuses.
The National Center for Education Statistics projects that by 2017 college enrollment of people under 25 will rise 10 percent, making university campuses and the college towns and cities that surround them ripe for potential quick-serve expansion.
More than 200 of Subway’s 23,000 U.S. restaurants are located on college campuses, says Janet Bencivenga, the chain’s new business development account manager.
“We’re largely in the student unions, but we are in various types of places including administrative buildings, dormitories, stadiums, library buildings, classroom buildings—anywhere it makes sense where there’s people that need food, that’s where we want to be,” she says.
While chains are sometimes provided with the opportunity to choose where on campus they would like to open a new location, often it’s up to the school.
“A lot of it has to do with where the college feels they need to put it,” says Les Winograd, spokesman for Subway. “They’ve probably already planned where they’re going to have these openings. If they’re expanding, you have a lot more options. If they’re just replacing something, sometimes you have to go where they have that space.”
Other brands not interested in locating directly on campus make sure to position their restaurants in entertainment districts just beyond campus borders. Though it has locations at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and at the University of Wyoming, Pita Pit likes to grab the patronage of nonstudents, too.
“We want to kind of be close enough to campus that we get that daytime traffic from the students, but usually we try to locate in the entertainment district or a downtown area so we’re not completely tied to the student population,” says Kevin Quinn, director of franchise development for Pita Pit USA. Out of the 180 Pita Pit locations in the U.S., 100 are located near college campuses.
Ten percent of Qdoba’s 500 restaurants are located in close vicinity to college campuses, and the brand uses a strategy similar to Pita Pit’s for selecting those locations.
“There’s always one or more retail trade areas that are immediately adjacent to the university, so those are clearly places we seek out,” says Todd Owen, vice president of franchise development for Qdoba.
In terms of operation hours, most quick serves located either on or near a university extend hours of operation into the wee hours of the morning to cater to their consumers’ unusual sleep patterns.
“Most of our franchises are willing to stay open late night if there’s a reason,” Bencivenga says of Subway. Both Pita Pit and Qdoba stay open until the early morning hours for the night-owl crowd as well.
“Where a typical Qdoba closes at about 10 p.m., obviously there’s a lot of activity on a college campus post-10 p.m … so we alter our hours to accommodate students whether it just be the fact that they’re out late or perhaps looking for a meal later,” Owen says.
Although these types of brands capture consumers who are uninterested in the typical cafeteria meal plan, they also suffer seasonal sales slumps when class is not in session. But because the restaurants, both on and off campus, are located in areas that are constantly being passed by student foot traffic, they tend to do slightly better overall than locations that are not in close proximity to a university—a boost most credit to brand recognition.
There’s always one or more retail trade areas that are immediately adjacent to the university, so those are clearly places we seek out.”
“I think students appreciate the convenience and quick service that we offer and also the brand-name recognition,” Bencivenga says. “They know what they’re going to get. They’ve had it outside, now they’ve got it on the campus and they’re happy with it.”
Owen says customers’ brand preferences while in college carry over with them after entering the real world.
“From a branding standpoint, we all have certain brands … that we become familiar with,” he says. “Students congregate on a college campus, but they graduate, and they go get jobs, and they have brand preferences. So the brands they became familiar with when they were dining as a student transfers.”
The strategy of establishing early brand connections is nothing new for Pita Pit. Quinn says Pita Pit has always gone after the college crowd in hopes that students will remain loyal to the brand.
“For our concept, when the co-founders … first started in the late ’90s and the early 2000s, Pita Pit pretty much exclusively developed in college markets, and so that’s really the bread and butter,” Quinn says. “College development is always a focus of our company.”

Quoted from joebxr

MC1 has STILL not responded to provide answers with evidence of the statements made on Civitello's thread.

I think MC1 is full of more sh*t than DVOR

MC1 WHINES that DVOR won't discuss things, but he is just as big an offender of his own complaint
because he refuses to discuss, and provide real facts and answers!

What kind of evidence to you need?  I can clip the parcel numbers off the current assessment roll  of the address so which proves the total assessed values of their properties.  I can tell  you to the county website to view the mortgage documents (or do you not know how to go there, but you seem to have enough intelligence) or I can create picture images and post them.  I can provide evidence of the place being for sale at the price I stated in the proportion  to the assessed value which I state.  I can provide evidence that when they tried to sell before (and we don't know what fell through) that they stated they wanted to expand and the women stated they wanted to go to Saratoga or Clifton Park.   I can provide evidence that taxes in those two places is far less than Schenectady.  I did actually provide evidence that there are many many locations within the city that would allow them to expand.  There has been no news that they stated their desired to retire; and while I can't say definitely that they do or do not want to retire, the vast majority of people, unless they are public employees with their lavish pensions, or CEO's of major world companies and their top staff, the vast majority of people with small (especially one location only) mom and pop businesses cannot amass so much wealth to retire in their 50s (not with paying health insurance, with paying mortgage, NiMo, telephone, liability insurance, building maintenance, advertising, social security -- their own share PLUS the employer share, the employer share of SS for their employees, workers comp, unemployment insurance, etc etc) not unless they are charging $25 for one cookie or $25 for one slice of bread, you get the idea.  With the stock market not great, and interst rates on savings being next to nothing, putting a the max into tax free retirement savings, given the limits, it's very difficult to amass enough of a nest egg to be able to retire in your 50's and have enough to account for today's perhaps $30,000 income having to become $80,000 per year in 2044.  But I welcome an illustration of how it can be done

Quoted from mikechristine1

What kind of evidence to you need?  I can clip the parcel numbers off the current assessment roll  of the address so which proves the total assessed values of their properties.  I can tell  you to the county website to view the mortgage documents (or do you not know how to go there, but you seem to have enough intelligence) or I can create picture images and post them.  I can provide evidence of the place being for sale at the price I stated in the proportion  to the assessed value which I state.  I can provide evidence that when they tried to sell before (and we don't know what fell through) that they stated they wanted to expand and the women stated they wanted to go to Saratoga or Clifton Park.   I can provide evidence that taxes in those two places is far less than Schenectady.  I did actually provide evidence that there are many many locations within the city that would allow them to expand.  There has been no news that they stated their desired to retire; and while I can't say definitely that they do or do not want to retire, the vast majority of people, unless they are public employees with their lavish pensions, or CEO's of major world companies and their top staff, the vast majority of people with small (especially one location only) mom and pop businesses cannot amass so much wealth to retire in their 50s (not with paying health insurance, with paying mortgage, NiMo, telephone, liability insurance, building maintenance, advertising, social security -- their own share PLUS the employer share, the employer share of SS for their employees, workers comp, unemployment insurance, etc etc) not unless they are charging $25 for one cookie or $25 for one slice of bread, you get the idea.  With the stock market not great, and interst rates on savings being next to nothing, putting a the max into tax free retirement savings, given the limits, it's very difficult to amass enough of a nest egg to be able to retire in your 50's and have enough to account for today's perhaps $30,000 income having to become $80,000 per year in 2044.  But I welcome an illustration of how it can be done

SMOKE SCREEN!!!!
Go to the Civitello thread and address the issues...
you know what "FACTS" are...it's what you demand but are not addressing yourself...
you are dancing around because you made false statements.  All you posted does not
deal with the issues/questions/points that were raised for you to address.
Go back to the thread and address it directly!!!!
Stop throwing out camouflage!!!

I would TOTALLY support the union college project!!!

Folks from around the country are reluctant to send their kid to Union based on it's location/crime! We have heard this FIRST HAND!!!

The college almost has no choice but to distance themselves from the city of Schenectady...so to say!

And Union does give back to the community...and the country as a whole....by producing a great 'product'.....human beings!!!

Albany Medical Center...which is a medical center and a teaching hospital.....has expanded with 'chain food stores' on their tax free property to accommodate the families and students.

Point being....go after the tax free businesses that the METROPLEX/GILLEN has created......NOT A COLLEGE....especially Union!!!

Quoted from bumblethru

I would TOTALLY support the union college project!!!

Folks from around the country are reluctant to send their kid to Union based on it's location/crime! We have heard this FIRST HAND!!!

The college almost has no choice but to distance themselves from the city of Schenectady...so to say!

And Union does give back to the community...and the country as a whole....by producing a great 'product'.....human beings!!!

Albany Medical Center...which is a medical center and a teaching hospital.....has expanded with 'chain food stores' on their tax free property to accommodate the families and students.

Point being....go after the tax free businesses that the METROPLEX/GILLEN has created......NOT A COLLEGE....especially Union!!!

Well said, and I totally agree.

Again you all are missing my point.  The City of Schenectady has a very unique situation and opportunity to do the opposite of some of the very trends that are hurting other communities. Maybe hurting is a bad way to put it but rather not benefitting. We have the opportunity to increase the student volunterism and spending outside the college.  Union College is so close to downtown and the train station and police and fire stations.   It is very unique.  The city and county leaders are missing a very big opportunity as once they go 100% on campus it will never go back.  Once they go 100% on campus more and more spending will go on campus.  

The students that live on campus all 4 years at least visit the off campus housing from time to time.  They then get a good opportunity to see the beauty of the neighborhood, the Union Triangle and the parks.  They then have the chance to fall in love with the area. hink about being a landlord or investing in downtown.  Isolating the students is not good for Schenectady, the college or the City.  

You will stiuck with your position but I know deep down you agree with me.