3 ways colleges are seeking late-semester sales

As fall semester comes to a close and students at a number of schools have returned home to finish their classes remotely, college dining teams have found a few ways to keep sales coming in, often by offering something special for the holidays. Here’s a sampling.

DIY gingerbread houses

Indiana University Catering is leaning into the holiday spirit by selling kits that customers can use to craft gingerbread houses at home. Guests can purchase kits for $30 apiece or choose to buy pre-built houses for $10 more. They can also add on gingerbread cookies and hot cocoa for four people for an extra fee.

Holiday platters

The catering department at the University of Wisconsin is serving up a number of items for purchase this holiday season. Traditional offerings such as cookie, cheeseball and charcuterie platters are available, as are several sushi trays, bone-in chicken wings and vegetable pizza. Customers can pick up their orders from Nov. 30 through Dec. 18.

Online demos with a twist

Many foodservice operations have promoted online cooking demonstrations during the COVID-19 crisis to engage diners near and far. The University of Washington took things one step further with a brunch demo it held this week, offering baskets of the ingredients that participants would need to create the dishes at home for $18.50. Each basket contained enough to feed between three and four people.