Homing in on the message
The program’s logo also got an update. While the school’s full catering service does offer delivery, consumers using Cafe to Go are required to pick up their food from cafe locations around campus. Cramer says the team wanted the new logo to reflect the program’s pickup component and chose a design centered around an image of a to-go bag. “[The logo change] was really just to reinforce the whole pickup concept. We thought it would enforce the message that it’s meant to be simple, quick and affordable,” she says, adding that the program doesn’t charge delivery or gratuity fees.
The team also worked on reaching out to members of the university community who didn’t know about Cafe to Go to introduce them to the program. “We were intentional about inviting folks to learn more about the program and walking them through how you order, how the process works and what we were willing to be flexible about and how we could accommodate them,” Cramer says.
Along with Cafe to Go’s message of being simple, quick and affordable, special emphasis was placed on how Cafe to Go supports the university community at large compared to other delivery options found around campus. “That’s a big distinction between us and the other delivery companies like Jimmy John’s and Domino’s,” Schmid says. “That money just leaves campus, but when students and faculty utilize Cafe to Go, that’s a part of the university and it goes back into student programming.”
Communicating that distinction made all the difference in getting students, faculty and staff on board with the program, Schmid says. “That was a big thing for a lot of our consumers when deciding on where they’re going to get their catered lunches.”