University Dining Gets an Upgrade with Experiential Brands
Fast casual restaurants are opening in an unlikely new location: college campuses. Experiential Brands, which owns popular concepts like The Original Hot Chicken, Flametown Burgers, INKED Tacos, and Pinsa Roman Pizza, is seeing on-campus dining as the next frontier for growth.
The company just opened its first university locations at Auburn University, East Carolina University and the University of Tennessee. It's part of a broader push into non-traditional markets like airports, stadiums, and internationally in London and Dubai.
For college students, instant ramen and greasy pizza are no longer the only dining options. Experiential Brands aims to bring the same trendy, Instagram-worthy restaurants you'd find in hip urban areas right to the heart of campus.
"Our restaurant concepts are expertly designed to fit into a space like a college campus, as a food truck, or as a stand-alone restaurant," said Aziz Hashim, Founder and CEO of Experiential Brands. "Being a part of the on-campus community with our university partners gives students and staff the opportunity to enjoy delicious, affordable meals to curb any craving."
The campus locations will feature a combination of Experiential Brands' various restaurant concepts. Auburn University, for example, will offer The Original Hot Chicken, Flametown Burgers, and INKED Tacos all under one roof.
University officials say the unique flavors and variety offered by Experiential Brands makes them an ideal campus dining partner. "They have fresh concepts that resonate with our student demographic and bring unique flavors that add variety to the dining options at the Melton Student Center," said Glenn Loughridge, Director of Dining and Concessions at Auburn.
As delivery and takeout continue to boom, Experiential Brands is well-positioned to adapt to changing consumer tastes, even in a campus setting. The company recently launched SocialBites, a centralized food hub housing all of its brands plus a bar, optimized for off-premise dining.
