the 1899<\/a>, with a menu ranging from affordable lunches to top-end tenderloins, still seeks to clarify the perceptions of potential customers as it eyes continued growth.<\/p>\n\u201cPart of the challenge is to get the word out that 1899 is more than a campus restaurant,\u201d said Glenn Kvidahl, general manager. \u201cThere may be a perception that comes with being part of campus that parking is hard to get to or that the public isn\u2019t welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Such perceptions, Kvidahl pointed out, are simply incorrect. Parking along Dupont Avenue and in the High Country Conference Center garage\u2014for which the restaurant validates\u2014is plentiful. And as with most other food venues on campus, the public is welcome.<\/p>\n
Yet there\u2019s no denying that 1899, which is leased from NAU Foundation\u2019s real estate holding company, benefits from its association with, and proximity to, NAU. Staff frequent the restaurant at lunch and faculty often hold meetings there over a meal.\u00a0Revenue from student meal plan usage was up more than $100,000 in 2012, which Kvidahl said opens an opportunity for future business.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really look at 1899 as an integral part of campus dining,” Kvidahl said. “We provide an alternative at a different level. It behooves us to make that freshman experience as good as it possibly can be, and I think the 1899 contributes to that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the growth in student spending, the 1899 still seeks a greater community appeal to push its financials in a positive direction. Total sales at the restaurant, which opened in March 2011, broke $1 million in 2012, buoyed by more than 45,000 guests.<\/p>\n
According to Jay Graves, operations director, the 1899 experience satisfies more than just the need for an alternative to on-campus dining. There\u2019s a level of responsiveness that goes along with a menu and atmosphere that are above casual but not at the level of white-glove fine dining.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve kind of found a niche in Flagstaff,\u201d Graves said. \u201cWe really work with our servers to pay attention to our guests and to listen to what they\u2019re saying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Customer satisfaction scores, generated by feedback surveys, reflect the approach. The restaurant scores well above 4 on a scale of 1-5 in all areas of value and service.<\/p>\n
That attentiveness goes beyond merely creating an enjoyable visit. The menu itself reflects input from guests, changing to address frequent requests or insightful suggestions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get a lot of input from the students who come in,\u201d Graves said, adding that suggestions from other frequent customers have also been implemented. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of reshuffling the way that you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
One example is a popular soup, half-sandwich, half-salad combination\u2014two out of the three for $7 at lunchtime\u2014that demonstrates 1899\u2019s commitment to bring in more community traffic while solidifying its campus base.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to be equitable with other restaurants in town,\u201d Graves said. \u201cWe look at their price points and what they\u2019re serving because we know it can be tough to get people from the community to come in.\u201d<\/p>\n
With live music twice a week, an open patio on the edge of NAU\u2019s revitalized Quad, and an ongoing focus on high-quality food and service, the 1899 hopes to entice the interest of customers looking for unpretentious, pleasant ambiance and a satisfying dining experience.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Judging by the numbers, the 1899 Bar & Grill has found a niche. Now it\u2019s looking for a place in the minds of more community patrons. Sales and guest visits are up nicely year-over-year at the outwardly understated venue on the northern edge of the Northern Arizona University campus, and a steady flow of regulars…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":15083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,15],"tags":[179,56,213,108,214,96,24],"class_list":["post-15075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","category-editors","tag-1899-restaurant","tag-campus-dining","tag-glenn-kvidahl","tag-high-country-conference-center","tag-jay-graves","tag-nau-foundation","tag-northern-arizona-university"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}