With an influx of thousands of new students to the Tempe campus, many local restaurants and bars are seeing a spike in customers and competing for student traffic.
Establishments near the Tempe campus see the more than 51,000 students as a valuable customer base. As the academic year begins, restaurants, bars and clubs are competing for student traffic during the start of school — one of the peak times of the year for local businesses.
My Big Fat Greek Restaurant on Mill Avenue saw an estimated 40 percent jump in the number of customers in the past week, said general manager Brian Terpay.
“[When] everyone first gets here, they want to go out exploring, try out all the new places,” he said. “Then people kind of get into the groove of school. They don’t go out as much.”
Terpay said cheap prices and big portions, along with a close location, are some of the draws his restaurant has for students.
To prepare for an increase in student traffic, which he said accounts for more than half of the customer base during the school year, the restaurant hired five to 10 new employees.
“We definitely cater to the students,” he said, adding that the restaurant sees a similar boost in sales around this time each year.
Psychology freshman Autumn Clark said she spent more money than usualy before school started, mostly on food.
“My mom took me out to Monti’s,” she said, referring to the Mill Avenue steakhouse. “We went to Tempe Marketplace for the first time, too.”
Macayo’s Depot Cantina, a Mexican restaurant within a half mile of the Tempe campus, saw an approximate 30 percent increase in traffic during the week before ASU’s start of classes, general manager Jeff Rhodes said.
ASU staff and students compose about a quarter of the customers that Macayo’s Depot Cantina usually serves, Rhodes said, adding that the restaurant has increased staff for the school year.
“You’re marketing to a different set of customers every [school] year,” Rhodes said. “You market to them as freshmen, you keep them for four years.”
He said accepting Sun Dollars and offering deals like discounts for ticket stubs helps attract students.
Clark said she prefers businesses that accept a Sun Card for convenience.
Nic Kelly, a manager at The Tavern on Mill, said he has seen a large increase in customers — the majority of which are usually ASU students.
“We’ve … added staff on certain shifts to accommodate crowds,” Kelly said. “This weekend’s been pretty solid for us.”
Chris Pfaff, a manager at Margarita Rocks Beach Club on Mill Avenue, said his club has not seen a very large increase in students, most likely because the business had a strong summer.
Because of this, the club has not had to make any staffing adjustments to accommodate more customers, Pfaff said.
But the club does have a strong customer base of students, he said.
“We do have a great location on Mill,” he said.
Rhodes said the struggling economy would affect Macayo’s Depot Cantina.
“The pie is a little smaller,” he said. “Right now, good service is the only way you’re going to stay in business.”
But in Tempe, with factors such as the ASU campus and light rail, businesses might not suffer as much as other areas around the state, Rhodes said.
“I think Tempe’s holding it together right now,” Rhodes said. “It doesn’t hurt that we have good sports teams. ”
Reach the reporter at matt.culbertson@asu.edu.
