Students enjoy a discounted restaurant week

Aged Manchego Cheese with Truffle and Lavender Honey. 

Black Cod, Morcilla Potato Stew, Safron Emulsion. 

Pastel de Chocolate. 

Students can gain discounted access to a gourmet meal at a fine Philadelphia restaurant, like this one offered at Amada, through the College Houses and Academic Services program.  For the meal and transportation, students will pay a 25 dollar co-pay, about half what they would spend if they went to Center City  Restaurant Week independently.

This program is part of an effort by the College Houses to engage students in the Philadelphia community and cultural institutions over the past three years through trips to cultural and culinary institutions throughout the City.

Despite the deal and the mouth-watering menu, many of the college houses have found trouble getting students who claim interest to attend.

“We would make a reservation for 30 students and 16 would show up, ” Martin Redman, Executive Director of CHAS, explained.

The College Houses have attempted to resolve this issue in many different ways. One of the primary ways College Houses have attempted to fix the issue of under attendance is by increasing the frequency with which students can participate in Restaurant Week , while simultaneously decreasing the size of groups that could attend.

In Rodin College House, the seven event managers will pick seven different dining venues for seven different nights. Students then have the option to attend any of the different restaurants which meet their schedule and preference.

Another method used is surveying students to gauge interest in different events. A major survey is taken in the various college houses at  the beginning of the year asking students what sorts of events they are interested in participating in .

“We take feedback from our residents regarding programming seriously, ” Megan Elderman, Rodin House Coordinator, said.

These efforts to increase student participation have certainly paid off throughout the years. Roughly 900 more residents participated in community building activities such as Restaurant Week during the 2013-2014 academic year compared to the previous year.

“We want to help students engage with Philadelphia in a way that financially makes sense for them … It seems like a waste if we can’t help students experience the city, ” Redman said.

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