Despite longer lines, removing Freshens increases smoothie sales

University Dining Services removed Freshens, a smoothie and milkshake stand, and incorporated the operation into Tyler’s Grill over the summer.

Although only a limited amount of data is available, preliminary figures show that August 2015 smoothie sales at Tyler’s Grill are 29 percent higher than Freshens sales during August of 2014, said Blake Widdowson, the director of retail operations.

Despite the increased smoothie sales, the alteration has impacted the lines at Tyler’s Grill, Widdowson said.

Tyler’s Grill was previously equipped with four registers. New smoothie equipment has replaced one of the registers, making only three available to Tyler’s customers. Furthermore, students only wishing to buy a smoothie must wait in the long lines to buy food.

“Students got smoothies and ice cream at Freshens. That’s it,” said Jasper Hatcher, a Tyler’s Grill employee who previously worked at Freshens. “Some students would just get a smoothie before class, now they have to wait in line for everybody else to get food.”

Widdowson and Hatcher both attributed the spike in smoothie sales to students impulsively purchasing smoothies while waiting in line for Tyler’s Grill food.

There have been discussions regarding making a separate line for students only buying smoothies, Widdowson said. But the idea is unlikely to come to fruition because it would further reduce the amount of registers available to students buying food.

The longer lines are likely a result of Tyler’s Grill adjusting to the change and learning to balance both the smoothie and food operations, Hatcher said.

“We had to get a strategy down at Tyler’s, but it is working pretty well now,” Hatcher said.

According to a statement released by Dining Services, removing Freshens and adding smoothie equipment to Tyler’s expands the hours and the variety of smoothies available to students.

Although smoothie orders are currently limited to six options, custom orders could become available during the coming months, Hatcher said.

Freshens was a third party entity that required Dining Services to use its equipment and stringent processes, Widdowson said. By allowing Tyler’s to absorb the smoothie operation, Dining Services is no longer bound by Freshens’ corporate structure and can focus its attention on the students.

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve, innovate and improve the student dining experience,” Widdowson, said. Moving The Cellar closer to the apartments, completely overhauling Tyler’s Grill and expanding kitchen space in the Heilman Dining Center are among the many possibilities for the future of student on-campus dining options. 

Contact reporter Hunter Ross at hunter.ross@richmond.edu.