Franchising

Modern Market Eatery looks to hit more campuses after Notre Dame success

Provided by Modern Market

July 1, 2021

Modern Market Eatery, a fast casual restaurant offering nutritious menu items, plans to expand to more college campus prompted by recent success at the University of Notre Dame, according to a company press release.

Modern Market Eatery operates several non-traditional locations, including in Notre Dame's Duncan Student Center.

In 2018, the restaurant took a strategic approach to its first university location with a specific menu for students and staff, featuring healthy and sustainable food options that tasted good, but also met dietary needs.

The plan paid off, according to Modern Market Eatery. Notre Dame has renewed their licensing agreement with the brand for another five years.

"While there is no shortage in takeout food, we noticed there is a shortage of clean, better-for-you food on college campuses," Robert McColgan, founder and co-CEO of Modern Restaurant Concepts, which owns Modern Market Eatery, said in the release. "We worked with Notre Dame to streamline our menu for ease of execution and to tailor it to college students. We also have a flexible footprint that enables us to scale up or down depending on the square footage, volumes and needs of our license partners."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants at Notre Dame closed despite students still being on campus, but Modern Market remained open and saw a 34% jump in sales from the previous year, according to the release. Included in their meal plans, students were able to place digital orders on their phone and safely pick up their food contact-free.

"Modern Market has become a highly successful and tasty addition to the retail offerings on campus," Richard Jacobs, assistant director of retail at Notre Dame, said in the release. "Our students visit Modern Market multiple times each week because of the variety of fresh and creative menu options that keep them coming back."

Since its founding in 2009, Modern Market has grown to nearly 30 nationwide locations.