By Carmen Pease
Debbie Birchfield knows how to throw a party: mix together a circus theme, a roomful of balloons, door prizes, discounted food and an oversized hotdog mascot clad in green-and-white striped leggings, and it's a surefire recipe for success.
As the manager at Baker Center's Corner Cafe, Birchfield wanted to do something to put a spark back into business, so when the opportunity of commemorating the Cafe's fourth birthday came along, she put her vision into overdrive.
"I've been at the Corner Cafe for three years and nothing's ever been done," she said. "We were in a rut and I wanted to do something big in order to draw attention. So I figured, why not appreciate our customers? They're why we're here!"
And with that, the Corner Cafe's Customer Appreciation Day was born. Planned in only three weeks, the March 4 celebration was a day marked with "fours." Featured specials included hotdogs at 40 cents apiece and sub meal deals priced at $4. Paired with the festivities, games and the help of the student marketing team, the day was booming with business. Whereas a typical day may bring in as many as 240 customers, Customer Appreciation Day more than tripled these sales to pull in a whopping 737 transactions.
The day saw other debuts, too. The Cafe introduced its first-ever printed menu as well as a punch-card program for frequent customers. All of these were in an effort to show the customers how valued they are.
"I think people should be recognized and there needs to be more of that around to let them know when things are going well," Birchfield said.
Customer Appreciation Day has proven to be a long-lasting success, in that it unleashed unprecedented publicity for the Cafe. Months later, they are still seeing the results as sales continue to improve, particularly among the breakfast items. Because Birchfield was the architect behind the Cafe's breakfast menu, this detail is a personal one. In fall 2000 in an effort "to make the Cafe unique," she undertook the initiative of concocting the Cafe's signature breakfast sandwich by specially blending its white and wheat bun.
From opening the Cafe earlier to better accommodate morning customers to developing new menu items, this is just a sampling of the commitment Birchfield has put forth in her post at the Corner Cafe.
"She takes great pride in everything she does here at Ohio University, " said Gwyn Scott, the catering manager at dining services. "She went far beyond the call of duty in coming up with the ideas and working with the brand new marketing team on decorations and advertising. It brought a lot of positive exposure, and she deserves to be recognized for her efforts."
Carmen Pease is a student writer with University Communications and Marketing.
