McDonald’s needs no introduction, and neither does Papa John’s, Chick-Fil-A or any other casual dining chain. They’re established icons in our fast food generation, and the long lines in front of their campus locations during weekday lunches show no signs of shortening.
After all, they are the most convenient options presented to students. There’s no denying the ease of grabbing a cheeseburger or a spicy chicken sandwich from the Student Union in between classes.
However, I’m wary of these chains having built-in student business without directly marketing to University students.
Since childhood, many of us have already been conditioned to crave fast food. Personally, I grew up on a steady diet of a few “Happy Meals” a month.
As children, we were bombarded with fast food advertisements. In 2010, Yale’s Rudd Center reported that the fast food industry spent $4.2 billion marketing to young people. We still see thousands of fast food advertisements a year.
Furthering this indoctrination, a 2015 study by the Center of Disease Control discovered that 34 percent of children consume fast food on any given day and receive 12 percent of their daily calories from fast food.
In fact, a Stanford study found that when children were presented with two identical food options — one in a McDonald’s wrapper and the other in a plain wrapper — they were more likely to claim the food in the McDonald’s wrapper tasted better. Brand preference at its finest.
The point is, we love fast food and are on the hook for it. However, just because fast food chains don’t have to advertise to University students specifically, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. Telling us we’re good enough to sell to by virtue of staking claim to a space on our campus but not good enough to market to reeks of arrogance.
I believe chains located on campus should purchase advertisements in The Daily Reveille or invest in localized ads that would air on Tiger TV and KLSU. In effect, they’d be recycling student money back into student organizations. Providing us with coupons or specials redeemable at campus locations would be another solution.
Really, who’s doing whom the favor? Are we, by patronizing their restaurants, or are they, by being conveniently located? We are, because we are the consumer, and the consumer is king.
Last week, Raising Cane’s took out an advertisement in The Reveille. The chain, located just off campus and owned by University alumnus Todd Graves, rightly saw fit to advertise to students through the school newspaper. In essence, they want our business, and — unlike their on-campus competition — they don’t haughtily expect it.
McDonald’s, Papa John’s, Chick-Fil-A, Subway, Starbucks and CC’s should take note.
Christopher Godail is a 27-year-old interdisciplinary studies junior from Kenner, Louisiana.