“Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result,” said Irish poet Oscar Wilde. If success is a science, then what are the conditions for a successful restaurant?

Near DU, there are extreme examples of both success and failure. From the incredible boom of Chipotle to the continuously-changing-of-management at the Border (now Merchant’s Mile High Saloon), it’s apparent that simply being located next to DU does not guarantee success. Clearly, restaurants are responsible for all conditions of success, no matter the location, but the fact that college students are a relatively easy group to market can help to increase success.

It’s difficult to define any restaurateur’s success, let alone those who decide to locate next to universities. A study by Cornell University reveals restaurants can attribute success to accurately satisfying three business conditions: marketing, economic and managerial.

Many restaurants that locate near universities attempt to simply satisfy the marketing perspective: make cheap, convenient food and students will follow. Unfortunately, restaurants must meet all three conditions no matter who they’re serving.

This may explain the seemingly-continual failure of local bars, including the Border and Renegade. For the Border, lack of satisfactory management likely caused its failure. Renegade failed to meet the economic condition by only accepting cash payments, which seems to be a primary cause of low reviews on rating websites, including Yelp. Both failed to meet at least one of the conditions for success in restaurants, so both inevitably failed.
Yet it’s also clear that there may be advantages to opening restaurants close to universities, especially DU. It’s hard to imagine that a Lo-Do Chipotle would have had nearly as much success as its original Evans Avenue location. Certainly, restaurants have a marketing advantage close to universities. It can be very easy to market to the college-aged crowd: most of us are more willing to buy food if it’s cheap and convenient. Chipotle successfully marketed this aspect, but also managed its restaurant well while paying attention to important economic conditions. Consequently, it has become a wildly popular restaurant.

There are exceptions to this marketing strategy, too. Jelly is a very successful restaurant that doesn’t necessarily appeal to the “cheap and convenient” crowd. Maybe this exception is just that: an exception. Although college students may prefer Chipotle and Subway most of the time, it’s nice to have quality food every once in a while. It ultimately met the marketing perspective, but through an alternate strategy. Jelly also satisfies the necessity for successful management and economic awareness, which only guarantees its success.

Evidently, there is no guarantee for success in any restaurant, let alone a restaurant located near DU. Every restaurant must meet the conditions for success, through economic awareness, satisfactory management, and efficient marketing. University restaurants may have a marketing advantage, but only marginally so. If cheap and convenient food is provided, students will follow – but only if economic and managerial success are insured as well.