Question for college students

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  • CharlieLopez2005
    CharlieLopez2005 Posts: 114
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    my husband and I are looking into a business that would cater to students. Wondering....if you had a healthy choice of food sitting next to a not so healthy food choice, but the healthy choice might be a few cents more, which would you choose?

    Hopefully I know the answer, but just doing some research.

    Also, about how much do you spend on a daily/weekly basis on food that isn't prepared at home and is quick..( think vending machine) if you do at all.


    See additional post beloew....
    Thanks

    I'm going to play devil's advocate here. I would love for your entrepreneurial venture to succeed, but I would be skeptical for a few reasons:

    1. Most college kids (at least those NOT on MFP!) don't make food decisions in a vacuum based solely on price. They are not rational agents as Econ 101 textbooks would have us believe. Consider that even if there was a tax on Taco Bell foods, for example, many college kids would still eat Taco Bell over a comparably priced salad bar.

    2. Many of those same large food corporations brand their stuff as "healthy" or "fit for you" or as "smart choices." The adjective "healthy" is as much a part of the marketing repertoire of junk peddlers as it is health-food start-ups. Even McDonald's can boast about their new "healthier" Happy Meal.
  • jchester71
    jchester71 Posts: 124 Member
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    We aren't sure how much it will cost yet. Just knowing the price of healthy and organic tends to be more. I'm hoping it will be competitive with the junk, so you can have healthy at the same price.

    Oh, and it's name brand stuff, not homemade or off brands.

    To play devils advocate (I was a marketing executive at Sun Microsystems before answering the call to ministry), I have to ask on what basis are you assuming that wholesale on vend packs is going to be higher for "healthy" food. It seems to me you are getting way ahead of your self. You are thinking retail pricing before you know either product or enterprise cost. Have you done market analysis to see what percentage of your target customers are concerned with healthy eating (not self reported but actual $ spent), are there exclusive vending licenses in place for the products you want to sell in your area, are the vending contracts in place at the colleges you are targeting etc. (and for how long).
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    I'm a college student, and I spend money on the healthy food, any day. I might flinch a little, but I choose it for sure! I spend 50-60 bucks a week on food, and don't feel one bit of guilt.
  • alexis92
    alexis92 Posts: 64
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    I would go for the healthier option, although I would hope it wouldn't be too much more expensive!
    I only go out to eat maybe once every two weeks. I usually get yogurt, eggs, potatoes, fruit, veggies, and snacks from the store in my residence building that I can use my meal points in.
  • mznisaelaine
    mznisaelaine Posts: 2,262 Member
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    I'm a college student. I am so much better at cooking for myself and I dont eat fast food anymore unless it is Subway....The problem is I am at school all the time, all day for classes, I am in several clubs, I have tons of meetings, and I do undergrad research... so I am always so busy but I would definitely pay a little more for healthy fooods, so that I can eat in between my small breaks. My problem I have is that my school sells fruits, etc..But I dont eat certain types of fruit and thats all they sell and dont have a variety of fruits and other healthy foods and they mainly sell fast food...
  • Akjenn89
    Akjenn89 Posts: 265 Member
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    I don't use the vending machines at all because everything in it is pretty much junk. If they had options like.. dried fruit or something in the vending machine, i'd be more likely to succumb to its willpower. We have a subway on campus so that's pretty much where I'd eat, if I were to eat on campus (99.99% of the time, I don't).

    And pretty much like everyone else said.. a few cents more, yes. Dollars? No way.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    I put myself through college so I was broke. I ate a lot of home made lunches but then ate out for dinner a lot cause I was in class ALL day. But I would have been willing to pay a bit more for healthier home made food vs fast food.
  • mamato4kids
    mamato4kids Posts: 217 Member
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    To play devils advocate (I was a marketing executive at Sun Microsystems before answering the call to ministry), I have to ask on what basis are you assuming that wholesale on vend packs is going to be higher for "healthy" food. It seems to me you are getting way ahead of your self. You are thinking retail pricing before you know either product or enterprise cost. Have you done market analysis to see what percentage of your target customers are concerned with healthy eating (not self reported but actual $ spent), are there exclusive vending licenses in place for the products you want to sell in your area, are the vending contracts in place at the colleges you are targeting etc. (and for how long).

    We are looking into a franchise that as all of the contracts in place for the machines. They are very successful already. I haven't been in college for 15 +years so I was just wondering if college students would have the thought to choose wisely. We hope to be in elementary, middle and high schools too....just asking preliminary questions.

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