'Rat' Traffic Lower Than Expected

The Rat is back! Or so the multitude of dining employees' t-shirts claims. Despite the hype behind Rathskeller's, a sports bar at George Mason University, sales have not done as well as Dining Services hoped.

Mark Kraner, Assistant Vice President of University Services, said a decrease in revenue was expected this year at the new franchise that has recently replaced the unsuccessful Damon’s

"We changed it from a Damon's to Rathskeller's. The average check at Damon's was from twelve to fourteen dollars, and now, at The Rat, the average check is only around six dollars. We anticipated less income, but expected more students utilizing the facility," said Kraner.

According to Kraner, the problem is that students who aren't of drinking age think they have to be 21 to enter. The Rat does serve alcohol, Kraner said, but the restaurant's focus is to serve as a place where students can come watch sports games, eat a relatively cheap meal, and have a good time. After surveying students to see what they wanted in an on-campus dining facility, Kraner said they suggested things like the NFL and NBA packages, where students can come watch the games on big-screen televisions.

Junior information technology major Henock Yegezu said although he sees a decrease in student traffic, he still enjoys going there about two times a week.

"I think students are intimidated because it's a restaurant-style place and they think it's going to be expensive. I'm not a residential student, so I'm used to off-campus restaurants, and this is cheap compared to those places," said Yegezu.

Faisal Ehsan, another junior and information technology major, said he thinks The Rat is a cool hangout spot.

"I think Southside is doing better [in sales] but The Rat is a cool hangout spot with a chill environment," said Ehsan. "It [Rathskeller's] should have more beer nights, wing nights, a happy hour, and more events to bring students in and get the word out."

In order to increase student awareness of the sports bar, Kraner said Dining Services are putting out table ads in Southside, including napkin holder ads, ads on the monitors, and digital menu boards. Many of the advertisements focus on welcoming all students, and letting them know they don't have to be of age to eat there.

Next year, a new restaurant called Pilot House will be opening in the Hampton Roads building. He said he expects sales to fluctuate in other restaurants, including The Rat. Similarly, coffee shop sales decreased with the opening of Starbucks, but overall sales in coffee increased. Kraner thinks the same will happen with The Rat. 

As for Rathskeller's future, Kraner said they continue to keep an eye on its success, as they do with all campus restaurants. He said that Dining Services always looks for ways they can use a location differently, or in a way that can better suit a student's needs. For the time being, though, according to Kraner, they are going to give The Rat time to grow and build a strong reputation.