BIG WHERE IT COUNTS. Mini “slider” burgers boost dinner numbers in dining hall.

Concordia College, Morehead, MN, generated a 20-percent increase in dinner participation over the same period a week earlier in its Anderson Dining Center by introducing a Slider Bar as a special menu option for one night. The initiative this past January was so successful that Concordia Dining Services plans to repeat the promotion.

More than a thousand students crowded into Anderson January 16th for the Slider Bar's debut, and they consumed about 1,500 of the mini-burgers. In addition to the slider bar, Anderson served its regular dinner menu.

The Slider Bar offers students the option of getting smaller sandwiches with their choice of protein (beef or chicken) and a variety of toppings. The program reduces waste because customers can calibrate their portions, either getting several “sliders” or pairing the mini-sandwich with other selections.