Krazi Kebob on Route 1
Dining in College Park just got a little cheaper, thanks to a free new discount card sponsored by the city business alliance.
In late January, the College Park Neighborhood Business Alliance, a nonprofit collaboration between the city and local business owners, printed thousands of plastic cards that give holders exclusive access to discounts and specials at local restaurants and shops.
Originally, about a dozen businesses agreed to participate, but that number has grown to 19 over the past month: 13 restaurants, three service providers and three shops. A QR code on the back of the card links to the business alliance’s website, where a list of current deals is provided, said Michael Stiefvater, city Economic Development Coordinator.
Card holders can get 10 percent off at Azteca Restaurant and Cantina and Krazi Kebob, 20 percent off at Asian Fusion, a free side with at least a $12 order at Fishnet, 15 percent off and a one-hour parking reimbursement at Ovo Simply Veggie and $5 off an order of at least $25 at Ledo Restaurant. At The Barking Dog, patrons who present the discount card get 20 percent off food purchases until 3 p.m. and 10 percent off all purchases from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Deals can be used an unlimited number of times through the end of the year.
Other participating restaurants include Hanami Japanese Restaurant, Pho D’Lite, ChiDogO’s and The Jerk Pit. Cardholders can also get discounts at Big Planet Comics, A Cut Above Hair Salon, Stripe 3 Adidas and other shops.
In recent years, College Park gained a surge of new, diverse restaurants, including the city’s first vegan/vegetarian eatery, as well as Mediterranean, Indian/Pakistani/Mexican, Vietnamese and Thai restaurants. Though Stiefvater said the proportion between locally owned businesses and chain stores is still roughly 50-50, he hopes the card will help support the smaller businesses, many of which have been in the city for decades and are active in the community.
“Of course we’ll always have a lot of chain options due to the fact we’re near a major university, but we have seen a lot of independent restaurants opening up,” Stiefvater said. “It creates a unique and interesting place to be.”
Stiefvater is hoping the promotion will increase patronage and attract more businesses to the area.
Cards can be picked up at participating businesses, City Hall or at the city’s farmers market in April.
Several independent business owners said they’ve seen a slight increase in sales since the card’s release. At Berwyn Road eatery Fishnet, owner Ferhat Yalcin ran out of his 100 cards in about two weeks, and he said people using the cards have contributed to a slight increase in sales.
But the increased patronage isn’t coming from new student customers — many said they weren’t aware the cards even existed. Although 1,500 of the 5,000 cards printed have been given out, several restaurant owners said their share of the cards went to regular customers and long-term city residents.
Krazi Kebob employees have given out about 80 percent of their allotted cards so far, mostly to regular customers, said Michael Willieme, a student employee at the restaurant. He added the restaurant’s owner, Nomie Hamid, hadn’t expected the card to bring in too many more customers, but he’d anticipated a slightly larger response than there’s been.
“No one really seems to be using it,” Willieme said. “We’ve had maybe like five or six people come in with the card.”
Willieme said he worried the business alliance wasn’t doing enough to increase student awareness about the program, adding that officials might be able to pique student interest through social media. At Fishnet, Yalcin said he too thought the cards weren’t getting enough exposure to bring in students.
The business alliance has tried to reach out to students, passing out most of its cards so far to students and promoting the program at an event in Stamp Student Union. Despite their efforts, though, many students seemed to be unaware of the discounts.
“Do you win it in a raffle?” said Chris Guerra, a sophomore behavioral and community health major.
Several students said they wished they had known about the cards because while prices at off-campus establishments are reasonable, cheaper is better when they’re living on a college budget.
“As a college student, you’re struggling with money,” said Bhavana Kapoor, a freshman enrolled in letters and sciences. “If I had heard of [the cards], I definitely would have gotten one.”
