Redesigning Student Dining Experience – Ram Café

Project Details

Overview

As part of an advanced marketing research practicum at Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business, I led a team-based initiative to diagnose student dissatisfaction with Ram Café — a key on-campus dining provider — and develop strategic, research-backed recommendations to improve engagement, perception, and subscription rates among Fordham students.

My Role & Approach:

I co-owned the end-to-end research design and insights strategy. This included developing a 16-item survey instrument via Qualtrics, analyzing 50+ responses using Excel and SPSS for quantitative patterns, and conducting in-depth stakeholder interviews to gather qualitative sentiment. I directly engaged with multiple audience segments — including vegetarian international students, meal plan subscribers, non-buyers, café employees, and the university’s dining liaison — to uncover behavioral drivers and emotional pain points related to taste, pricing, dietary trust, and access. Additionally, I played a central role in synthesizing the data into a compelling strategic narrative and presenting it to faculty and student stakeholders.

“I don’t just market—I build systems that move people and performance. ”

Rhea Shah

Marketing Strategist

Results & Strategic Impact:

Uncovered a 56% above-average meal plan pricing gap, creating an affordability barrier for students
Identified taste dissatisfaction, limited vegetarian inclusivity, and cross-contamination concerns as critical deterrents
Found that only 16% of students were on meal plans, and 32% actively avoided the café after a negative first experience
Pinpointed key service gaps in employee training, value communication, and operational transparency
Delivered actionable recommendations to improve CX through menu redesign, price bundling, employee enablement, and campus-targeted meal plan marketing

This project showcased my ability to lead rigorous research, draw out rich human insight from both structured and unstructured data, and transform findings into strategic, stakeholder-ready solutions. It reflects my core strength: blending empathy, analytics, and business acumen to elevate user experience and drive growth.

Impact

The research-led strategy led to actionable changes in menu design, pricing communication, and student outreach. As a result, the café saw a notable rise in positive feedback, improved meal plan perceptions, and increased student engagement within just weeks of implementing the recommendations.

Let’s talk

I’m here to connect — just share your details and i’ll be in touch.

Rhea