Grab your Stag gear and bring your appetites – Fairfield University is collaborating with local food and drink establishments to launch its inaugural “Fairfield Foodie Days” from Tuesday, April 16 to Thursday, April 18. Downtown favorites such as Firehouse Deli, Crumbl Cookies and the Seagrape Cafe will be offering Fairfield students, faculty, staff and alumni discounts and assorted promotions simply by presenting Stag merchandise.
“As part of our community outreach, the Fairfield University Marketing Team wanted to offer a fun way to encourage students, faculty, staff and alumni to explore the Town of Fairfield,” reported Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Anderson ’97, MBA ’02, adding that the three-day festivity provides the opportunity to “enjoy food and drink establishments [people] may not have tried.”
To receive the advertised offers, guests need only to wear Fairfield University merchandise or present their Stag Card to participating businesses. Anderson revealed that over 30 food and drink joints signed up to issue special offers, while also gaining more business themselves.
Local Kitchen and Beer Bar will be offering one free order of Bavarian Pretzels, Fairfield Pizza a 10 percent discount and Dunkin’, a Fairfield essential, a free medium hot or iced coffee with any order. A full list of participating businesses and their limited-time offers can be found at fairfield.edu/fairfieldfoodiedays.
Anderson emphasized the support this initiative gives towards university community engagement, particularly in a town that students call home for four years and alumni for long after.
“Fairfield is a large town and we want our University community to explore all it has to offer,” she stated. “We are always adding new ways to connect with the community, participating in Town of Fairfield events and hosting our own public programming on our Main Campus and at The Fairfield University Store.”
Not only does presented Stag attire permit unique discounts but it, according to Anderson, “floods Stag Country with Fairfield Red.” In tandem with Fairfield Foodie Days, both the on-campus and downstore bookstore will be hosting a 50 percent off sale on select items, certainly encouraging some spring-time shopping.
Red and blue tags will mark sale items which, according to Stag Spirit Shop manager Colleen O’Neill Helfrich, cannot be combined with other offers or coupons and are only available in-store.
Fairfield University’s Marketing & Communications Department worked with the Town of Fairfield to promote and pitch this scrumptious celebration to the Fairfield community and to local businesses and their management.
After speaking with the Town’s Economic Development Office, who organize the annual Fairfield Restaurant Week, Anderson and the Marketing Department discovered that March and April are typically less active months for downtown food and drink. The vice president continued to say that, because of this circumstance, they decided on April as the most beneficial time to drive local business through something like Fairfield Foodie Days.
Anderson hopes that this program will return as an annual event, and “looks forward to next year when we hope even more businesses sign up to participate.” Establishments who wish to be added to the list of participating vendors can contact Associate Director of Community & Public Relations Robby Piazzaroli at rpiazzaroli@fairfield.edu.
Piazzaroli expressed wholehearted enthusiasm given from participating businesses, all which demonstrate a vast array of cuisine to satisfy anyone’s palette. He seconds Anderson’s claim that such an engaging event helps to promote local businesses and “show members of the Fairfield University community what they’re made of.”
“We were thrilled with the response from restaurants, cafes, shops, and stores across town,” he revealed. “Many of them do not fit into the stereotypical category of “restaurant,” so they jumped on the opportunity to participate in an event that celebrates all kinds of foods, served in all kinds of ways.”
Furthermore, he praised the “grassroot efforts” of the university’s Marketing & Communications Department for working so fervently to make in-person connections with as many local establishments as possible.
As the dates roll closer, Marketing & Communications has high hopes for a strong turnout of satisfied Stags and positive community engagement. Anderson stated, “We look forward to our University community visiting local businesses and enjoying the fun promos to really make it a success.”
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