Restauratour: Damon's Designs a Class Act

Damon’s full-service restaurant on George Mason University’s campus looks almost like the real thing.

By Lisa Bertagnoli, Contributing Editor -- Chain Leader, 1/1/2006

Take an online tour of Damon’s Grill

It certainly looks like a Damon’s Grill, with a dozen televisions, sports photos adorning the walls and servers escorting platters of barbecued ribs to diners. Bar-height tables abound, alternating with dining-height tables and a row of banquettes accentuated with halogen lighting.

But there’s something different about this particular Damon’s. Most of the patrons are clad in jeans and sweatshirts. They carry backpacks and look a little tired, not to mention a little young.

That’s because this Damon’s is located at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. The restaurant, which opened in late October, is the first full-service Damon’s located on a university campus; indeed, Damon’s executives say it’s the first branded casual-dining concept on a college campus.

“We had been exploring nontraditional avenues that we think make sense,” says Ed Williams, executive vice president of development at Columbus, Ohio-based Damon’s, which in October announced it was being sold to Alliance Development Group, a Charlotte, N.C.-based real-estate development firm; the sale was expected to close this month. “A campus is a good alternative.”

Damon’s negotiated the George Mason deal with Sodexho, the management company that handles foodservice operations at the school. The restaurant offers a good dining option for students, teachers and employees, not to mention the 3 million guests the campus sees each year, says Daniel Walsch, executive director of university relations at George Mason. “We feel this gives them a viable venue to make visits more complete and enjoyable,” he says.

That Damon’s is known for a brisk bar business—alcohol accounts for 18 percent to 20 percent of sales at traditional outlets—doesn’t bother Walsch, who says that most students are in their mid-20s, and many are pursuing graduate degrees. That said, the university considered imposing a drink limit at the restaurant. “We want to do this in a responsible way,” Walsch says.

Starting from Scratch
The campus Damon’s, which comprises a full-service restaurant plus a limited-menu Express location with counter service, is located in a ground-floor space that formerly housed a food court. The designer, Alan Hamm of Alan Hamm Architects in Kensington, Md., encountered myriad problems during the demolition and construction phase: thick concrete, awkwardly placed electrical panels, walk-in coolers in bad locations and brick columns in the middle of what would be the dining room.

So, what was meant to be a renovation turned out to be a total gut job. “That gave us the freedom to rearrange things properly,” Hamm says, adding that the time frame for the project was about three months from blueprint to finished product. “We were drawing all the way through.”

Almost Damon’s
The finished space looks like a traditional Damon’s in many ways. Wood wainscoting and brick finishes, wide-screen televisions viewable from any seat, arched windows, a combination of tiled flooring and carpet, and sports photos on the wall are all vintage Damon’s touches.

However, the restaurant is not exactly like a freestanding Damon’s. There are no booths, only banquettes. At 6,000 square feet, it is smaller than the average Damon’s, which measures 6,700 square feet. The smaller space allows only two big-screen TVs, where traditional stores have four.

Most crucially, the layout didn’t allow Hamm to build Damon’s signature tiered, theater-like interior. To compensate, he sectioned the restaurant into four separate yet connected spaces: the bar; an extension of the bar with bar-height tables; an open area with dining-height tables and a view of the outdoors; and a more enclosed dining area with a row of banquettes and a view of an indoor patio. Various levels of lighting—brighter in the bar area and softer halogen spots above the banquettes—create the illusion of a tiered space.

Room for Improvement
Four weeks after opening day, Damon’s and George Mason said they were pleased with the restaurant’s performance. While both parties refuse to release exact figures or a construction cost for the project, they say both the full-service and express concepts were posting sales ahead of projection.

The restaurant isn’t quite the hottest lunch spot on campus, but Walsch characterizes it as “picking up steam.”

Still, Damon’s needs to address a few design and operational matters. The restaurant has little or no exterior branding; a neon sign in the public area and an awning outside will help solve that problem, Williams says. The company will replace the Express menu boards with ones that are more attractive and easier to read.

On the operations side, the restaurant has yet to deal with the labor realities of a college campus, when most of the population leaves for three months of summer vacation, plus holiday breaks. “If you can’t retain the management you’ve used, then there’s the whole retraining process,” Williams says.

But the company expected as much. “Going into nontraditional locations,” Williams explains, “those are the things you need to work with.”

Menu Sampler

Appetizers

• Damon’s Famous Onion Loaf, with dipping sauce, half loaf, $3.29, full loaf, $5.99

Entrees

• Damon’s Premium Ribs, half rack, $11.99, full rack, $16.99
• Herb-Roasted Half Chicken, finished with chipotle grilling sauce, served with rice and vegetable, $10.29

Salads

• Fire-Roasted Salmon Caesar Salad: grilled Atlantic salmon on tossed romaine with Parmesan, tomatoes and croutons, $9.99

Dessert

• Sweet Potato Crisp: whipped sweet potatoes topped with pecan and walnut praline streusel, served warm with vanilla ice cream, $3.99