Last week, I walked into the kosher cafeteria and noticed something out of the ordinary. No, the fraternities and sororities had not ventured to the opposite side of the room. Next to the Dairy Stop stood a new shop with a sign that read “Grand Opening! All Sandwiches Five Dollars!” I peered inside and saw bread and various cuts of meat. I could not believe it: $5 for a kosher meat sandwich at Queens College? This was too good to be true. My curiosity piqued, I ventured inside. A menu hanging from the ceiling stated that sandwiches normally cost $8. But as a limited time offer, they were only $5- a significant 40% discount.

I was skeptical of the legitimacy of this deal. Queens College food is always expensive. As I noted last semester, our school exploits ravenous students who are desperate for an afternoon pick-me-up by charging exorbitant prices for snacks in the vending machines. And when it comes to food for events, clubs must go through Chartwells to purchase food from vendors. Chartwells is the nefarious official middleman that bears no constructive purpose whatsoever; it serves exclusively to profit off of every transaction by jacking up prices. Moreover, kosher food in general is notorious for being expensive. Since more care goes into its preparation and it requires a kosher certification, the final cost of its production, determined by adding up the intermediate steps, is higher than that of something non-kosher. Thus, how could it be that at an institution like Queens College, which overcharges its students for everything but tuition, suddenly offers a reasonably priced meal option- and one that is kosher, no less?

The rationale behind this promotion has nothing to do with having students smile like Jeff, the man behind the counter in the kosher cafeteria. Rather, it is a classic marketing tactic. In presenting a new product (a meat sandwich store), the shop had to find a way to gain a foothold into a relatively saturated market (the many food places in and around campus). Its goal was twofold: to garner publicity and, more importantly, to gain more customers. While this could have been implemented in a plethora of ways, Queens College chose to do so by adjusting a variable that it knew customers would notice and respond to: price. College students are on a tight budget and do not have money to frivolously spend on a new food joint. Here was an instance of the Holy Grail for the classic starving college student: a substantial, edible meal that did not break the bank. While the promotion is transient, it succeeded in getting people in the door, thereby increasing foot traffic. Of the people who walked in for the first time, many of them are likely to return.

That there will be a significant number of students who will come back offsets a major shortcoming of this promotion. Technically, the store loses $3 for each sandwich sold. In the short run, they make a loss by selling below the marginal cost. Through the promotion, though, business is rejuvenated. Not only has there been a daily deluge of customers, but there is also a substantial inflow of cash, which is the lifeline of any business. A steady stream of cash is a positive indicator of the well being of a firm. In particular, it is especially important for a firm in its nascent stage, like this sandwich shop, to generate cash, for it needs to recoup the money it spent on the initial and fixed costs. From the perspective of generating positive revenue, the promotion is only a success if the reduced price is offset by a substantial increase in quantity purchased. Indeed, the promotion appeared to be a massive success. Students, from cafeteria veterans to freshman who are always cooped up in the library, pounced. In classic supply/demand fashion, demand soared. People responded well to the price change. For example, a friend of mine told me that he had purchased a sandwich every day that week, whereas he would normally purchase two slices of pizza for lunch. In this instance, the sandwich had become a substitute to the pizza; he was willing to switch because he viewed the two meals, which cost roughly the same, as interchangeable. I am sure others were thinking similarly, and pizza sales suffered as a result that week.

I asked another individual what he thought of the promotion, and he gushed, “It’s a steal!” He elaborated that one does not find such reasonably priced food on campus, especially not kosher meat. Even in local off-campus eateries, one would not find an option on par with this deal. People kept coming, and at one point the hero bread and rolls had completely sold out.

Frugal and cynical individual that I am, I investigated further. Was Queens College implementing any deceptive tactics along with this promotional strategy? While everyone was waiting on line, I peppered the man at the register with questions: Was the sandwich size smaller than usual? Were there any required additional purchases, such as an extra large beverage that I do not need? Is there a limit of one per customer? What was the quality of the meat, and where was it purchased? In hindsight, I suppose I was excessively harsh on a man whose responsibility is simply to slice the meat. Still, I firmly believe that it is of the utmost importance to be an educated customer, lest you fall prey to classic business ploys.

Having done my due diligence about the product, I thought that the best way to determine if the sandwich was worth $5 was to try it.  Handing over a $5 bill that, through a stroke of luck, I had found on the ground, I felt like I was getting the sandwich for free. I ordered the Abe Lincoln, which was the most popular choice. Though the meat was a bit salty, the sandwich overall was substantial and I was full once I had devoured it. Five dollars was definitely a reasonable price. But would I pay $8? Let’s be honest: I’ll stick to my Chobani for $1.

I think that this store is going to thrive. It fills a void in the food market at Queens College, and is conveniently located. In particular, it caters to a male audience that is often starving and wants something substantial to eat. It is important to be careful and not buy it too often, as $8 adds up; buying it for 7 days over the course of a month will set you back over $50! If you did like the sandwiches, make sure to take advantage of the promotion now, as it ends this week!