Cornucopia Trial in Forum restaurant
Summary
In 2023, Trinity Catering and Trinity Business School partnered with Cornucopia, a vegan restaurant on Wicklow Street that has been a staple in the city for 40 years. It has employed Trinity students over these years, and it is a highly known and regarded brand.
The acceptability of chef-designed vegan food in College was tested by creating Cornucopia Pop Up– four lunchtimes that showcased vegan meals specifically designed for Trinity students in the Forum restaurant.
The pop-ups were an unprecedented success. Food sold out each time and potential customers had to be turned away.
For more details email Catering@tcd.ie
Plan
- Cornucopia to design 7 meals specifically for our student body. We envision that the menu will state the meal is a ‘Cornucopia Signature Dish’ or similar framing, and explain in a footnote that the meal has been designed by them. The Cornucopia chef would train two Trinity chefs in these meals, and visit the kitchen once a week to troubleshoot and oversee standard.
- Cornucopia to design vegan options for banqueting/fine dining/conferences that can be executed when needed by Trinity Catering, with a similar messaging.
Action
Provisional timeline: June -November 2023
Result:
- 7 student meal designs
- 2 full banqueting offerings, including canapes
- Trinity chef training (2)
- Use of Cornucopia brand in menu
Outcome
During each of the trial days, food sales were 2-3 times higher than on other days in the same week.