Boloco has narrowly avoided closing its Boston Avenue branch in the short-term but remains mired in financial instability and has not ruled out eliminating the location.
Sam Chud, the marketing manager for the burrito restaurant chain, told the Daily last April that the store's closure was "imminent." He confirmed last week that the branch continues to lose money and the store remains for sale, but attempts to secure a buyer have not proved successful.
"The reality is that we're losing money, but we would rather keep it open then have it shut because we hate to close any store," Chud told the Daily. "We have pride and we're proud of the job we do and the food we serve, not to mention that we care a lot about our customers."
Chud said the plan right now is to keep the store open for the time being but to monitor it closely.
"I don't have a [closing] date," he said. "Ultimately it's up to our board to determine what to do with the location."
In an attempt to revive sales, Boloco over the summer moved Anthony DiBella, the former Boston Avenue store manager, to a different store and brought in Claudio Fonseca from a higher volume Boloco location on Pearl Street in Boston. Chud said it was part of a "general reshuffling" that had "a number of reasons behind it."
The managerial swap has not changed the branch's returns, though. "We haven't seen any real marked difference in the numbers since installing him," Chud said of Fonseca. "But we haven't seen any decrease either."
Fonseca was happy to see sales increase as students came back on campus and was cautiously optimistic about the store's financial position. "We keep working with the community," he told the Daily. "I can only do so much if I don't have the support, but I think we will make it."
Boloco has also made additional changes to its menu, including adding a mini and extra large burrito size to the menu as well as a mini smoothie size. "We're only testing this version at Tufts and at Northeastern and seeing what kind of impact it has," he said.
In an effort to reach out to Tufts students, Chud sat down and strategized with a few undergraduates last spring. Junior Jared Glick, one of the students who worked with Chud, said that they suggested reaching out to larger community service groups as well as fraternities and sororities on campus.
During freshmen orientation, Boloco gave out thousands of free mini burritos and coupons in an effort to garner student interest.
Chud said the store's malaise can be attributed in part to its location. "We're sort of on the wrong side of the Hill and we're competing with Davis Square," he said. "And compared to the other restaurants we sort of stick out in a way ... They're all sort of local mom-and-pop stores."
Senior Winston Berkman agreed that Boloco's location is relatively inaccessible to him. "I live on the downhill side of campus, so it feels just as easy to go to Davis as it would be to go to Hillside," he said.
Berkman highlighted Boloco's "Inspired Burritos" slogan, based on the restaurant's wide variation from the typical Latin American burrito prototype. He said this approach now faces steep challenges from the offerings of Blue Shirt Café and Anna's Taqueria. But he said that it would be a shame to see the store close, particularly for students who live close to its Boston Avenue location.
The branch's involvement with Tufts' Merchant Off-Campus Partners (MOPs) program has also been a sticking point.
Boloco has one of the eight coveted spots in the MOPs program, which allows students to pay for their food in JumboCash, commonly referred to as "points." But Chud said that Boloco's participation in the MOPs system has not necessarily helped to boost sales.
MOPs allows students to use JumboCash for purchases with select local eateries, but the system can only be used for deliveries
"It's sort of taken us out of our element in a way, because we're forced into delivery," Chud said. "Individual deliveries are not something we built into our business model."
He also pointed out that of the 12 college-merchant partnership programs to which Boloco branches belong, Tufts' takes the highest commission
Boloco's cuisine is meant to be eaten "right off the line," Chud said, adding that the store might significantly benefit from being able to accept JumboCash in the store itself, instead of only for delivery.
"I can't say for sure if it would make a major impact," he said. "I have a feeling it would." Tufts Dining Services in the past has expressed an unwillingness to change the system's commission level or its delivery requirement.
