At various times during the year, the University of Virginia hosts its on-campus Cville Market where students purchase from a variety of local vendors. The goal of the small-scale farmer’s market is to expose students to local merchants and increase awareness about the food system.

Last year, the Cville Market saw 15 vendors and thousands of transactions. The organization team is optimistic about increasing these numbers – both vendors and buyers – for the upcoming schedule of markets.

In 2023 the university’s dining services, UVA Dine, worked to integrate their existing Grubhub technology into the farmer’s market. Students were already using the Grubhub app for mobile ordering on campus, so extending it to the market streamlined the process for students, vendors, and UVA Dine.

A major driver for students to participate is the ability to purchase items using their meal plan’s Flex Dollars. The Grubhub integration enables this by accepting payments directly through the app using Flex Dollars, debit, or credit.

A major driver for students to participate is the ability to purchase items using their meal plan’s Flex Dollars and the Grubhub integration makes it possible.

“Vendors at the market facilitate 100% of the transactions through the Grubhub app,” says Allie Berry, Sustainability Manager for UVA Dine. “We reach out to vendors two weeks prior to the market to request their intended menu and prices, and we build out an online shop for each seller.”

Students can then make purchases on the app, show their receipt at the vendor’s tent, and pickup their order.

The addition of Grubhub has streamlined the process tremendously.

In the past, vendors used an iPad at checkout to record purchases and then they would submit the Flex Dollars transactions to UVA Dine after the market had closed. Now the checkout process is instantaneous, and vendors receive their funds quickly and efficiently.

Introducing modern technology to the centuries-old concept of a farmer’s market helps attract young people to shopping and eating locally.

Both vendors and students have expressed their satisfaction with the streamlined operation of the market.

“Vendors appreciate us being able to provide them with information on what products were most popular,” Berry explains. “For vendors serving made-to-order lunch items, they appreciate that we can limit order quantities during certain times, like during peak lunch hour.”

“Students prefer placing orders without having to wait in lines, and they like using funds from their meal plan,” she adds.

Introducing modern technology to the centuries-old concept of a farmer’s market helps attract young people to shopping and eating locally. The Cville Market let’s UVA students experience this without leaving campus, a benefit for students who may not have transportation to other markets around the city.

Sit down with vendors to describe how Grubhub is used for transactions, know how to correctly view receipts, and feel assured that they are being properly compensated.

The market is also a great opportunity to bring the community to campus and showcase local products and vendors, explains Berry.

For other campuses considering a similar program, she suggests finding a few key vendors to allow the market to gain a following prior to launch day.

“Sit down with vendors to describe how Grubhub is used for transactions so that they understand the process, know how to correctly view receipts, and feel assured that they are being properly compensated for their products in each transaction,” she says.

Then sprinkle in some good marketing, and you can help your students eat healthier and enjoy some time outdoors.