Campus Special Benefits Oxford's Stomachs and More

It’s no secret that Oxford and Ole Miss are as intertwined and connected as a college town and its university can be. But one company is setting out to bridge that gap between Oxford restaurants and Ole Miss students with food delivery.
“While our site is entirely marketed to college students, technically anyone in the area can use [Campus Special],” said Stephanie Scott, director of Campus Special online sales and business development.
Campus Special launched in 2005 as a way for students to become oriented with their university town by finding a list of restaurants that deliver. The service set up in Oxford in 2008 and are currently operating near more than 500 universities nationwide. The website currently hosts nine Oxford eateries: Panini, Pita Pit, El Milagro Taqueria, Noodle Bowl, Kabuki, Maharaja, OEC and Big Bowl.
Matt McCarthy, general manager of Oxford’s Pita Pit, said, “They can order on the website and it’s faxed to us. We’ll get it and deliver immediately.”
While, there are chain restaurants in Oxford who receive orders online and deliver, Campus Special sets itself apart by providing easy access to local restaurants for out-of-town students.
“The biggest thing that sets our site aside from restaurants’ websites is that if a student is looking for something in particular they’ll go straight to that restaurant’s website. However, for those students that don’t know what they’re hungry for and are potentially new to Oxford they need to see what options they have, which is exactly what our site provides,” Scott said.
Oxonians can also enjoy the website’s services and the CampusSpecial.com mobile phone app.The free app provides food ordering for delivery, dining-in or carry-out, as well as directions to participating restaurants. The Campus Special website and app both list discounts at local businesses and restaurants too.

Campus Special also offers paid internships to those interested in cultivating sales experience. According to its website, the company has developed more than three thousand interns and reports that more than 97 percent of its interns have landed a career.
Molly Franks, a former Campus Special intern, is the regional sales manager for Campus Special in Oxford.
“I actually attended Ole Miss for two years before I transferred to Alabama. So, I will always have a special place for Oxford,“ Franks said. “The Campus Special [program] offers a career partner program that helps [university] seniors connect to a number of companies.”
She currently manages ten markets, including Oxford and the University of Mississippi, as well as guiding Campus Special interns through spring or summer internships. She sees the value in interns.
“We are made by the students for the students due to the simple fact that students know where they want to save money in their college town” Franks added.
For Oxonians and Ole Miss students interested in taking advantage of money saving methods, ordering tacos (or sandwiches or sushi) for delivery, or internships, visit Campus Special at www.campusspecial.com/mississippi.
– Callie Daniels is a staff writer for HottyToddy.com. She can be reached via email at callie.daniels@hottytoddy.com.