There are well over 400 trees in the CSUN orange grove. Among those trees is a tiny oasis known as the Orange Grove Bistro.

“I’ve heard of it and I’ve heard their food is good,” said Dayne

DaLuise, 19, a psychology major. “But it is so isolated, nobody really knows that it exists.”

To address this issue, the eatery has added an incent

iveincrease their patronage in the San Fernando Valley. Aside from their meeting rooms, catering business, lounge room and wedding site, the bistro now offers loyalty cards.

“We want the students and the community to visit more and see the facilities,” said Sherri Warren, manager of the Orange Grove Bistro. “So after nine punches on their loyalty card their 10th entrée is free.”

In 1967, CSUN faculty built the establishment and it once served as a University Club exclusive to university administrators and faculty. It was later opened to the public.

“I believe about 25 to 30 years ago, it was opened to the public,” Warren said.

Since then, the thousands of people that have dined at the bistro have helped in

the efforts to preserve one of the last orange groves in the county and a tiny bit of the valley’s citrus-based history.

Open for lunch to the community Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the bistro looks to attract more customers, including students, faculty and community members.

“We are open to the community for lunch, but we are open to catering events all the time,” Warren said.
Currently, the bistro has special rates for its club members.

The perks of being a club member can go a long way.

Room rental fees are waived after the first catered event.

On top of that there are numerous discounts. Club members get a 15 percent discount on events occurring at the University Club, as well as a 10 percent discount off of their monthly purchases at the establishment.

“There is a special membership offered through the University Club with membership fees,” Warren said. “Having a membership there can also extend to the bistro and they can take advantage of our offers.”

However, the loyalty card is something special the Orange Grove Bistro is adding to their offers. The community now has the opportunity to gain one free lunch.

The loyalty card was created to help increase the lunch flow on campus, Warren said.

Most of the faculty, staff and students do not know about the bistro or where it was located.

Some students, however, do not see the loyalty card as  help much.

“I read about the loyalty cards over the summer on campus,” said AnnMarie Hansen, 22, a multiple subject credential student. “But as a graduate student, I’m only in one building and I see no need to walk across campus and the hours that they are open for lunch really don’t work with most students’ schedules like mine.”

Warren said she still has hope that the new loyalty cards increase business to the Orange Grove Bistro.