Call it Old College Inn or Goal Post Tavern, owner Mike Clark is just happy for your business.

Clark, president of the Cumberland Avenue Merchant Association, represents the interests of Strip vendors on matters of business, with issues ranging from expanded parking to competition with UT’s food service provider Aramark. Clark frequently corresponds with authorities from the university and the city at large to foster growth among his fellow Cumberland Avenue vendors.

A native of Knoxville, Clark attended Karns High School and later UT in the early ’80s. Eventually making his way to The Strip in 2001, Clark has spent the last four years as president of CAMA as well as owner of the restaurant formerly called Old College Inn. Clark said he is excited to be a part of the initiative to redesign the Cumberland Avenue area, including plans to expand sidewalks, bury utilities and include dedicated turn lanes.

He has also vocally advocated for more parking around his business, pointing to the installation of parking garages in downtown Knoxville as the impetus for that area’s large-scale growth.

By working with the local government, Clark hopes to revitalize a section of the city he feels has been overlooked.

“There have been a lot of public dollars go into revamping downtown,” Clark said. “It was just kind of our turn.”

To emerging college students and those who might wish to start their own business, Clark’s message of success is a simple one.

“I think hard work is what it takes,” he said. “You have to be willing to put a lot of time in, a lot of effort in and have good long term goals.”

Debbie Billings, treasurer of the Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association, said Clark has shown an active leadership role with CAMA in an effort to bring success to his fellow merchants.

“He’s been consistently involved even when others drop out of being involved, in trying to get the direction of The Strip, not to where it’s just beneficial to him, but for the community as a whole,” Billings said. 

One of Clark’s current and most pressing concerns, he said, is the perceived unfair competition with the newly-opened Aramark establishments Panda Express and Raising Cane’s on the corner of 17th Street and Cumberland Avenue.

“When that building was purchased by UT, we were under the impression that it was going to be office buildings and maybe a temporary bookstore,” Clark said. “Basically it turned into direct competition in our opinion to The Strip.”

Clark expressed his dissatisfaction with the university for fostering an unfair business practice, citing the new restaurants exemption from property or business taxes as well as their ability to accept Dining Dollars as a form of payment.

“They basically took a building that was housed by independent business owners and turned it into … a subsidized business,” he said. “They don’t have to play by the same rules.”

Since the opening of the restaurants earlier this year, Clark has solicited for cooperation from the university, specifically asking to see the contract between the university and Aramark which allegedly forbids Strip vendors from accepting Dining Dollar payment.

“We’d love to see that contract and let a professional look at it and see if there really is a binding clause in there that says they cannot let local merchants participate (by accepting Dining Dollars),” Clark said.

On Nov. 3, Jeff Maples, the interim vice chancellor for finance and administration, provided the Daily Beacon with the contract between Aramark and the university. Maples also denied ever limiting access to the contract to anyone qualified to see it.

“I am not aware that we have denied anyone the contract to the amendment,” Maples said. “We’ve had several requests for it in the last six months, and every time we’ve gotten one … if they’re a resident in the state of Tennessee, I’m not aware of anyone we’ve denied to seeing the contract.”

The Daily Beacon will be following the story as updates develop.