Sweet Briar Reopens Dining in Just 18 Days!
In March 2015, Virginia’s Sweet Briar College’s Board of Trustees announced the College would be closing its doors after more than 114-years due to insurmountable financial challenges.
Six months of instability and efforts by the previous leadership to close the all-women liberal-arts College had caused much damage to the institution’s operations, including shuttering its dining operations. The school operated Daisy’s Café, a bistro, and the main dining hall, Prothro, which opened daily to both town and college patrons.
“I was starting from scratch,” said Robert Loconsole, Parkhurst general manager of dining services at Sweet Briar College, who was hired 18 days before students arrived.
In choosing the family-owned Parkurst to run dining services, the College selected a company with close ties to other area institutions. Parkhurst served as the dining services vendor for Bridgewater College and Washington and Lee University (W&L). Each institution is located within a 70-mile radius of Sweet Briar. Both teams rallied to the call for help.
Read original article here