Westmoreland County Courthouse could expand lunch options.
The county is seeking proposals from private food providers and restaurants to operate the courthouse’s former cafeteria space, which has been operated by Subway since 2016, commissioners said this week.
“As a county, we are open to a variety of options, including a single full-fledged eatery and partnerships between eateries that bring in breakfast (and) lunch on certain days,” said Secretary Gina Seriri Thrasher. said. “The restaurant may be in-house, or you may be able to bring in a select number of meals from the restaurant each day.”
For decades, Laurel Vending operated a full-fledged cafeteria on the Courthouse’s Upper Park level, offering hot and cold breakfast and lunch options throughout the day. The store he closed in mid-2016 and was replaced later that year by a Subway restaurant serving the chain’s standard menu at lunchtime.
Food services are a source of income for the county. Laurel Vending Company paid the county a commission of his 14% of sales, and the proceeds were funneled into the county budget for general business. Subway pays the county a commission of 9% of sales.
Subway has brought nearly $110,000 in revenue to the county since 2016, according to the county administration’s financial report. The current one-year contract with the county expires at the end of July.
All operating costs are covered by the food provider.
As part of the request for proposals, which will be returned to the county by May 30, potential providers will be asked to operate meal service from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Rob Holmberg, who owns a Subway franchise in the courthouse, told county leaders his restaurant was interested in staying open.
“I said we’re happy to extend it for another year at the current pace, but if they want to be open to other options, that’s fine,” Holmberg said. “This is certainly a unique situation as we have limited opening hours and are closed on weekends and public holidays.”
Rich Chorodowski is a staff writer for Tribune Review. He can contact Rich by email. rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .