BETHANY COLLEGE ANNOUNCES SWEDISH CROWN LEASE AGREEMENT

September 4, 2020
LINDSBORG, KAN., August 31, 2020 – Bethany College is excited to announce that the Swedish Crown has been leased by Brandi Swenson and Bryson Lundy. Brandi and Bryson have worked as a team in restaurant management for almost four years. Brandi attended Bethany College for two years before leaving to receive a Le Cordon Bleu Culinary degree from Scottsdale Culinary Institute as well as a Business degree with an emphasis in Human Resources from Fort Hays State University. Brandi has worked as a restaurant manager in Lindsborg and Salina for the last twelve years and has worked in the restaurant industry for over twenty years. Bryson has a degree in Marketing from Kansas State University. Bryson has 15 years of experience in the restaurant industry in addition to expertise in current bar trends and a vast knowledge of beer and whiskey.  

They plan to keep some of the Swedish environment patrons of the Swedish Crown are used to, without it being the main visual. The menu will have a large breadth of selections with many simple, home style options to satisfy the “everyday” while having unique entrees and specials that will be appealing to those who might want something a little different. There will be a separate catering/banquet menu that will include a few menu options, as well as a Swedish prix fixe variety. The catering/banquet menu will be available as an option for both the banquet room onsite and for offsite events. Timing on these options will be dependent on current and future COVID guidelines. The new offerings will also include a selection of fresh baked goods, some Swedish, in addition to their regular dessert menu. Sundays will either have a separate limited brunch menu, or will have a few brunch/breakfast options to offer with regular options. The bar menu is currently in development.

Bethany College was gifted the Swedish Crown in April 2019 from Roy and Donice Applequist. The restaurant opened that summer and was managed by Sodexo. Once students were sent home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swedish Crown closed as the restaurant lost most of its student staff. Once dine-in services became an option, Bethany College chose to focus on bringing students safely back to campus and started seeking out individuals who would be interested in entering a triple net lease agreement. “We are very happy to have two people as experienced as Brandi and Bryson reach out to us and greatly anticipate seeing the vision they have for the Swedish Crown come to life,” said Dr. Elizabeth Mauch, President of Bethany College.

Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to educate, develop, and challenge individuals to reach for truth and excellence as they lead lives of faith, learning, and service. Bethany connects its past, present, and future with distinctive initiatives like the Good Life Scholarship, presenting all local high school graduates with a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to the college. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu and is located in Lindsborg, Kansas, the fine arts and crafts capital of the state.

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