On Friday, March 27th, Chef Cary Sauls announced that Viking Brew, the beloved school store, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following weeks of declining sales. This news has come as a blow to those looking to escape boring class hours by waiting at the store window.
This decision has resulted after many changes that have inevitably led to “less-than-sustainable business,” Callie Baker, an employee of the store, said. “They already told us that we’re going to be laid off.”
Starting earlier in the semester, the store was mandated to stop accepting digital payment methods, such as Apple Pay, PayPal, and V-bucks. According to Sauls, this requirement has contributed to the declining profits.
“I didn’t feel like managing cash or dealing with a card. The ability to pull out my phone and get distracted with social media notifications was more efficient,” Mollee McClain, a former customer, said.
Other factors, such as weird hours, the constant distribution of vouchers, and the store’s lemonade being “too refreshing,” have contributed to the decline of the store’s success.
However, there is a possible opportunity for the store to make a comeback. The store was selected as the concessions for an upcoming anti-bullying concert that will be taking place in Viking Hall from 1:45 until 2:30 on April 10th.
“We are really relying on that afternoon. If we are successful, we could possibly reopen,” Sauls said in a recent statement.
Yet administrators have raised concerns over the true careers of those performing which could possibly jeopardize the store’s opportunity. Private talks have posed the idea of the event being cancelled.
For the time being, it is unpredictable as to how the store’s future will play out. With this uncertainty, Sauls is not optimistic about the possibility of reopening.
“At this rate, we will have to close. I’ve done my own background research and it is not looking promising,” Sauls said.
