Randolph-Macon terminates dining contract, with 80 workers impacted

Pennsylvania-based food and beverage service provider Parkhurst Dining will permanently shut down its operations at Randolph-Macon College next month, laying off 80 employees before the end of the summer.

Parkhurst notified the state of the layoffs last week in a letter filed under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. It said it is shutting down its operations on July 10 due to the Ashland private college’s terminating its contract. The company said all employees will be permanently laid off by Aug. 7.

Parkhurst said it does not have a bumping system, meaning employees won’t be able to displace more junior employees from their positions as a result of the closure. Those impacted included cooks, deli workers, cashiers, baristas, line servers, dishwashers and supervisors.

Parkhurst did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a Tuesday email, Randolph-Macon spokesperson Beth Campbell said the college selected Philadelphia-based food service company Aramark to replace Parkhurst and that a transition is already underway. According to Campbell, the hourly staff who served the college’s dining program were offered the opportunity to interview with Aramark in May, when the transition began. She said the college expects “a significant portion” of the laid-off employees to transition to the new company.

While Campbell did not address the specific reasons the college parted ways with Parkhurst, she said the decision to go with Aramark instead “reflects RMC’s commitment to seek a high bar for the student dining experience on campus.”

“Meal plans will remain unchanged for the ’26-’27 school year, and Aramark has been engaged to ensure a smooth transition over the summer,” she said.

Aramark did not immediately return requests for comment.

In May, Parkhurst informed the state it would also permanently shut down its operations at Bridgewater College, laying off 65 employees by July 1, after Bridgewater did not renew its contract.

Also last month, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Wisconsin-based Carthage College terminated its contract with Parkhurst, forcing Parkhurst to shut down its operations and lay off 160 workers.