Lombardo Hall Food & Beverage Challenge

LOMBARDO HALL FOOD & BEVERAGE
CHALLENGE
The Intersection of Food, Beverage, and Community
Financial Support Provided by Brent D. Frey (83) and Deborah L. Frey (86)
YOUR IDEA COULD BECOME THE NEXT FOOD & BEVERAGE CONCEPT IN LOMBARDO HALL.
What Is the Challenge?
The Lombardo Hall Food & Beverage Challenge invites currently enrolled Millersville University students from
every major to develop an original food or beverage concept that could strengthen the Lombardo Hall
experience. Teams will move from an initial idea through concept development, mentorship, financial
planning, market research, and a final pitch.
Think beyond a class project: this is an opportunity to turn a student idea into a concept with a path toward
real implementation in Lombardo Hall.
Eligibility & Team Rules
Rule Details
Who can enter
Any currently enrolled MU student. All majors are welcome; participation is not
limited to LCOB.
Team size 2–4 members are required. No solo submissions.
Cross-disciplinary
encouraged
Teams may combine students from business, IT, marketing, wellness/nutrition,
sport management, communication, art & design, and other academic areas.
Team continuity At least 50% of the original team members must remain through Pitch Day.
Concept ownership
All ideas remain the intellectual property of the student team, subject to any final
university-approved competition terms.
Phase 1 — Submit Your Idea
Due: October 26, 2026
Phase 1 is the starting point of the Lombardo Hall Food & Beverage Challenge. Your team will identify a
student need, opportunity, or idea and begin developing it into a food, beverage, or food-and-beverage
concept that could strengthen the Lombardo Hall experience.
This is your opportunity to introduce the idea, explain why it matters, and demonstrate that it is worth
developing further. You do not need to have a finished business plan at this stage.
Teams that advance will build on their Phase 1 concept through Workshop #1: Building the Plan, where they
will explore food service operations, financial modeling, market research, and customer discovery before being
matched with mentors for continued development.
What Your Team Will Submit
Your Phase 1 submission should give the selection team a clear picture of:
• The Concept: What food, beverage, or food-and-beverage experience are you proposing?
• The Opportunity: What need, problem, or opportunity does your concept address?
• Your Customer: Who would use or purchase it? What do you know about what they want?
• Why Lombardo Hall: Why is Lombardo Hall the right place for this concept?
• The Business Idea: How might the concept generate revenue or otherwise be financially sustainable?
• Your Evidence: What have you learned so far through observation, conversations, surveys, research, or
other forms of customer discovery?
• Your Team: Who is on your team, what are your areas of interest or expertise, and what does each person
bring to the project?
• The Vision: If your idea succeeds, what could it look like in Lombardo Hall?
Workshop #1 — Building the Plan
Target timing: Week of November 16, 2026 Format: Half-day session in Lombardo Hall / Innovation Court
• Welcome from the Dean: framing the opportunity and what success could look like.
• Food service operations: licensing, health codes, and MU facilities partnerships.
• Financial modeling: startup costs, cost of goods sold (COGS), pricing, and break-even analysis.
• Market research: surveys, taste tests, customer discovery, and competitive landscape.
• Mentor Q&A: direct questions from experienced mentors and practitioners.
• Mentor matching: an optional speed-dating format gives teams short conversations with 2–3 mentors before
formal pairing.
Workshop #2 — Pitch Like You Mean It
Target timing: Early February 2027 Format: Afternoon session with a practice pitch round
• Build a compelling pitch: storytelling, structure, confidence, and clarity.
• Think like a judge: understand the questions and evidence a Shark Tank-style panel may look for.
• Handle tough Q&A: prepare for challenging questions about customers, operations, finances, and feasibility.
• Dry Run: each team gives a 5-minute practice pitch; peers and a coach provide feedback.
• Visual presentation: coaching on slide design and how to communicate the idea visually.
Final Pitch & Judging
Finalists will present their concepts to a judging panel in a Shark Tank-style format. The panel is expected to
include representatives from faculty, students, staff/student life and dining services, and alumni. The final
judge roster and scoring criteria will be provided to teams before Pitch Day.
Pitch format: Teams should be prepared to communicate the problem/opportunity, concept, target customer,
market evidence, operating model, financial picture, implementation path, and why Lombardo Hall is the right
home for the idea.
The Lombardo Venture Award
The winning team receives a package designed to help move an idea from competition to implementation—not
simply a cash prize.
• Up to $10,000 in startup funding
• Student scholarships / award support
• A free Independent Study course in Summer 2027
• One year of mentoring
• Workspace in Lombardo Hall
• University marketing support
• A ribbon-cutting / launch event for the new creation
• Alumni networking
• Media coverage
Lombardo Hall Food & Beverage Challenge
Competition Timeline
DATE MILESTONE DETAILS
September 28, 2026 Competition Announcement Competition officially announced; information sessions begin.
October 26, 2026 Phase 1 Submissions Due Teams submit their initial food and beverage concepts.
November 6, 2026 Advancement Decisions Teams are notified whether they advance to the next phase.
Week of November 16, 2026 Workshop #1: Building the Plan + Mentor Matching Food service operations, financial modeling, market research, Q&A;, and mentor matching.
December 2026 – February
2027 Mentorship & Concept Development Teams work with mentors to develop and strengthen their concepts.
Early February 2027 Workshop #2: Pitch Like You Mean It Pitch preparation, financials, storytelling, slide design, Q&A;, and practice pitches.
February 25, 2027 Pitch Day — Shark Tank-Style Finals Finalists present their concepts to a panel of judges.
March 8, 2027 Winner Announced The Lombardo Venture Award winner is officially announced.
March – August 2027 Implementation Planning The winning team works with university partners and mentors to prepare for launch.
August 2027 Winning Concept Launch The winning food and beverage concept launches in Lombardo Hall.
Lombardo Hall Food & Beverage Challenge