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Last week, Lackawanna College’s student-run restaurant, 409 on Adams, celebrated its one-year anniversary as a full service, upscale dining learning laboratory. Open to the public, 409 has delighted hundreds of patrons over the last year with unique culinary experiences that augment the rich hospitality scene of downtown Scranton.

Lackawanna College is deeply committed to providing our students with real-world learning opportunities while enhancing the social, cultural and economic fabric of our community, so 409 represents a true victory on both fronts. Over the last year, we learned many lessons and achieved many of our goals. We’d like to celebrate our accomplishments and look forward to what’s next!

• Our School of Hospitality grew its enrollment to over 100 students from all over our region and beyond!
• Students receive a truly world-class education developed and executed by fantastic, highly credentialed instructors.
• Students experience the good, bad and ugly in the world of restaurant operations, and they ‘test’ their knowledge on real customers who expect an incredible experience.
• 409 has grown in popularity and enjoys sell-out evenings. Our patrons become repeat customers who rave about their experience – which in turn sets a high bar for the future and gives our students the confidence and motivation to achieve it. 
• 100% of our culinary and hospitality graduates secure employment. That statistic speaks for itself!

We are so proud not just of all that 409 has achieved but also of the values that make it so special. The leaders of 409 are intentional in creating experiences and an environment that:

• Augments rather than competes with other downtown Scranton small businesses;
• Surprises and delights customers with changing menus and décor;
• Prepares students to think creatively and responsibly about their future ventures; and
• Relies on the talents of our diverse, dedicated, passionate staff and students.

We look forward to watching 409 evolve over the next year and beyond! Look for even more excitement to pop out of 409 in the future, such as high- quality products available for purchase on different platforms.

To our students and 409 staff, thank you so much for taking us on this incredible journey!

Have you been to 409 on Adams? Do you have any ideas about how we can continue to develop this enterprise? ­­

409 on Adams students, faculty and staff celebrate the student-run restaurant’s one-year anniversary during live station dining service on Feb. 7, 2020.