Bibimbap draws record crowds for Tilley Takeover at Liberty U

Bibimbap was all the rage among Liberty University students during a recent pop-up restaurant event.

The traditional Korean rice dish drew record attendance for the event by Liberty Dining by Sodexo. The dinner event is part of an on-going series called "Tilley Takeover: A Premium Pop-Up Restaurant" when a food station at the Tilley Student Center serves up a surprise.

The term "bibim" means mixing rice, while the "bap" noun refers to rice. Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice with a selection of toppings and sauces.

Students were served a bowl of jasmine rice and had the option between marinated steak or tofu as the protein. They could add toppings like spinach, carrots, zucchini, green onions, mushrooms, bok choy, and a fried egg. There was also a choice of Gochujang sauce or Yum Yum sauce.

“We were planning to serve ramen, but it became apparent that due to supplier shortages, we wouldn't be able to get the recipe items we needed to make that idea work,” said Marketing Manager Shelby Burton. “The retail team did some brainstorming and we decided to serve Bibimbap instead.”

As the menu changed close to the scheduled event, promotional options were limited to an email blast through the university.

“The e-blast was all we needed,” said Burton. “On a typical Tilley Takeover night, we serve an average of 150 portions. Bibimbap nearly tripled that! The line was forming before we opened and remained at least 50 students strong during the course of the event.”

“We were so excited to see students show a real enthusiasm for this international dish,” Burton said.

For more information, contact Shelby Burton at Shelby.Burton@sodexo.com