Constellation Culinary Group and Design Cuisine announced today a partnership that will bring a café and new internal event offerings to the soon-to-reopen Folger Shakespeare Library located in Washington, D.C., steps away from the National Mall. Constellation Culinary Group will manage Quill & Crumb, a public-facing café, and all daytime dining activities, while Design Cuisine will operate internal evening events in the newly renovated space.
When the Folger Shakespeare Library reopens its doors on June 21 after a multi-year, $80.5 million redevelopment, patrons will be invited to experience new exhibition galleries, expansive outdoor plazas, research spaces, and new social gathering spots, including a 3,000-square-foot café and gathering space, dubbed Quill & Crumb. The welcoming, sunlit café adorned with distinctive oak-paneled walls and intricately designed terracotta floors will be a meeting place for D.C. locals and tourists. Quill & Crumb will serve English classics including scones and sticky buns, specialty coffees and teas, soups, sandwiches, to-go lunchboxes and more, perfect to enjoy in the café’s ample seating area or outside in the Folger’s gardens.
In the quest for a fitting name for the café, the Folger Shakespeare Library invited the community to contribute name suggestions and finally help to answer the classic Shakespeare adage: what’s in a name? The Folger received 1,750 submissions in response to its call for name ideas, and over 4,100 votes were cast in the vote between the five finalists that Folger staff selected. Quill & Crumb was the winner of that vote.
“The words of Shakespeare have brought the world together for hundreds of years, and we’re honored to be part of continuing to bring people together through literature and food at the Folger Shakespeare Library,” said Morgan Bedore, Vice President of Marketing & Creative at Elior North America.
As a secondary part to the landmark’s new event capabilities, Design Cuisine, the preeminent event caterer in the Washington, D.C. metro area, will bring its sophisticated presentations, bold menus, and impeccable attention to detail and design for the library’s event programming. With both Constellation Culinary Group and Design Cuisine as part of Elior North America’s family of distinct hospitality companies, the operators will bring a passion for food, service, and excellence to create a holistic dining experience at the new Folger Shakespeare Library.
The Folger Shakespeare Library will re-open on Friday, June 21 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.
