Penn State Brandywine has established a partnership with local restaurant Epic Double Decker in Media.

Ted Kardon, president of Epic Double Decker, approached the university with the idea as a way to increase his company’s appeal to the college-student demographic.

“During a staff meeting, we tasked our marketing team with reaching out to Penn State Brandywine, a campus I knew was a customer of ours. The response we received was not only amazing but also exciting,” Kardon explained. “Our initial meeting with Patton Vo, director of development at Penn State Brandywine, marked the beginning of a fantastic connection with this outstanding organization.”

Vo saw the partnership as an opportunity to promote the campus in the community by partnering with private and local businesses in the Media area.

Vo worked with Brandywine Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells to make the partnership a reality.

“This partnership is an exemplar of our strategic priority to establish Penn State Brandywine as a valued economic, community, and educational partner in Media and throughout the region and the world,” Chancellor Wells said.

Epic Double Decker will provide university students with paid internships in fields including marketing, business, and food science.

The company will also help sponsor events throughout the academic year, including Homecoming and Family Weekend, the Brandywine Ball, and more.

The new relationship with Epic Double Decker exposes Brandywine’s students to civic responsibility, gets them to engage with the community, and supports local and small businesses that are also supporting the students, Vo said.

“This partnership is really about coming together, and it’s the epitome of what community is all about.”

Epic Double Decker is a family-owned company specializing in “Philadelphia-style” cheesesteak products.

The company visited Penn State Brandywine on Dec. 6 and gave away free “inside-outs,” one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, fried dough with pizza ingredients in its center.

Epic employees also gave away phone stands, gift cards, pens, and more.

Vo hopes the partnership is the first of many with small businesses in the community.

Find out more about this Media restaurant partnership.