As winter break wrapped up and the students returned to campus, rumors began circulating that the beloved JP Giffords restaurant in town was closing. As students walked past the JP Giffords restaurant’s covered windows, they couldn’t help but wonder if they would ever see JP Giffords again.  

For years JP Giffords was a staple in students’ day-to-day lives and was a hotspot in town. Every time you walked by the restaurant, a huge line full of students and townsfolk almost packed to the door. The seats in and outside the restaurant were always filled with laughter and a positive atmosphere as students got to sit down, decompress, and eat good food with their friends. 

With the restaurant gone, students struggle to fill the hole left in both their Kent life and stomachs. Mady Moore ’27 said, “The food, service, and overall environment were very good and I believe the whole Kent body will miss it.” 

With this devastating news of JP Giffords closing the school wondered how they could continue to support this business even though it was no longer a five-minute walk away. They found that JP Giffords had a different location in Sharon and opened up busing there as a Blue Key activity. Thanks to the schools’ effort to continue to support this small business students can fill their stomachs without the fear that it could be their last chicken Caesar wrap.