The owners of longtime College Park hangout the Cornerstone Grill & Loft are raising money to avoid shutting down.
Facing a massive loss in business during the coronavirus pandemic, co-owners Mark and Greg Srour have launched a GoFundMe to stay afloat until in-person classes resume at the University of Maryland.
“We have applied for every loan and grant possible, but the loss in revenue we continue to endure is simply unsustainable,” Mark Srour wrote on the GoFundMe. “Without financial assistance we will be forced to close the doors on this institution, leaving what’s left of our staff without a paycheck, and crippling any plans to rehire employees when covid-19 restrictions are lifted.”
After just one day, the fundraiser has already raised $47,000, more than halfway to its goal of $75,000.
Started in 1962, the bar and grill at the corner of Knox Road and Baltimore Avenue has long been a mainstay of campus life. In its first incarnation, it was known as The Rendezvous Inn, or simply the ‘Vous, a debauched hangout known for sticky floors and drunken antics.
Facing declining business, Mark Srour closed the ‘Vous in 1997 and reopened as the Cornerstone Grill, a more restrained sports bar with a second-floor hangout known as the Loft, which has remained central to campus life.
