You could say David Gingher traveled a long way in retail from his days working the sales floor at Capperella’s Furniture in Bellefonte. Although over four decades have passed since his early years in retail, a couple of things never changed: Gingher’s unwavering dedication for customer satisfaction and his infectious personality.
Gingher, the recently retired director of Campus Retail Dining at Penn State, wore many hats during his tenure that most recently also included the oversight of campus catering and Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management at Cafe Laura. He was one of the first directors to introduce branded eateries to an East Coast college campus.
“I have always loved working with customers,” explains Gingher, referring to his undergraduate days as a Penn State student working at a pizza/sub shop in East Halls. Following his graduation from Penn State, he accepted his first management job at the Kern Café.
Prior to Gingher’s career at Penn State, all of the food services available were self-branded concepts created by Penn State Retail Dining exclusively for their students. But times were changing, and the student body was growing more sophisticated, which generated a push for recognizable food chains to be available on campus.
“In the early 1990s, branding started to become a big deal, especially on the West Coast. So I went to administration and university leaders and said we need to brand,” explains Gingher.
With Gingher’s knowledge and collaboration alongside student groups as well as university officials, Sbarro, Panda Express, and Chick-fil-A made their debuts on Penn State’s campus as the first national chains to conduct business, preceding the HUB renovation in 1999-2000.
“Hearing how excited the students were over the brands made me feel so good; making their experience better on campus was everything for me. It was all about more options for the students,” Gingher says.
Gingher credits the success of branding to the opportunities his career with Penn State gave him.
“Whenever we wanted to go out and explore to see what other universities were doing, we didn’t read about it. We went out and saw it,” he says.
Oftentimes, the trips consisted of visits to West Coast schools like San Diego State University, which was where Gingher got the idea in the first place from a close colleague and pioneer of college food service branding, Susan Wilkie.
Although the national chains were a great addition to campus, Gingher preferred to keep the mix of eateries as a combination of branded and unbranded options, which is still prevalent today. This way, management is able to provide flexibility and diversity in menu options for students and staff.
It was a top priority to Gingher that the chains introduced onto campus did not already exist as a franchise in State College, to minimize competition between town and gown.
“Because of Penn State’s success, is the reason why there are additional Chick-fil-A and Panda Express locations on North Atherton … it’s because of the relationships we built. That’s how the opportunity was presented to add other restaurants in this area,” Gingher says.
Gail Hurley, a former colleague and close friend of Gingher, reflects on what she feels made him so successful.
“He used his eye of excellence wherever he went, in regards to products and services. If he saw something that he could improve, he was never afraid to take new chances,” Hurley says.
As if changing the dining scene at Penn State wasn’t enough, Gingher was also an active member of the community and was often volunteering his time at the local food bank. Additionally, Gingher started an endowment to celebrate the accomplishments and hard work of Housing and Food Service employees that is ongoing today.
Vincent Raco will take his place as interim director of Retail Dining until the university finalizes all positions within the department.
Although retirement typically signifies the end of a career, it serves as a commencement for Gingher.
“I still am going to work for a few of the national brands starting in January as a part of their college development team. I still want to be involved; I still have things to offer to the college food service world,” he says.
Gingher’s retirement fell during the pandemic, so his closest friends and colleagues held a drive-through celebration outside of his home; it consisted of a 40-car parade honking horns and sending well wishes through their windows.
Although choosing to retire did not come easy for Gingher, he says he will remain close to his team.
“I’m going to miss it; it’s going to be very different [in retirement]. I had a very loyal staff that I worked with for many years, but don’t worry; I will be staying in touch.”
Elizabeth Molek, a 2020 Penn State graduate, is a freelance writer.
