MG was founded in 1985 by Marie (Rie) Meriwether Godsey who remains the company CEO, today, and a regular visitor to Virginia Episcopal School to assure we stay on track. We are employee-owned and headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia. Our expertise includes contract dining services, catering, and retail with our management of farmbasket (specialty store and café) in Lynchburg. We started and operated two original concept restaurants for nearly 13 years (Meriwether’s Market 1996 – 2009; and Isabella’s Italian Trattoria 1999 – 2009) and continue in the private restaurant business today with farmbasket café. We bring our restaurant experience, past and present, to all our partners through our recipes, concepts and unique focus on the guest experience. We started with two accounts, and have grown to serve partners in Virginia, DC, Maryland, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. These partnerships include independent schools, higher education (colleges, seminaries, graduate schools), cultural arts venues and senior living communities.
Our People
The company is a family of over 500 dedicated owners, managers, culinarians and service staff who continue to refine and deliver the company’s tradition of excellence: to provide quality dining with style and flair at excellent values.
Our Core Values
- Remarkable menus, presentation and tastes
- Customized, personalized, “extra mile” service
- Attention to systems, details, and continuous improvements
- A “delighted but never satisfied” culture and work ethic
