The tiny but high-profile city-owned kiosk at the corner of Burlington’s Church and College streets will host a new food and drink operation this year to replace Leunig’s Petit Bijou. Church Street Marketplace has published a request for proposals for the 135-square-foot space at 180 College Street with an application deadline of Friday, February 27, at 4 p.m. The Leunig’s Bistro offshoot, currently closed for the winter, had offered coffee, pastries and light fare there since New Year’s weekend 2017 under a 10-year lease.
While the Leunig’s contract left operating hours up to the business, Church Street Marketplace director Samantha McGinnis said by email that the city “is now interested in having the space activated on a regular basis.” The request for proposals details a minimum of six hours per day and six days a week year-round, “with a strong preference for breakfast and lunch service.” The three-year lease, with the option of one two-year renewal, starts July 1. The rental fee structure includes 15 percent of the tenant’s gross revenue receipts with a minimum annual payment.
Leunig’s Bistro co-owner Amy Bernhardt listed several reasons for the decision not to bid to renew the kiosk lease. Coffee shop competition is stiff downtown, she noted, and customers are reluctant to wait for food and drink in cold or rain. Even in fine weather, Bernhardt said, the area’s “struggling population” has affected the outdoor business. Staffing the kiosk has been a challenge, she added, due to the damper of inconsistent sales on potential tips.
Bernhardt had planned to reopen Leunig’s Petit Bijou in April for the remaining three months of the lease, but a burst pipe in the Leunig’s Bistro building ruined all the stored kiosk supplies. She hopes the new tenant Church Street Marketplace selects will be interested in subletting.
This article appears in The Media Issue • 2026.
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