Robin Alexander and Stikfire

Two local restaurants offer opportunities for a different atmosphere and affordable meals for students according to Liberty University alumna Robin Dimond.

“I wanted to give students options to eat off campus besides the cafeteria,” Dimond said.  “I just left a couple years ago and so much has changed.  When I was at Liberty we didn’t have many options.”

Dimond owns Robin Alexander’s American Bistro, which opened October 2009 and Stikfire which recently opened in September.  Both restaurants accept Flames Cash.  She also just opened a catering business.  Dimond graduated from Liberty in 2004 and since then has since been working on setting up and running restaurants.

“I’ve been in the restaurant business since before college,” Dimond said.  She worked with Olive Garden and the Neighbor’s Place.

Dimond said she hopes to open more restaurants in the area and provide jobs for students who are staying in the area after they graduate.  She keeps Liberty students in mind while planning her restaurant options and hours.  Dimond is from Miami and wanted to introduce the big city culture to downtown Lynchburg through Robin Alexander.  She said that although Robin Alexander looks expensive, there are inexpensive options on the menu like the $7 lunch special.

On Tuesday nights, Dimond plans to keep Stikfire open so that prayer groups going off campus after hall meeting will have another option for dining besides IHOP.  Stikfire is a cross between a fast-food and sit-down restaurant.  The menu offers a variety of styles in cuisine that is ordered at the counter and served on plates with cutlery, according to co-owner Alex Richardson in an interview with the News in Advance.

Dimond said she hopes that the restaurants offer a fresh and different experience for customers.