Foodservice Equipment & Supplies

MAY 2017

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58 • FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES • MAY 2017 PROJECT CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS The project team received the most inspira- tion for The District from New York City's Eataly and other food halls. Food halls feature large open spaces that allow guests to roam. Creating this type of hall from a space that had a pre-existing back-of-the-house area and infrastructure required the team to work around columns, ceiling heights and exhaust parameters. Another hallmark of food halls is that every restaurant has a sense of arrival, which helps lead and weave people through the space. Boyd's design team worked to captivate and move students and guests by stimulat- ing all five senses. This resulted in bright and welcoming micro-restaurants and physically interactive food stations with create-your- own options and live-action cooking. Offering a food hall experience while still meeting the demands of large waves of students was also a tricky task. Therefore, the design team provided ample storage space and carefully chosen equipment, such as induction cookers, at each station. PROJECT'S ANSWER TO CLASSIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES The university has a pre-existing central kitchen, so this project's design is not classical. Maximum space is designated for front-of-the-house purposes. As a result, the designers ex- panded the size of the retail marketplace, which exposes con- cepts like the veggie butcher and contributes to their success. Since each platform features display cooking, the flow of product has the shortest route from door to plate. This highly visible path further exemplifies the food hall concept while placing a large emphasis on freshness and transparency. GREEN INITIATIVES In February 2017, OU Boyd received LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council. Assisting the certification, the team selected and installed Energy Star–rated equipment when applicable. In fact, the Energy and Atmosphere credit related to Optimization of Energy Performance for Equipment and Appliances was one aspect of the LEED certification process that exceeded expectations — receiving four out of four points. Local sourcing was also a priority. The school's supply chain model was completely restructured to accommodate fresher, hyper-local foods — and the response from the community was outstanding. Currently, approximately 18.1 percent of all the food served on campus is sourced within a 250-mile radius. At The District and the other two dining halls, 23.7 percent of all food is sourced within a 250-mile radius. The design also uses reclaimed wood, and the original concrete floors were polished and saved. PLACEMENT OF FUNCTIONAL AREAS This project focused on kitchen "erase-ment," relocating the traditional back-of-the-house area into the platforms for an optimal exhibition kitchen experience. In order to achieve an open and unified space while still defining micro-restaurants, each station contains functional and appealing equipment. Two drop-off stations were added at opposite ends of the dish room to accommodate all guests as they exit the dining area. Since the dish room placement took precedence, refrig- eration placement became difficult. Ideally, each platform would have walk-in refrigeration. However, due to the long, narrow architecture of the building, walk-ins were made larger and scattered as closely as possible to the stations. Above: In honor of Marga- ret Boyd, Ohio University's first female graduate and Boyd Hall's namesake, Margaret's micro-restau- rant offers a variety of options for students with specific food allergies or special diet needs. Left: A tilt skillet and two steam kettles assist staff in producing large quantitites for just-in-time service. Photography by Mark Brunton, assistant director auxiliaries, market- ing and communications, Ohio University 2017 FACILITY DESIGN PROJECT OF THE YEAR

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