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82 • FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES • MAY 2015 building dotted the foor plan, making the initial layout quite challenging. The columns became defning elements and walls of the individual restaurants. Because each restaurant has a separate identity, the columns became a design feature that helped defne the individuality of each restaurant. The former loading dock was replaced by a tower and a new faÇade that turned the back of the house into an inviting venue for the whole neighborhood. Products arrive on the dock, and those that need to be processed in the kitchen are taken to storage areas adjacent to both the kitchen and the dock. Staff move items that do not need this processing into the appropriate restaurant stor- age area so they are available for production. Items that are not needed on a daily basis sit in lower-level storage areas. The basement holds cooler compressors for nearly all walk-ins. Water-cooled condensing units operate on a building loop. For effciency, energy-saving hoods and equipment, LED lighting and natural light support the operation. Each micro- restaurant contains the food, equipment and supplies to provide service during a meal period. Staff interact with customers, and the effcient design of each station reduces the number of steps they need to take during the worktime. Also, chefs and produc- tion staff can easily monitor the amount of foods they prepare and maintain fresh production throughout service, which improves quality and reduces food waste. The dishroom's location near the dining, servery and kitchen areas allows customers to easily drop off dirty dishes, and staff can easily move dishes and equipment to the dishroom. A pathway al- lows staff to take food and supplies from the kitchen to the café and dessert area without going through customer circulation spaces. SINCE THE RENOVATION Q&A; with Sandra Fowler FE&S;: Now that you've had time to live with the new facility, what are three accomplishments that make you proud? SF: It's difcult to only mention three, but here goes. We set a new standard for providing fresh food and personal service to our students and other guests. Staf feel incredibly proud of their department and this new facility. And, the ambiance at The Restaurants at Woodland has been embraced by our students, faculty and staf. Friends and study groups use the dining rooms for meetings, study sessions, and so forth. I haven't seen this for several years! FE&S;: Is the facility meeting your expectations for trafc, customer ac- ceptance and fnancial return? SF: Our predictions were that Woodland would have 5,000 or 6,000 customers each day. The average is 5,500 (slightly less on weekends). Sales records show the bottom line to be positive, and total sales are growing. Trafc in The Round (cofee/pastries) has exceeded expectations, and we'll have to add a second espresso machine soon. FE&S;: What advice would you give to design teams pursuing adventur- ous design goals? SF: Research other schools, restaurants and other operations to evaluate successes and best practices. Work closely with manufacturer representatives and order equipment that truly fts the trafc expected. And plan carefully and realize there may be construction delays! FE&S; 2015 Facility Design Project of the Year: Honorable Mention KEY PLAYERS ● ● Owner: Indiana University ● ● Director of Residential Programs and Services (RPS) Dining: Sandra Fowler ● ● Associate Director for Procurement and Production of RPS: Ancil Drake ● ● Executive Director of RPS: Patrick Connor ● ● Associate Director for Operations for RPS: Diana Dominguez ● ● Associate Director for Dining IT Systems: Bob Teleger ● ● Co-Managers of Woodland: Linda McCoy and Tony Mangin ● ● Project Manager for RPS Dining: Brian Barker ● ● Director of Facilities for RPS: Larry Isom ● ● Facilities Manager for RPS: Ted Hardy ● ● Interior Design for RPS: Maggie Talmage ● ● Indiana University Architect: Bob Richardson ● ● Architect of Record: VPS Architecture, Evansville, Ind.; Sarah Schuler and Charlene Buente ● ● Design Architect: GUND Partnership, Cambridge, Mass.; John Prokos ● ● Foodservice and Hospitality Designers: Bakergroup, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Mona Milius, vice president, senior principal; James Sukenik, president; Stuart Drake, proj- ect manager; Kaitlin Arendsen, design associate ● ● Equipment Dealer: Great Lakes West, Kalamazoo, Mich. ● ● General Contractor: Weddle Brothers, Bloomington, Ind. ● ● Landscape Architect: Rundell Ernstberger Associates LLC, Indianapolis WORTH MENTIONING: THE JUDGES' COMMENTS ● ● Creative design and positioning of micro-restaurants in this campus neighborhood. ● ● This project represents the next generation of marketplace concepts with self-contained, individual restaurants and focus on the space as a social hub and place to strengthen their bonds with each other and the campus. ● ● Admirable practice to bring in serious and well-respected chefs from the Culinary Institute of America to train cu- linary staf extensively weeks before the opening, which resulted in great staf pride. ● ● Good fexibility in the layout so restaurants can be changed out if trends change. ● ● Sensible placement of dishroom. ● ● Multiple types of ordering ofer variety to customers. ● ● Concept placement and organization allow service throughout the day and efcient stafng. Varied dining areas can be closed of during low-demand periods, consolidating activity and creating vibrant dynamic social spaces in the open dining areas. ● ● Good balance of circulation patterns, transparency and student appeal.