CORPORATE CAFETERIA
Southeastern United States
Phase I Renovation of Existing Cafeteria, Kitchen, Dining
This project involved renovation of the existing cafeteria for a large insurance firms’ central operations facility with 868 people which operates 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. There are 288 seats in the main dining room, including a 36-seat private dining area. The main cafeteria is open to serve peak periods between 4am and 10pm. The “Second Chance” snack bar is open 24 hours to accommodate smaller volume periods.
The main design limitation was to reorganize within the confines of the existing space. The original cafeteria was an antiquated servery with dual cashier exits that created cross-traffic and congestion. The solution is a visually dynamic space with a limited menu scatter system servery and intimate dining area environments. Reconfiguring the flow of the cafeteria for one-way circulation with a separate entrance and exit eases congestion during peak periods.
Serving counters are modular so pieces can easily be exchanged for other equipment as trends change or customers’ menu demands evolve.
The original space had a separate kitchen and servery, while the new design features the convenience of a partially screened kitchen and allows for customer views of display cooking. The design also facilitates flow of product to the servery but the operator must keep the kitchen area tidy. The design solution also created a designated catering area for meeting room functions. The area has a separate door to the corridor to avoid disrupting other kitchen activities.
The “Florida-themed” interiors were creatively designed by the architectural interiors group. Water and Hurricane motifs are abundant throughout the cafeteria and dining room area along with touches of Florida architectural elements such as shutters and light house details.
This was a “fast-tracked” project with schematic design beginning in June of 1999 and construction completed in January of 2000. Rather than submitting documents for competitive bids, the owner selected a good Foodservice Equipment Contractor and negotiated a cost-plus arrangement that brought the equipment package in on time and under budget.
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