Front-of-House Operation

In the front of the house, circulation throughout the servery enables ease of movement to food concept platforms and the various dining environments. Curvilinear soffits and the floor pattern move customers through the space and the platforms.

"The design team faced challenges of very high ceilings and structural columns, which created a need for extensive bracing of ceiling-hung fixtures such as hoods," Midden says. In addition, columns were treated with design flourishes to match the building architecture and exterior finishes.

Directly adjacent to the production kitchen is the main exhibition cooking platform. This multifunctional area provides a variety of menu choices and breaks down into five main functions.

Station one features a grill area with a charbroiler, flattop griddle, fryers, panini grills and sandwich preparation tables that produce standard grill fare such as hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, quesadillas, Philly cheesesteaks, pancakes, and fried foods such as french fries, fish and chips, and chicken crusted with Japanese bread crumbs.

Station two is a preparation area for pasta, sauces and saut?©ed menu items. The station contains a six-burner range, pasta cooker, cold station for ingredient preparation and a hot/cold well for on-hand food storage.

At station three, the global cuisine area, the menu features foods from regions around the world, including baked chicken, tri-tip beef, roasted potatoes, rib roasts, teriyaki chicken, pulled pork sandwiches and specials such as a build-your-own nacho bar. This station also holds a charbroiler and chef's table for preparing vegan and flexible menu options. A hot/cold well allows for on-hand food storage.

Station four, the "fire and ice" saut?© station at the front counter facing the students, offers close-up views of the refrigerated ingredients and an open flame where culinary staff saut?© or stir-fry ingredients. Customers select vegetables and other ingredients from a refrigerated flattop rail and place them in bowls that they hand to a cook at the station. The staff member saut?©s ingredients on a four-burner range and places them over a bed of rice or noodles. "One day this might be a poke bar with ahi tuna served with fried wontons, and another might be a more traditional Asian stir-fry with coconut curry or a Japanese teriyaki bowl with Mongolian beef, or a pasta bar. At breakfast, omelets are popular," Klippel says.