Virginia Tech (VT) has some lofty enrollment goals. Five years ago, the university president, Tim Sands, set a goal of increasing enrollment by 5,000 students. If the campus population was going to grow, so too would the dining solutions. The result: Perry Place at Hitt Hall, a new 100,000-square-foot building.

Photos by Darren Van Dyke, VT Dining Services“Campus Dining set forth goals to add seating capacity and provide more dining options for off-campus students,” says Brian Grove, director of Dining Services. “Since Virginia Tech’s dining features different styles, menus and concepts, Perry Place was designed as a destination dining food hall.” The facility features nine different dining options, including eight concepts developed by Virginia Tech, plus a Chick-fil-A.

First-floor dining options include: Solarex, an all-day breakfast diner; AMP, a coffee concept; Addison’s, a convenience market; Trax Deli, a sandwich concept; and Chick-fil-A. The main kitchen sits on the second floor, where dining options include: Smoke, a barbecue concept; Fresh & Feta, serving Mediterranean fare; Velóce, serving Italian-inspired cuisine; and Rambutan, which features Asian street fare. 

“Perry Place has an understated industrial vibe weaved throughout the facility,” says H. David Porter, FCSI, CEO, president, Porter Khouw Consulting Inc., Crofton, Md.

Developing the brand was a collaborative effort between the project team and some of Virginia Tech’s students. “Everyone was in the room together as we went through the branding process, and they knew the thinking that led to the final brands, which offer variety and cultural authenticity,” Grove says. “This led to the creation of a cohesive feel for the students, as well as vastly smoother communication throughout the project.”

Each venue developed by Virginia Tech features a unique design and focuses on a connection to VT history. “Each venue’s brand is developed and reinforced through the architectural design, color and material palettes, logo and graphics,” says Brent Amos, AIA, LEED AP, principal in charge, global architecture and design firm Cooper Carry, Atlanta. “We used neutral-toned, open-to-structural seating areas to serve as a background, allowing each venue to shine.”

Designers considered maximizing durability, longevity and cleanliness in their material selection, Grove says. “They created a unique food hall brand without harsh borders and barriers between each venue and created a design that provides flexibility for the nine venues’ different hours of operation. A design principle incorporated into the project was [making sure] the building was scalable to be able to close parts of the operation due to business demands.” Using discrete overhead and side-coiling grilles, certain venues and seating areas can be closed off to accommodate different operation hours. The first floor includes a Chick-fil-A, which remains closed on Sundays and can be closed off at the entry alcove. The entire first and second floor can be closed off after hours and for cleaning, while the market, Addison’s, can be closed at the venue level. The intent of the floor closing is to always allow access to seating on at least one floor and to stagger operation hours to provide dining options morning, noon and night.

The project team also focused on technology-driven operational efficiency. “State-of-the-art kitchen systems support high-volume service with minimal friction, integrating mobile ordering, self-checkout kiosks and real-time kitchen display systems [KDS] to help manage peak demand while optimizing line speed,” Porter says. “The back of the house uses data-driven systems to manage inventory and prep schedules, improving food consistency and minimizing waste.”

Smoke contains a vertical rotisserie, two smokers and a chargrill to cook menu items.

Deliveries and Main Kitchen

The centralized back-of-the-house kitchen supports all dining venues through a streamlined, open production system. “This layout enhances throughput, reduces equipment redundancy and ensures labor and food prep efficiencies across the facility,” Porter says. “The kitchen includes multifunctional equipment such as combi ovens, blast chillers and smart griddles to accommodate diverse menus while maximizing speed and flexibility.”

Food deliveries arrive at a loading dock on the first floor. Staff transport them through a freight elevator to the second floor’s walk-in cooler, walk-in freezer and dry storage. “Careful consideration had to be paid to how materials get from loading to kitchens and venues, and how waste is removed to minimize crossing of materials and not adversely impacting the customer,” Grove says.

The walk-in coolers and freezers connect to the main backup generator to minimize food spoilage in the event of a power outage. “For extended resiliency in the event of a natural disaster, the main kitchen, dishwasher and a certain percentage of level-two dining venues and seating are wired to a custom electrical panel and transfer switch that can accept power from an external generator,” Amos says. “In case of a major winter storm, for example, where power might be off for a week or more, Perry Place can run off external generators and provide meals to this area of campus.”

In a cold prep area, staff prepare vegetables and other mise en place. They move these menu ingredients to a hot prep area or to front-of-the-house venues. “Many menu items produced in the main kitchen supplement items the shops can’t produce or don’t have staff to produce,” says Scott Surratt, executive chef at Perry Place at Hitt Hall.

The hot prep area contains two steam-jacketed kettles for making sauces, a tilt skillet for cooking sauces and gravies, four convection ovens for baked goods and four combi ovens for cooking vegetables, proteins and baked items such as cheesecake requiring heat and steam. 

Staff also use a flattop griddle for cooking chicken and quesadillas, a chargrill also for chicken, three fryers for tofu, spring rolls and samosas offered at Rambutan, and a six-burner range for making caramel sauce for cheesecakes and small batches of other recipes.

Staff place hot menu items in warming cabinets and transport them to front-of-the-house venues.

AMP encourages customers to find high-energy drinks and ambience.

Branded Venues

The open-style layout of each venue provides students and other customers the opportunity to see staff preparing their orders. “This reinforces freshness and transparency,” Porter says. “The design uses modular counters and visible cooking equipment like wok ranges, smokers and flattops to immerse diners in the cooking experience. Distinct branding for each concept helps students navigate options quickly while maintaining a cohesive visual identity for each brand.”

Solarex serves breakfast all day as well as lunch and dinner. “This is the first dining venue on campus to serve breakfast all day long,” Grove says.

“Cooper Carry developed the name ‘Solarex’ after doing extensive research on Virginia Tech. The name of this classic diner comes from the lyrics of the ‘Old Hokie’ spirit cheer, created in the late 1800s,” Amos says.

The venue’s tagline boasts “Good Food” and “Strong Coffee.” Amos explains. “The brand design drew direct inspiration from the classic neon signage of traditional American diners but put a modern twist on the design through the contemporary color palette.” As a result, “the design feels nostalgic and warm while still being distinct and memorable.” The interior’s neon signage extends to neon-striped lights surrounding the ordering counter. Stainless-steel accents pay homage to 1950s diners with penny wall tiles and a stainless-steel base.

A kitchen behind Solarex supports the venue. “Other than what customers see as they walk up to Solarex, such as waffle makers, coffee brewers and a merchandiser that holds freshly cut fruit and parfaits made in Virginia Tech’s food commissary, they don’t see the kitchen behind,” Surratt says. “What is unique is a pass-through window for menu items made on the equipment in the kitchen behind Solarex.”

Bulk production in the kitchen supports all front-of-house dining venues.

Solarex staff use two flattop griddles to make scrambled eggs, two mixers to prepare whipped cream and waffle batter, a steam kettle to cook grits for the shrimp and grits and four combi ovens to cook biscuits, sauces and proteins such as sausages. Menu favorites include breakfast bowls such as the biscuit crumble rumble bowl, as well as deep-fried mango disco biscuits and huevos rancheros. Staff in the back of the house also bake biscuits in convection ovens and French toast bread pudding in the combi ovens and pass them through to the front of the house.

The name of AMP, a punchy coffee bar concept, gives a nod to the effects of caffeine and the perennial popularity of music among college students, Amos explains. “Inspired by rock ’n’ roll and the energy infused in music, this coffee bar is fun and vibrant.” A rounded typeface for the logo resembles the curved edges of musical instruments. The lightning bolt motif is designed to show energy and movement as it pierces through the center of the design. The badge design features a minimalist electric amplifier to frame the overall design.

AMP contains espresso machines and coffee brewers for brewed coffee and specialty coffee drinks, including cold brew and frozen coffee drinks. “We use sustainably sourced and fair-trade coffee,” Grove says. Staff use blenders to mix fruit smoothies free of artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners.

AMP also offers menu items that staff produce in the back of the house including quesadillas and pastries. “These are also offered at Addison’s, which is connected to AMP,” Surratt says.

Addison’s is a grab-and-go retail market. “The name was inspired by the first student to enroll at Virginia Tech in 1872, Addison Caldwell, who hiked 26 miles through the forest to sign up as a student,” Amos says. The store’s branding is reminiscent of the industrial age. The bold, inline type is paired with a banner motif that celebrates the year of Caldwell’s hike and the city of Blacksburg, Va. The badge design features the surrounding mountains, and compass points serve to reinforce the source of inspiration for the brand.

Addison’s offers protein bars, ice cream, candy, bottled beverages and “Grab-n-Gobble” products, which are a reference to the VT mascot — HokieBird (Virginia Tech students are known as “Hokies”). The items are produced at the Southgate Food Center commissary. A hot chute merchandiser displays quesadillas, crunch rolls and warm sausage biscuits. Two soup wells hold chili and soups made in the back of the house. Sushi supplied by an outside company is also available.

The name Trax Deli is inspired by the rich history of the railroad in Blacksburg and the engineering students currently conducting research through Virginia Tech’s Railway Technology Laboratory. “The logo has a modern industrial look, with a solid and structured weight throughout,” Amos says. “The font selected, sans serif, reinforces the industrial feeling. The mark is created with the initials of Trax Deli, using a slab serif font from the same family, creating a modern interpretation of the train, sitting on the tracks.” To round out the brand assets, Amos’ brand team developed a secondary stacked logo, and an alternate badge logo.

Staff prepare deli sandwiches by slicing meats and cheeses at Trax Deli, which come from the Southgate Food Center commissary. Sandwich names are tied to local trains or stations, and some of the more global-inspired sandwiches have names tied to those areas. Staff warm sandwiches in four ventless rapid cookers.

The different venues share the food hall space with a full-service Chick-fil-A. Staff use chargrills, flattops and fryers to prepare chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets and waffle potato fries.

Customers find beverages on this floor and the floor above at separate stations in seating areas.

This is Virginia Tech’s first full-service Chick-fil-A.

Second Floor

Smoke, a barbecue venue, was inspired by a three-city culinary research tour of 17 restaurants that Grove organized. “We developed the Smoke concept referencing the misty hills of Blacksburg and great Virginia barbecue,” Amos says. The wordmark logo features a letter K extending beyond the frame of the meat smoker.” Smoke highlights barbecue known in Virgina and North Carolina as well as other regions such as Kansas City, Texas and Alabama.

Staff use a vertical rotisserie, two smokers and a chargrill to cook beef brisket, pulled barbecue jackfruit, pulled pork, smoked chicken wings, smoked turkey, baked beans, baked potatoes, cream of corn, collard greens and smoked jalapeno macaroni and cheese. Staff also use two combi ovens to reheat collard greens and ribs and cook pork belly burnt ends. Bacon-bourbon cheesecakes made in the back kitchen and packaged at Smoke, along with banana puddings made at Smoke, are offered in a merchandiser.

The Mediterranean-focused Fresh & Feta features a goddess motif in its design with the words “Feed Your Body Well.” “The venue is soft and enchanting,” Amos says. The center goddess, with her rosy cheeks and laurel crown, tosses the fresh ingredients available to customers. 

Staff use a chargrill to cook proteins and vegetables, griddle to cook proteins, a combi oven for steaming vegetables, and two fryers to prepare falafel. Staff use two combi ovens to toast pita bread and finish off chicken marked on the chargrill, the flattop griddle to cook chicken, and two fryers to cook falafel. The menu includes lamb meatballs, chicken souvlaki skewers, lemon rice and baba ghanoush, as well as classic hummus and dolmades. 

“Velóce,” the Italian word for fast or rapid, reinforces to customers that food at this venue will be served quickly. The tagline “Speedy Italian Ciao” further reinforces this. “The slanted nature of the logotype visually represents speed and movement with pieces flowing behind,” Amos says. The font selected is sans serif with a thick and consistent weight throughout with rounded terminals representing the edges and roundness of noodles. The color palette reflects the colors of the Italian flag.

Rambutan offers Asian street food.

Staff bake focaccia and meatballs and reheat sauces in two combi ovens. Sauces made in the kitchen stay warm on glass-top warmers heated from below. Customers select their choice of pasta, protein and sauce before staff cook this menu selection al dente.

Staff also use a pasta cooker and two combi ovens to prepare menu items and heat sauces made in the back-of-the-house kitchen. Menu items include gigantic meatballs with red sauce, primavera vegetables, chicken saltimbocca, and several pastas and sauces. Sauces remain hot on glass warmers heated from below.

Rambutan, featuring street food from Southeast Asia, was created with Mai Pham, a nationally recognized Asian chef, Food Network host, cookbook author, and president and founder of Star Ginger and Lemon Grass restaurants. Pham’s team named the restaurant after a healthy and nutrient-rich fruit grown in southeast Asia. The venue was created with Virginia Tech as the first franchisee. “We have franchise rights for the first two years, and after that she can franchise to others as well,” Surratt says.

Staff use three woks, a rice cooker and chargrill to prepare the menu items, as well as two combi ovens. The venue also contains three rice warmers, hot and cold wells and induction soup warmers for broth.

Virginia Tech’s dining program has long been recognized for its ingenuity and leading-edge concepts. Perry Place adds a new dimension to this university’s dining, bringing new types of cuisines and exhibition-style service. Its built-in flexibility with versatile equipment will enable chefs to apply their creativity for many years to come. 

Customers order breakfast all day long at Solarex.

About the Project

• Opened: Aug. 26, 2024
• Scope of project: New construction of multiuse facility. Dining includes nine microrestaurants and a main kitchen.

Website: dining.vt.edu

• Hitt Hall total size: 100,000 sq. ft
• Dining area: 37,463 sq. ft.
• Seats: 629 
• Daily transactions/covers: 36,400
• Average check: $10.35
• Total annual sales: $10.5 million 
• Concepts:
  • AMP: Coffee
  • Trax Deli: Sandwiches
  • Smoke: Smoked barbecue and brisket
  • Fresh & Feta: Mediterranean
  • Velóce: Italian and pasta
  • Rambutan: Asian street food
  • Chick-fil-A: Chicken sandwiches
  • Solarex: Diner with all-day breakfast
  • Addison’s: Convenience market
• First-floor hours: Monday-Friday
  • Solarex, AMP, Addison’s: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Trax Deli: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Chick-fil-A: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Second-floor hours: Monday-Friday
  • Smoke, Fresh & Feta, Velóce, Rambutan: 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. (second-floor concepts close at 4:00 p.m. on Fridays)
  • Staff: 54 salaried full-time; 20 part-time; 290 students
• Total project cost: Building, $85 million; dining, $47 million
• Equipment investment: $4.2 million 

The name and design of Trax Deli are inspired by the rich history of the railroad in Blacksburg, Va.

Key Players

• Owner: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
• Assistant vice president for Housing, Dining and Student Centers: Mike Staples; Ted Faulkner during project timeframe (retired in 2023)
• Director of Dining Services: Brian Grove
• Senior associate director of Dining Services: Brandon Hendricks
• Associate director of Dining Services: John Barrett
• Associate director of Dining Services: Tony Riley
• Assistant director of Perry Place at Hitt Hall: Jeremiah Gardner
• Executive chef at Perry Place at Hitt Hall: Scott Surratt
• Assistant director of planning: Andrew Wells
• Architect and interior design: Cooper Carry, Atlanta: Brent Amos, AIA, LEED AP, principal-in-charge/lead designer; Tim Fish, AIA, LEEDAP, principal; Brandon Danke, AIA, LEED AP, associate principal; Alanna Conner, AIA, senior associate, project architect dining; Gracie Williams, associate, project architect; Erika Luker, NCIDQ, associate, interior design/FF&E
• Branding and experiential graphics: Cooper Carry: Katherine Stone, associate principal, branding director; Bobbi Sweeney, senior associate, graphic design manager; Paul Bowman, SEGD, associate principal, director of design; Steve Carlin, studio manager, experiential graphic design
• Foodservice consultant: Porter Khouw Consulting Inc., Crofton, Md.: H. David Porter, FCSI, CEO, president; Albin T. Khouw, senior vice president, emeritus