When Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana (RMHC-CNI), opened a site on Grand Avenue in Chicago in 2012, it provided accommodations for up to 66 families who stayed at the facility while their children received care at nearby Lurie Children’s Hospital or other pediatric facilities in the city.

The program expanded over time to house 80 families. A new kitchen and dining renovation completed in June — a $2.8 million project — now supports those families. Chefs and volunteers cook meals daily in a renovated kitchen serving families who eat in a refreshed dining room or who attend programs at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald Family Room inside Lurie Children’s.

RMHC-CNI is an independent not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization. Each night, RMHC-CNI keeps 181 families close to the care and resources they need for their children through six area Ronald McDonald Houses, including the renovated location on Grand Avenue, and four Ronald McDonald Family Rooms. 

“Our kitchen is the heart of the home for families while they navigate the difficulties and uncertainties of childhood illness,” says Lisa Mitchell, chief program officer, who has been in her position for 11 years. “Our services have evolved over time as families’ needs change. The food program is a good example. When a family has a child in a hospital, to make meals or go to a store to buy meals can be difficult. They need nutritious, home-cooked meals as they go through medical crises.” 

For the past 13 years, thousands of guests have eaten meals prepared in the RMHC-CNI Grand Avenue kitchen and served in dining rooms on the third floor of the 16-story building that RMHC-CNI occupies. Both the original kitchen and recent renovation were designed by Harry Schildkraut, FCSI, project manager and director of design, S2O, Chicago. The original design used residential equipment, was built for volunteers to plan their own menus and bring in their own groceries daily. We found that this was taxing on volunteers and did not lead to efficient food procurement,” Mitchell says.

In 2019, RMHC-CNI staff restructured the foodservice operation at the site to become chef-led. A professional chef provided meal planning, coordinated food procurement and conducted on-site training of the volunteers preparing the meals. With an expansion mission to now serve 80 families staying at the house, plus up to 35 families benefitting from support in other downtown programs run by RMHC-CNI, as well as the general wear-and-tear of the kitchen and dining spaces, an upgrade of the kitchen and dining spaces was necessary. “This renovation allows us to fuel families in a space that supports their well-being and inspires their souls,” Mitchell says. Staff and volunteers provide a continental, on-the-go-style breakfast. They also cook lunch and dinner.

Instead of doing the renovation in phases, this one happened all at once to maximize efficiency and minimize impact on daily meal service to families. The five-month project started Jan. 13, 2025, and was completed on June 10, 2025. “During construction, Ronald McDonald House maintained its commitment to provide daily meals to families through catering and meal preparation done at a nearby restaurant, Volare Ristorante Italiano, which graciously extended access to their kitchen to our house’s chef team,” Mitchell says.

In its early days, the Grand Avenue house was among the tallest in the neighborhood, so its windows brought in a lot of light. Over the years, though, construction of larger buildings in the neighborhood reduced the amount of sunlight the building received. This became an important factor in the redesign. “We interviewed past and current families, staff and volunteers to find out what is most important to them. We had to brighten and lighten the spaces to make it feel like a cheerful place you’d want to stay at for a while,” Mitchell says.

Light and cheerful spaces also must be functional. “Some of the main challenges were to program the space in order to meet the increased dining demand, as well as the increased footprint of the commercial kitchen, all within the existing confines of the third floor,” says Chuck Kennedy, AIA, president, Antunovich Associates, Chicago. “Through careful coordination with S2O Consultants and Bulley & Andrews’ construction team, we were able to create a beautiful, efficient and functional facility.”

One difficulty the renovation team encountered was replacing the residential kitchen with commercial equipment that required floor penetrations for drains or water lines. “The existing structural deck is post-tensioned concrete, which requires X-raying so that items penetrating the deck do not hit the post-tensioned tendons, which are under a tremendous force,” Kennedy says. “The team did a great job of maintaining the layout, while making adjustments to avoid these structural items.”

Kitchen and Menu Item Production

Food deliveries arrive at a door on the ground level. Staff place deliveries into an elevator that moves them to the third floor. “Inside the kitchen space, we were able to incorporate both a walk-in cooler and a walk-in freezer,” Schildkraut says.

Prep stations with tables and sinks, as well as utensil racks, allow staff to perform multiple meal tasks efficiently. Staff use mise en place in a designated area in the middle of the space, where they also assemble salads and cold menu items such as mango salsa. A planetary mixer stands adjacent to the walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer. Three combi ovens are used to prepare vegetables and proteins for menu items such as baked chicken, chicken sandwiches, roasted potatoes and meatloaf.

The hot food prep line includes a 40-gallon tilt skillet for making pasta, Spanish rice, mango salsa and roasted vegetables. Staff use a 48-inch griddle to cook black bean burgers, cheeseburgers and mahi mahi. “Sustainability and energy-saving features include a ventless hood used over the tilt skillet and griddle,” Schildkraut says. “This hood was selected so we didn’t have to replace the existing black iron exhaust duct with a new, larger one.” In addition, two 8-burner ranges support production of crispy orange tofu, black beans and beef for tacos, boiled potatoes and noodle dishes.

“The menu must appeal to a wide range of people with different tastes and needs,” Mitchell says. “We provide a variety of menu items because the average stay is about 16 nights, so we don’t want to be repetitive. We’re always keeping an eye toward good nutrition to support people who don’t have time to think about food preparation when they have a kiddo in the hospital. We can’t protect against all allergens, but we can provide a path for people to get what they need. Many family members tell us that this is better food than they would have from home.”

Also in the back of the house, a commercial conveyor dishwasher supports the kitchen. “The incorporation of a commercial dishwasher saves labor and allows a reduction in the usage of disposable ware,” Schildkraut says.

Equipment manufacturers stepped up and provided equipment at no cost or at a substantially reduced cost. “Trimark Marlinn did all the equipment installation for equipment provided at no or reduced costs from various manufacturers, plus they furnished and installed additional equipment from internal sources at a reduced cost,” Schildkraut says. “We did the design work for no fee for [both] the original design and the renovation.”

Serving Stations and Dining Spaces

In the front-of-the-house space, volunteers check in at a designated station. Children’s play areas contribute a welcome touch of color and activity. 

New durable dining furniture complements the design, allowing families to pull tables together or apart in modular spaces. This also provides flexibility in the space as the charity’s needs change. Throughout the dining area, colors, specifically warm tones, reinforce the welcoming atmosphere the team wanted to achieve. 

A pass-through for dirty dishes provides direct access to the commercial dishwashing area, and a window between the commercial kitchen and the dining area allows the culinary staff to easily monitor the status of service. “The new serving station has increased the efficiency of the foodservice, allowing for a better experience by the families,” Kennedy says. 

Beyond the dining area, two free-standing breakfast and coffee islands include a refrigerated grab-and-go merchandising case that allows families to take their pick of breakfast and beverage options.

The facility also contains separate meal prep and cooking stations where families can store and prepare their own meals. Families have use of residential-style refrigerators, stoves, sinks, microwaves and dishwashers.

This new facility may well become the envy of other large Ronald McDonald houses looking to expand and improve their services. “We are truly grateful for the participation of so many experts who contributed in their areas of specialty,” Mitchell says. “We couldn’t have done this without their support. We will serve families for decades.” 

Residential to Commercial Equipment

The original space, pictured below, used residential equipment. The new space was designed with a mix of residential and commercial equipment and reflects a change in foodservice programming to a chef-driven approach rather than parents prepping and cooking meals.

About the Project

• Opened: June 16, 2025
• Scope of project: Renovation of the third-floor kitchen and dining spaces
• Website: ronaldhousechicago.org 
• Size: 5,635 sq. ft.
• Seats: 78
• Hours: Functional 24 hours a day
• Menu specialties: Black bean tacos, picadillo tacos, Spanish rice, tropical fruit salad, mahi mahi, black bean burgers, cheeseburgers, meatloaf, crispy orange tofu, veggie sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, baked chicken, catfish nuggets
• Daily transactions: Lunch, 75; dinner, 125
• Yearly transactions: 140,000, which included catered meals to nearby hospitals
• Average check: $0 (suggested donation for room and meals is $10 per day)
• Staff: 4 chefs and thousands of volunteers
• Total project cost: $2.8 million
• Value of donated kitchen equipment: $265,000 

Key Players

• Owner: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana
• CEO: Holly Buckendahl
• Chief program officer: Lisa Mitchell
• Executive chefs: Chris Holderman; A’Nyssa Harris
• Regional director of downtown programs: Joan Snyder-Budz
• Architect: Antunovich Associates, Chicago: Joe Antunovich, FAIA, CEO and founder; Chuck Kennedy, AIA, president; Marvin Adam, senior associate
• Interior design: Jennifer Bertrand, Kansas City, Mo.
• Foodservice consultants: S2O Consultants, Chicago: Harry Schildkraut, FCSI, project manager and director of design; Amber Kennedy, senior associate and project coordinator 
• Equipment dealer: TriMark Marlinn, Bedford Park, Ill.: Jake Shelpman, senior project manager; Joe Shelpman, contract sales and design
• Construction: Bulley and Andrews, Chicago: Mark Evans, president; Mario Garza, project manager