Rippe Associates’ Matthew Anderson and Rochelle Monahan, MBA, FCSI, RDN had the honor of contributing to a fantastic piece in Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazine!

Before it was a Mediterranean concept, Mezze Table at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Ga., served Mexican fare using a different name. Yet, despite having vastly different menu items, there was no reason to change the equipment.

“We adapted the menu to the equipment, but almost everything we needed was already there,” says executive chef Leia Kent. “We were successful, since the equipment was flexible to accommodate different items.”

This included a large clamshell grill for cooking chicken, a flattop to prepare gyro meat and a fryer, formerly used for making tortilla chips and now designated for pita chips. It didn’t hurt that Ibrahim Yildirim, Georgia Gwinnett College’s foodservice director, previously worked in Greek restaurants and knew this equipment would suffice.

“The key is to look at a dining space and food area and determine how to change it to another concept without a high cost,” Kent says. “Because schools are budget conscious, it’s important for us to be creative, think outside the box and repurpose equipment and spaces whenever possible.”