Minnesota Correctional Facility – Rush City

This project involved an entirely new correctional facility designed to house approximately 940 inmates. The facility included a central dock for all deliveries in the administration building, which necessitated a walk-in refrigerator and freezer to store items until the security staff had time to check over the food.

The main foodservice area is located in the support building, which is accessible from administration through a connecting corridor. The department includes a central dining room with cafeteria–style service. To minimize the security risk, the dining area was divided into two 150-seat rooms each with its own serving line, beverage counter, and salad bar. The dishroom separates the dining rooms and includes a soiled tray return for each side. Adjacent to the dining area is a staff dining facility with its own buffet-style serving line.

To support this facility, the kitchen includes secure issue refrigerators and storage areas and a glass-walled supervisory office. The bakery was designed to allow for the possibility of adding a bakery-training program. The cold food prep area is centrally located with good access to refrigeration and the tray assembly area. With the relatively high level of security, it was assumed that there might be the need to accommodate the assembly of a large number of trays. A dedicated tray assembly area with both heated and refrigerated support equipment was designed to fulfill this requirement. The hot side of this area is directly adjacent to the hot food production center, which includes large island worktables. The hot food production equipment includes a large battery of kettles as well as ovens, fryers, and grills. A series of pass-through warmers and refrigerators provide good access to the serving lines from the hot and cold food production areas.