University of St. Thomas – Cleveland Selby

This project involved the programming and construction of a new resident dining facility, including main production kitchen and storage areas to support approximately 1,000 students during peak meal periods. The facility also handles production for some catering events, feeding up to 400 guests per event.

The dining facility is completely self-sufficient, including a loading dock for deliveries, offices for dining management, ample dry and cold storage, ware washing, food waste management processing and storage, and cold/hot prep areas in an open kitchen style.

The front-of-house includes automated check-in stations and five serving stations —each with a unique culinary focus—comprised of a combination of deli bar (sandwiches/salads), international food line, hot food line, burger/chicken bar, and a made-to-order station. Additionally, static stations should be available for beverages, soups, and dessert offerings. The dining room is designed for approximately 475 seats, in a mixture of seating types and a variation of groupings ranging from two to ten people. The dining area also supports other student programming uses and can be sectioned off to accommodate private events. Dining areas are designed to optimize natural daylight and avoid direct sunshine.

The facility has been designed to foster the efficient flow of people, materials, and work activities. It has separated —both visually and acoustically— all patron functions from food preparation and cleaning functions. The relationship among the various storage, preparation, cooking, serving and cleaning functions optimizes workflow and efficiency. Travel distances have been kept short, and the layout minimizes crossover of circulation paths.