Contract - March 2014 - 70

feature

Rethinking Campus Foodservice Design

by Jennifer Johanson, AIA, IIDA

The president and CEO of design firm EDG describes
an emphasis on flexibility that allows spaces to
accommodate much more than just mealtime
In a student's-or, as the case may be, the parents'-search for
the perfect college, the appearance of the cafeteria and other
foodservice areas ranks high on the list of considerations.
The cafeteria of decades past (think a drab sea of the same
tables and chairs, and a kitchen mysteriously hidden away
behind a servery) just won't cut it for a generation of parents
and kids accustomed to the Whole Foods Market approach,
where freshness, variety, sustainability, and preparation are
on display, even celebrated. At the same time, the school itself
has a new set of considerations on the operational side. Places
where students will want to hang out have to be included, and
the spaces must be flexible to accommodate activities other
than dining. These factors are changing foodservice design
for the better.
With elevated tastes, students expect transparency,
freshness, and sustainability. Increasingly, they are more
socially and environmentally conscious, and want to know
where their food is coming from. Many universities are
located in small towns that may not have off-campus dining
options, and/or students are required to live-and therefore,
dine-on campus, so the schools are raising the bar on what
the cafeteria must offer. Add to that the parents' desire for
their child to be well fed in a nurturing, home-like
environment.
A food market rather than institutional cafeteria
For its foodservice projects, my firm, EDG, works with Bon
Appétit Management, a company known for its farm-to-fork
philosophy and emphasis on a local, sustainable approach
to operating dining facilities. For such projects-among them
Case Western Reserve University's Leutner Commons and
University of Portland's Bauccio Commons-the solution
has been to shine a spotlight on the food preparation
experience itself. The cafeterias have more of a market feel,
with various stations where chefs can prepare and customize
dishes. Typically, this area includes stations for freshly
prepared soup, salad, and sushi, as well as deli-style, grilled,
and global dishes. Whenever possible, the stations are crafted

from recycled, natural materials and feature environmental
graphics that celebrate local, seasonal produce. Overall, the
feel is vibrant and dynamic.
In designing these facilities, there is less of an emphasis
on back-of-house kitchens and a greater focus on the
interactive food stations. While designing around the food
offerings is an exciting opportunity, we also need to be
diligent about functionality on several levels. One of the
essential considerations is timing. At many schools, students
tend to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner within specific time
frames, and that can result in a rush. With food stations, rather
than a single servery, we can help solve the issue of long lines.
But having an adequate amount of seating is still a challenge.
One solution is to have an adjacent room that can serve as
dining space or other purposes. At Case Western, for example,
this type of space is separated from the cafeteria by a sliding
glass door, and can function as an overflow dining or multipurpose room. At off-peak times, it can be reserved for study
groups and tutoring sessions.
As with EDG's work on corporate campuses and with
hotels, one of our challenges is to design for the availability of
food service at off-peak times and making venues accessible
and functional without keeping everything up and running.
Food stations allow us to compartmentalize the offerings, so
at off-peak times, students still have options. Conversely, we
can better serve them during the peak hours. Most of these
venues have a quick "grab-and-go" counter near the entrance
for those who are in a hurry.
Comfortable, flexible seating and dining furniture
Cafeterias are being designed to appear less institutional and
more like large-scale restaurants, so furniture selection is
changing as well. Variety is key, as is flexibility. Communal
tables, booths, banquettes, bar-height counters for solo diners,
and standing-height tables are all considered in the mix of
seating options. Outdoor patios that visually connect to the
indoor cafeteria-such as at the University of Portland and
University of Pennsylvania-are also becoming a more

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Contract - March 2014

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