Whist delivering an INSET day we got speaking with the Head of this school (the same as was developing a new art and 6th form centre) and it became obvious that dining was in dire need of a change. However, the issue was whether there was enough money ‘in the kitty’ and whether a revamp would represent good value for that money.
The food was, and is, excellent. They employ a chef. The issue is getting the food served and the sheer numbers of students wanting to eat there. So much so that the dining area spilled out onto the stage of the Hall – and a breakfast counter serving toast had to be located on the edge of the stage to avoid fire alarms being triggered if toast was well done.
So, our design brief revolved around sorting the server, increasing the till points without increasing staffing and increasing the number of seats. As before, we ran a design information session and asked for design responses within two weeks.
We explored the possibility of introducing a mezzanine floor over the Easter break (but were thwarted by fire regulations regarding staircases which would have rendered the additional net area too small) and toyed with moving the (large) kitchen wall back into the kitchen to create more server space.
The winning bidder worked tirelessly through various options. The end result can be seen in the lower two pictures. A net increase of over 60 seats, a much better and faster server and an increase in meals delivered.
As always, to time and to (revised) budget.
We love these sorts of solutions: working with chefs and catering staff (who know what works and what doesn’t), students (who can tell the difference between good thinking and ‘easy’ thinking) and finance managers who can really determine good value for money (as opposed to minimum cost). We simply love unleashing the creativity of ‘best in world’ fitout organisations and free them from the shackles of public sector procurement. Faster, better, cheaper. 
