Editor’s note: This is part of a series, “Featured concept,” from The Schechter Report. It features behind-the-scenes looks at meal production in some of the country’s most interesting restaurants. The content here does not necessarily reflect the views of Nation’s Restaurant News.
On January 13, 2011, the new Matthew Knight Arena had its grand opening at the University of Oregon in Eugene. All 12,500 seats at this sports and entertainment venue were filled with media, fans and students. Attendees received an inaugural speech from Phil Knight, a University of Oregon alumnus, as well as the primary donor for the arena (named for his late son) and co-founder of sports apparel maker Nike Inc. Knight spoke about his memories of Matthew and his inspiration for the building, making clear his pride in this new venue. His emotion was shared by both Steve Young, principal/director of design and Marcin Zmiejko, senior associate at William Caruso & Associates (WC&A), Denver, CO, who both served as food and beverage facilities consultants and designers of its complex, multi-kitchen program.
According to Zmiejko, planning for MKA began in late 2008, after the university realized the need to replace its 100-year-old McArthur Arena, which was out-dated and lacked facilities for modern media broadcasting and performance support. In addition to Young and Zmiejko, project team members included representatives from lead architect AECOM/Ellerbe Becket of Kansas City, MO; Portland, OR-based architect TVA; exterior designers Perkins + Will of Chicago, and Eric Brandt, director of food and hospitality for the University of Oregon’s Athletic department.
“The primary goals of this project was to develop a state-of-the-art sports and events facility that would offer a great experience for fans and concert-goers, and a wide variety of foodservice menu options to members of the local community and students,” Zmiejko related. “We worked with Eric and his team to plan their menus, service points, kitchens and a fine dining restaurant and bar called the McArthur Club.”
WC&A’s design plan called for four kitchens at Matthew Knight Arena. The main commissary kitchen was located on the basement level and equipped with grills, fryers, a combi and a convection oven, a steamer, a braising pan, a double-rack conveyor oven a charbroiler, a warewasher, a walk-in refrigerator and hot-holding carts to transport products to concession stands and carts, as well as two support kitchens. These smaller production spaces are positioned on the east and west sides of the arena on the main concourse level and are tasked with finishing products prepared in the main production kitchen. Young and Zmiejko further laid out a an open kitchen with a chef’s counter for the McArthur Club, which includes a flat-top griddle, a grill, combi and convection ovens and another braising pan to prepare its fine-dining menu for VIP event attendees. There are also two liquor storage areas here, as the McArthur Club is the only area within MKA where alcoholic beverages are served. The total foodservice equipment budget for this project was approximately $2.3 million.
“Working with WC&A helped us usher our arena foodservices into the 21st Century,” noted Brandt. “We now have a professional-style venue that’s scaled to needs of our campus and local residents. MKA, with its contemporary aesthetics and lighting, is now a big part of the University’s brand experience and the concessions points of sale are well suited to the foods and beverages that are popular here in the Pacific Northwest.”
Matthew Knight Arena offers 12 food and beverage concession stands, that along with traditional game time fare, offer specialty items such as lattés and espressos – these drinks are so popular that during events that four staff must work the stations. There is also an ice cream parlor here serving frozen treats and scratch-made doughnuts. The most apt description of this arena’s foodservice menu is variety. Patrons can order turkey, ham, chicken, salmon, pulled pork, beef brisket and sirloin sandwiches, yakisoba bowls display-prepared in woks, burgers, popcorn and wings. Most of these items are available from free-standing concession carts that are manned by hundreds of volunteers who serve during sports and entertainment events. For all the menu variety at MKA, however, Brandt said that best sellers here are still “sports fans’ favorites,” including hot dogs, popcorn and sodas.
“One of the lessons I learned from this project was that developing an arena concessions program is an entirely different experience from any other type of on-campus foodservice,” Brandt commented. “You have to integrate the carts and stands into the building’s architecture and décor, and yet be able to serve thousands of people as quickly as possible during a relatively short time frame. I’m glad to say that WC&A’s designs and equipment selections have exceeded our expectations for form and functionality.”