Union City Schools

elite|studio e was brought on board by the operator to provide design and build solutions for four cafeterias within the Union City School District. In addition to providing foodservice consulting and design, each of the serving and seating areas are receiving a finishes upgrade. Our team provided renderings to help visualize the new space. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our team has been working with the district and the operator to design a new student dining experience. Still in progress, construction is scheduled to begin in June 2021 on all four sites.

Jefferson Elementary School 

Citing the need for an increased menu offering, our team redesigned the cafeteria layout to feature two serving lines. Each line will include new equipment, food guards and back counters for staff support. 

Roosevelt Elementary School 

This school needed to increase the footprint to create additional prep space. As a result, the serving line was removed from the back of house and two new serving lines will be added to the cafe. In addition, a mobile cart and additional seating will be added to a loft space providing additional offerings and seating. 

Union Hill Middle School 

When redesigning the middle school layout, improved traffic flow was a large concern. The serving lines were modified and include custom fabrication. In order to achieve this and to work within the district’s budget, we audited the equipment and worked with the operator to determine what should be replaced for production purposes.

Union City High School

When designing the district high school, we wanted to embrace more sophistication in the offering, operation and aesthetics. Familiar with higher education trends, our team took inspiration from this sector to create the Union City High School dining experience. This cafeteria not only features a traditional serving option, but also a separate pizza concept. In the servery, our team relocated the existing air screens, incorporate new point of sale counters and entry gates to improve flow. From an equipment perspective, a new rotisserie was added embracing a food forward mind-set and in the back of house, a new walk-in fridge and freezer. 

In terms of finishes for this space, existing counters were refreshed using laminate and graphics to create a warm, rustic feel. The separate pizza concept (see photo on right), will embrace a similar look inside, but details will be added to make it feel more like a traditional pizzeria. 

Lastly, our team was involved in planning a renovation for the school’s Teacher and Staff Lounge. The space will feature a small serving line and coffee bar, as well as a new, inviting appearance.