Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Florida Gains Temporary Kitchen, Dining Structure

  • By Matt Jones
  • 05/15/24

The University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., recently deployed a 6,600-square-foot temporary kitchen and dining structure in one of its parking lots, according to a news release. The structure known as “The Eatery” will serve students until the completion of Broward Hall renovations in fall 2024. The university partnered with Mobile Kitchen Solutions, a division of Rental Solutions and Events, to install the facility during winter break 2023.

The facility will offer food, cooking, preparation, storage, serving, and dining services during the university dining hall renovation. The structure is climate-controlled and divided into two main areas—the dining and buffet area, and the kitchen. The dining area features class walls and decor, signage, buffet stations, and tables and chairs. The full-service kitchen includes smaller sections dedicated to prep and storage, dishwashing, and sinks featuring dry storage racks. RSE also installed a 40-foot containerized temporary kitchen POD to offer gas cooking equipment including double-stack ovens, steamers, and tilt skillets. The unit offers safety procedures like fire suppression systems and exhaust/make-up air hoods to meet code, the news release reports. Lastly, it includes two upscale restroom trailers and one ADA-compliant restroom trailer.

The university moved into the temporary dining facility on Jan. 1. MKS also provided all temporary cabling, distribution boxes, interior plumbing, and HVAC systems.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.