MEET ME AT THE HUB
COMMERCIAL KITCHENS
What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business?
There are always problems that pop up during any construction project, but the most frustrating—and often most debilitating to the initial design—issue currently is material and equipment availability or lead times. Everything, from fabrics, flooring, cladding and cooking equipment, seems to be in conflict with aggressive development schedules. This can be especially problematic when it comes to limited time tables such as those corresponding to the academic calendar.
Are you optimistic about how the marketplace has responded to everything happening today?
If ever there was a way to move past the events of recent years, it has to be by gathering around food. Food brings consistency and camaraderie in a way that nothing else can. This means working on dining projects comes with an innate optimism—even in the midst of
a global pandemic. As Luciano Pavarotti said, “One of the very nicest things about life is that we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”
What’s your growth plan? What areas are you targeting?
As Nvironment, being able to apply what we’ve learned over the years completing retail, restaurant and food-service projects, we’d like to gain additional exposure to hospitality projects. We think it would be really fun to provide the same value in customer experience we executed for Northwestern, and dozens of other brands, to a new client base.
What trends are you seeing?
Student diners today are looking for: greater transparency with food prep; alternative and flexible seating arrangements; charging stations, speed in relation to dine-out, mobile and kiosk ordering, grabn-go options, and fresh/local ingredients; choices to satisfy a highly refined palate.
I mean, when exactly did sushi become an expected part of college fare?
What’s the secret to creating a “must visit” restaurant environment in today’s competitive landscape?
Beyond all the trimmings and trappings that might be slapped on your dining room, a good culinary experience wins every time. In short: You want a broader and authentic flavor profile in an Instagram-able environment.
What is today’s consumer looking for?
Mostly, and perhaps more-so due to pandemic events, customers want a curated experience; a space that feels comfortable and friendly while still being remarkably utilitarian, that serves a wide arrange of flavors, offers flexible seating experiences and takes advantage of modern technology with ordering options. CK
One-on-One with What’s the biggest item on your to-do list right now? At Nvironment, we are redoubling our efforts to bring the best communication we can to the table. Our collaboration has been a hallmark of our company, and a yearplus of virtual calls has made us a bit antsy. Getting back to “business as usual” is priority number one. Describe a typical day. When you love what you do, the days aren’t really quantifiable. It starts with coffee, to be sure. Then we have conversations with employees, clients and vendors, and somewhere in all that, we crank out great work. What’s the best thing a client ever said to you? It’s not any specific thing, but when you get the call saying, “The space looks great, it’s holding up well, we’re making profit and customer’s love it,” that’s all the thanks we need. And when a client says, “It looks just like the rendering,” that doesn’t hurt either.
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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 7, 2021
Tell us what makes your brand so unique? Our collaboration is a cornerstone to our business. In the case of Allison, collaboration allowed us to key-in on the customer’s needs while pulling out a really clever use of an existing space. What’s the most rewarding part of your job? We love seeing our spaces come to life—and to turn out how as envisioned. This may sound selfish, but in reality, it means we did everything our customers asked of us. And that’s always a good feeling. What was the best advice you ever received? “You can be wrong, but don’t be wrong long,” as bad news doesn’t get better with age, so tackle obstacles head on. Good for business and for life. Name the three strongest traits any leader should have and why. Patience, Communication and Empathy. Because without these three traits, collaboration can never happen.
