Case Study: Market Bar-B-Que
Location:
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Scope:
Restaurant & Bar Design, Equipment Supply & Installation
The goal with the Market Bar-B-Que redesign was to maintain a strong sense of the restaurant’s history and ambiance by reusing existing components. This project demanded a high level of detail in order to maintain the vision and still uphold a 70-year family legacy. It was essential that when they opened the doors of their new restaurant, it would be a welcoming, familiar experience for customers.
Steve and Anthony Polski, the father-and-son team of Market Bar-B-Que, have been in the restaurant business for generations. Specializing in BBQ pork, chicken and brisket, they provide meals for their customers the old fashioned way–using a wood-burning oven and preparing everything from scratch. Their recipes have become the backbone of a 70-year family tradition and have yielded a loyal following of regulars.
Rick Palm, Contract Sales and Account Manager for Boelter Premier, was proud to be a part of the project that helped Anthony Polski–son and current owner/operator of Market Bar-B-Que–take the next steps to evolve his family’s business. Rick’s brother, Mark Palm (Chameleon Concessions), had previously developed the Market Bar-B-Que food truck for Anthony and encouraged the initial discussions about the new restaurant.
This was a significant move for Anthony and his employees and a process that, as might be expected, was an interruption to an otherwise consistently busy restaurant business. The planning, timing and execution needed to be tightly managed in order to ensure that Market Bar-B-Que and all of its employees were not shut down for any longer than absolutely necessary.
MAINTAINING A STRONG HISTORY
Phase one of the project involved a close inspection of the existing components currently being used in the Market Bar-B-Que kitchen, dining room and bar. Anthony’s focus was to maintain a strong sense of the restaurant’s history, theme and ambiance, while also looking for opportunities to save on the expenses needed to build-out the new location and get his business back up and running to full capacity. Rick’s extensive background in the food service equipment industry allowed him to provide strong recommendations to Anthony and his team and identify those items that could be reused and those that would need to be replaced.
“Without the guidance of Rick Palm and the help of Boelter Premier, this project could have never been completed."
– ANTHONY POLSKI, OWNER/OPERATOR OF MARKET BAR-B-QUE
As luck would have it, the condition of the bar and dining room furniture–tables, chairs and booths–and reliable working order of various kitchen equipment–refrigerator, meat slicers, cooking equipment, underbar equipment and several stainless steel prep tables and sinks–supported Anthony’s desire to reuse where it was allowed. Nearly half of the original kitchen equipment and furniture was scheduled to be moved to the new space, reinstalled, thoroughly cleaned and made available for the grand opening.
This was supplemented with brand new equipment, based on a need to maintain proper code regulations. Additionally, it was noted early on that some of the original equipment simply would not work with the design of the new space and replacement became the obvious choice. The new kitchen equipment that was installed included, but was not limited to:
- Delfield chef counters
- Stainless steel dish tables
- Walk-in food cooler and freezer
- Beer cooler
- Back bar refrigerated coolers with laminated doors
- Beer tap system with matching towers
- Three foot flat griddle
- Hood ventilation system for the dishwasher and cookline
IDENTIFYING AND OVERCOMING CHALLENGES
Adding on to an existing space with an entirely new structure always poses a unique set of challenges. As the rework of the existing building began, a variety of structural issues and concerns were revealed. In order to support the weight of the roof from the second story, an additional post needed to be installed. Based on the placement of the post and its location in the middle of the kitchen, several redesigns were needed. Consideration for the aisles, walkways and upgraded kitchen equipment were also accounted for.
Unfortunately, as the project continued, additional structural concerns were discovered, demanding that the support post be moved a second and third time. The additional updates resulted in redesigns of both the dish room and the chef’s counter to best accommodate for these changes. Because this support post was integral to the structure of the building, there was no way to avoid the redesigns. After final placement, the post was wrapped in stainless steel to match the rest of the kitchen and the construction efforts were able to proceed.
“Working with Boelter Premier and Rick Palm was a fantastic journey.”
– ANTHONY POLSKI, OWNER/OPERATOR OF MARKET BAR-B-QUE
CARRYING ON A TRADITION
The Market Bar-B-Que project demanded a high level of detail in order to maintain Anthony Polski’s vision and still be able to uphold a family legacy. The team took great care when moving and storing the original equipment and furniture as the new space was designed, updated and prepared for installation. This was both a challenge and a learning experience for everyone involved and required that Rick work closely with the general contractor and architect as a team to bring this project together.
From a design and project management perspective, the decision to reuse various furniture and kitchen equipment resulted in its own set of challenges, and adjustments were often made on the fly to best accommodate when and where needed. But this project was about more than opening a new restaurant. It was about recognizing, understanding and appreciating the history of Market Bar-B-Que and attending to the individual needs and requirements of the customer to ensure that the job was completed with every specification in mind. Working together, Rick and Anthony were able to maintain a strong history, rich in tradition, and welcome home the customers that have enjoyed Market Bar-B-Que’s meals for generations.
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Download the full case study here.