Washtenaw County, MI, Parks and Recreation

Scope: Operations Analysis, Facility Design Modification

Services: Food and Beverage

Issue: Attendance at the Rolling Hill County Park has increased substantially in recent years, placing extensive pressure on concession facilities that were designed for much lower demand levels. As a result, the concession facilities experienced overcapacity issues, long wait times, varied product quality, and compromised service levels.

Process/Outcome: The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) retained CHMGS to conduct an operational assessment of the concession operations at Rolling Hills County Park, the PRC’s largest and most visited park. CHMGS’s tasks included, but were not limited to, the following:

Assess the layout of the concession, including equipment placement, storage, and food preparation areas (including possible replacement of the subject facility);
Assess the operational flow of concession workspaces and serving areas;
Identify facility and operational deficiencies and propose revisions to the menu, facility, and equipment;
Recommend changes to the flow of queuing line(s); and,
Recommend modifications to staff and/or guest communication.

The CHMGS team’s methodology and approach to the assignment was two-fold:

Spend time with Park leadership to understand operating issues, challenges and opportunities, and observe first-hand the operation in progress on a peak summer weekend day; and,
Leverage the CHMGS team’s operations experience to make recommendations relative to the obstacles and pinch points that were adversely affecting operations.

CHMGS observed the Park and concession operation for a full summer day to visually understand Park fill patterns, validate concession wait times, critique management and staff operational practices, understand equipment needs, and make recommendations for potential change.

CHMGS and team proposed the following recommendations to improve speed of service and customer throughput. CHGMS’s designed its recommendations for the Park to implement separately or in a phased implementation approach. Some recommendations may require modifications to other areas of the Park’s facilities.

Consolidate refrigeration storage by implementing a small walk-in
Consolidate office/paper storage
Add additional service window and revise queuing
Add hot dog warmers and chip storage at cashier area
Add new shaved ice, chili, and nacho machine
Redesign grill area
Redesign back-of-house preparation area

CHMGS and Ricca Design Studios developed cut sheets, equipment specifications, and cost estimates for all equipment changes to assist the County with financial and budget planning. Ricca Design Studios is a long-standing subcontractor and partner of CHMGS.