Preparing To Install Serving Counters

For many K-12 foodservice directors, a major serving area renovation only comes around once every decade or so. Serving counters mark a key component. Designed well, serving counters make a positive impact on the customer experience and benefit employees.

Once you have ordered counters, it’s time to prepare for install day. First comes the pre-engineering phase, including a site visit, followed by decisions on who will perform what tasks, such as utility hookups and finishing work, and a game plan for the big day.

Preparing for Fabrication

In the pre-engineering phase, you can expect the manufacturer to conduct a site visit with preapproved drawings in hand to make sure everything is in order for the install. They’ll check to make sure utilities such as plumbing and electrical are in accordance with the new equipment layout. If they don’t match, one option, available from Mod-U-Serve, a Houston-based serving counter manufacturer, includes capping the existing stub ups and adding a utility distribution system. UL-listed, reliable and highly engineered, Mod-U-Serve’s UDS allows crews to bring utilities from overhead down to the counters. Another option if the serving area has a crawl space is to reroute utilities underneath and create new stub ups.

Entrances and access points also will receive special attention. The manufacturer will measure to ensure the install team will have proper clearance to bring in the counters as well as the installation equipment. It’s common for counters to be manufactured specifically so they can be disassembled to fit through doorways and then reassembled once inside the servery. For example, Mod-U-Serve’s sneeze guards feature a proprietary system that allows crews to easily remove and reinstall them. Crews can simply remove the sneeze guards, flip the counter on its side, send it through a 34 1/2-inch doorway, flip it back over and reinstall them.

This phase of the process is the final reality check and last opportunity to make adjustments before your designs are released for fabrication.

Crews will have a clear-cut plan on how to move equipment to the space on install day.

A Turnkey Solution

Part of preparing for install day also includes deciding on who will perform what tasks. Mod-U-Serve delivers an optional turnkey package, while some operators might require the use of specific subcontractors.

Mod-U-Serve’s turnkey package includes demolition, installation and finishing work to take your serving area renovation project from start to finish, seamlessly. After your designs are released for fabrication, your counters will be ready in roughly 10 weeks. The crew will handle all necessary demo, including cutting old counters apart, taking down half-walls and disposing of materials.

Additionally, a certified electrician and plumber will be on-site to handle utility hookups and attend to game-time fixes. The package also includes finishing work such as flooring patches, ceiling grids and wall paint.

If your operation requires certain subcontractors, you can lean on them to perform the necessary demo work to prep your space for installation. Work may include removal of old counters and walls, as well as making sure water lines, electricity and drains are all installed to spec.

If you have any job site requirements—such as safety training required by your school district or specific PPE—you’ll want to communicate those to your field supervisor in advance.

Mod-U-Serve can remove old counters and install new ones in a matter of hours.

The Big Day

Come install day, when working with Mod-U-Serve, your only job is to provide the field supervisor with access to the building, and then you can sit back and watch. For a typical-size serving area in a K-12 foodservice facility, crews can remove existing counters and install new ones within a few hours. In fact, they can remodel multiple elementary schools in one day. If opting for a UDS, having electrical and plumbing pre-ran above the ceiling grid before install day helps speed up the process.

Overall, when planned well, install day should run seamlessly. And you should see your vision brought to life.

Note: This article marks part two of a three-part series on how to remodel a serving area. For part one, see “How To Specify Serving Counters.” To learn more about Mod-U-Serve, click here.