From hot dogs to beef Wellington

News

Staff Writer

If you’ve attended an event at the Arena, Osborn Center or Times-Union Center, chances are you had something to eat or drink there. It seems a simple task to steam a hot dog, grill a hamburger and pour a fountain drink, but a lot goes on behind the scenes to make that food service possible.

That process, from ordering groceries to washing the dishes, is under the supervision of Mike Kenny, the new director of Food & Beverage for Savor Jacksonville. It’s the food service division of SMG, the company under contract to manage City-owned entertainment facilities.

Kenny came to Jacksonville from Savannah, Ga., where he managed Savor’s operations at the International Trade and Convention Center for four years. Before that, he worked at Savannah’s Carey Hilliard’s restaurant, where he learned the management side of the business.

“I came up through the school of hard knocks, so I tell people I have an MBWA, a master’s by walking around,” said Kenny.

Kenny understands how a good meal, or even a hot dog and a cold beer, can make a person feel.

“Good food makes people happy,” he said. “It’s very rewarding when customers are happy and it’s wonderful to please people at events. It’s even better when it’s thousands of people.”

In addition to the kitchen side of the business, he also oversees sales and contract negotiations, food preparation and counter and table service.

Different types of events require different game plans. Savor provides what audiences want from concession stands at concerts and sports events to full sit-down banquets, including wine service.

For a concert, 15 chefs and culinary support staff keep the food flowing to 95 points of sale in the Arena. For a luncheon or banquet at the Osborn Center, that number can increase to as many as 30 people in the kitchen and 80 servers.

Kenny said predicting how much of any type of food to prepare for a group is a science and “it’s all based on mathematical formulas.”

There’s also the need for consistency. “The expectations of table No. 1 are the same as the expectations at table No. 230,” he said.

Part of the process the guest doesn’t see is Savor’s warehouse under the stands. It’s a fine-tuned machine, said Kenny, calling it “the brain of the operation.”

If a concession stand at the Arena becomes low on inventory of any item on the menu, a message is radioed to the warehouse and soon, the stocking level is adjusted to make sure the line keeps moving.

“We can be at any point-of-sale in the building in two minutes or less,” said Kenny.

Menus depend on the event, from simple fare to much more sophisticated selections. The menu options for the Arena’s private suites includes sliced tenderloin sliders, chicken souvlaki and desserts such as dark chocolate fondue and bread pudding with white chocolate and creme Anglais.

Custom menus for luncheons and banquets also are part of the service.

“If you want hot dogs or beef Wellington, just tell us how many people you’re bringing, what you want to eat and what time you’re going to arrive. We’ll take it from there,” said Kenny.