We love doing food shows! SYSCO San Diego recently contacted us and asked if we would work with them on their February food exhibition at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. We have been assisting SYSCO San Diego with events for a number of years. For this round, they developed a concept to create “The Restaurant of Tomorrow” at the show. Their objective was to feature new technologies used by restaurants to streamline their processes and increase profitability, as well as to allow account managers to network with customers. Once they relayed their initial thoughts, we transferred ideas onto paper by creating a selection of concept drawing options. On custom installations, it helps the client visualize the scenes with drawings or photos. Of course they chose one of the more difficult options to fabricate. So we rolled up our sleeves and started building at the shop.
The set up began early Monday morning. The crew worked throughout the day building the restaurant façade which went as planned. First up went the walls, then the shingled roof. Later in the afternoon and into the evening we set up the details and finishing touches, including the hand painted “Restaurant of Tomorrow” sign.
Around the perimeter of the “front of house” section (customer area) of the restaurant, we built a picket fence and placed authentic wine barrels intermittently along the way. The fence was accented with flower boxes filled with colorful blooms of flowers. To further enhance the atmosphere, we also installed street lamps, hanging floral baskets, bicycles, rustic pier posts and other creative and decorative elements. We also created some vignettes in other show areas to help carry the theme throughout the exhibition.
On Tuesday morning we took care of a few finishing touches, plugged in the lights and soon the doors were opened. It was a blur of activity behind the façade with a team of chefs chopping, cooking and plating a delicious selection of menu choices. All day long, the plates were passed through the service window to a steady stream of exhibit attendees. It was a great day for the Restaurant of Tomorrow.
