When a city becomes the center of the national spotlight—like Pittsburgh during the NFL Draft—dining has to scale fast, stay consistent, and still feel personal. Large-scale events present many challenges when it comes to planning, collaborating across teams, and executing high-volume service, all without sacrificing hospitality or food quality.
Planning and Collaborating for Large-Scale Success
Major events like the NFL Draft require comprehensive planning, and that includes a detailed dining plan. At Parkhurst, we approached this plan by designing a menu and preparing an outdoor kitchen and serving space modified to meet the grand scale as well as the particular needs of the outdoor casual dining atmosphere.
Catering for the three-day event begins with a carefully crafted menu engineered for speed and consistency, not just for key dining areas for draft goers, called the Pittsburgh Pavillion and Hospitality Tent, but also for the Taste of the Draft, a culinary tasting event aimed to raise funds and support the fight against student hunger. Our chefs curated sample plates representing food from all the Eat’n Park Hospitality Group brands, including Eat’n Park, Hello Bistro, The Porch, and Parkhurst, with specific portions and clever options like soup shooters that would allow for control and repeatability when faced with the pressures of fast, high-volume food tastings.
Another challenge presented to Parkhurst was creating and working with temporary spaces to execute delicious meals in real time within the Pittsburgh Pavillion and Hospitality Tent. Our plan included utilizing one of our Downtown Pittsburgh corporate locations in addition to setting up temporary kitchen and serving spaces on site. For example, our menu for the first day of the NFL Draft included freshly fried cod tacos, which required a temporary kitchen set up with friers directly at the venue. Each and every detail had to be carefully considered – such as front and back table needs, power for hot boxes, chafers, utensils, ice, and pre-portioning/holding decisions – so service would stay fast and seamless during this major catering event.
Delivering Under Pressure
Even with a well-designed plan in place, unexpected challenges are bound to arise in the moment.
From unpredictable guest flow and tight timelines to high visibility and zero room for operational misses, Parkhurst rose to the occasion not only with a plan, but with a dedicated team, collaborative partners, and a people-first vision to guarantee hospitality for all.
Over the course of the three-day NFL Draft event, the Pittsburgh Pavillion and Hospitality Tent welcomed over 1,300 hungry fans. When entering event-mode, it was important to keep food quality and speed consistent, while assuring hospitality to all guests, especially during unpredictable volume spikes. Parkhurst believes that same level of hospitality should extend into the unexpected moments, where one could lend a helping hand.
One of these moments arose while the NFL Draft was already in motion, and our Parkhurst team jumped in to prepare 1,800 box lunches (complete with a Smiley Cookie) to help fuel the hardworking first responders and police officers on site during the event. With the help of our hardworking team, and the enduring partnerships established with our distributors, Parkhurst was able to accept the challenge and show up for the community.
Brooks Broadhurst, Senior Vice President of Food Systems Transformation, expressed, “Strong relationships open doors to a world of possibilities, and with the team we have, we can pivot at a moment’s notice to handle nearly any request. From supporting the Duquesne Light call center during weather emergencies, preparing thousands of meals within 24 hours for emergency responders during the NFL Draft, to partnering with multiple organizations during COVID to produce more than 1.5 million meals for schoolchildren in our region, we are a trusted community partner. It’s the combination of a team dedicated to building relationships and a team focused on execution that makes all this possible.”
Collaborative partnerships have been at the heart of Parkhurst since our start 30 years ago, and that people-first mindset is what allows us to deliver a cohesive, high-quality, and meaningful experience to every guest, even under pressure during major events.
Continuing to Grow
As a community partner, Parkhurst continues to grow and deliver experiences rooted in hospitality. From large-scale events surrounded with hometown pride to small-scale corporate catering with a personal touch, Parkhurst is built to meet any catering needs. Parkhurst is driven to cultivate strong ties and meaningful growth, to continue to serve the Pittsburgh community and beyond.
