Beer, food crux of event center upgrades

Denny Sanford Premier Center planners underestimated Sioux Falls music fans’ ability to throw back beers.

The $117 million event center is slated for a major makeover of its kitchen and storage areas next year to keep up with higher than expected demand for booze and food during high profile concerts.

“Our cold storage is not adequate to hold all the cold product we need to get through a show so we currently stock our beverage ports with warm beverages,” said Chad Stoner, general manager of Spectra Food Services, the company responsible for catering at the 12,000 seat facility. “And we have to wait for it to cool down in an ice bath, which can take up to 15 minutes, slowing down sales and slowing down service.”

To remedy what Stoner called operational inefficiencies, SMG, the management company that operates the event center, and Spectra have been given the all clear by the city to use some of the $2.8 million left over from the construction budget to add up to 1,200 square feet of the storage space in various areas throughout the facility. The kitchen will also see about 1,900 square feet of additional space as a part of the planned upgrades.

Stoner said the menu items offered to suite and loge patrons relies too heavily on “quick fry” food items. Although sales have been strong – in 2015 alone Spectra had about $4 million worth of catering sales – those numbers could be stronger if a broader food menu could be offered, he said.

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“Our suite menus are directly affected by that (kitchen space),” Stoner said. “Having too many items like that on a suite menu isn’t quite as satisfying as a fresh menu concept for our suite holders. By satisfying our suite holders, we’ll continue to get those revenue contributions from their suite patrons and renewals.”

The additional space will allow more food preparation equipment to be stored for use during high profile, sold out events. The plans will expand the kitchen area to where office space is now. Those offices, housing about 15 Spectra employees, will be relocated.

Tom Huber, assistance director of finance for the city, said when construction started on the facility in 2012, the plan was to use any remaining dollars to bolster the facility.

Although he said there’s no estimated constructions costs that can be shared yet, Huber said it’s unlikely the work will eat up all of the $2.8 million “Day 2” funds, which include the $1 million settlement the city was reimbursed by event center contractors last year.

“We want the facility to run as efficiently as possible,” Huber said. “We expect them to generate an income and they need the tools to do that.”