1-SLCo 090826 Midvale Complex Cafeteria RFI 9.8.26.pdf

Request for Information (RFI)

FOR SALT LAKE COUNTY

Title: Employee Cafeteria Food Service Partner for new office building (799 W.

Coliseum Way, Midvale, UT 84047)

Solicitation #FAC090826

Response Due Date/Time:

Due Date: September 22, 2026, by 1:00 PM Questions Due Date: September 16, 2026, by 1:00 pm Submit to: Teresa Young, tyoung@saltlakecounty.gov

Purpose: Salt Lake County is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to determine the level of interest from qualied food service providers in operating a non-subsidized employee cafeteria that may also include use of the kitchen as a commissary facility for the selected vendor's broader food service operations.

The information obtained from this RFI will be used to inform the County how to best structure a potential Request for Proposal (RFP.) Depending on the outcome of this RFI, an RFP may be released in late 2026 or early 2027.

General Information: Salt Lake County is exploring a partnership with an experienced food service provider to operate a nancially sustainable, non-subsidized employee cafeteria serving approximately 800 employees at its campus in Midvale, Utah with several more employees working out of the office in a hybrid work environment.

Members of the public, both those who have business in the building and those who do not, will also have access to the cafeteria. The building is not yet occupied and will be undergoing renovations with an anticipated occupancy starting in Q4 of 2027.

The primary goal is to provide employees with fresh, healthy, affordable, and high-quality food offerings for breakfast and lunch without requiring an operating subsidy.

To enhance the nancial sustainability of the cafeteria, Salt Lake County is interested in understanding whether vendors would benet from utilizing the kitchen as a commissary kitchen to support their own commercial food service operations. Such use could generate supplemental revenue for the vendor, helping offset operating costs and allowing more competitive meal pricing for employees.

Any commissary operations must complement—not interfere with—the daily operation of the employee cafeteria, which will remain the primary function of the facility during normal business hours.

Desired Food Program: Salt Lake County is interested in vendors capable of providing a modern dining experience emphasizing a variety of fresh, nutritious, and reasonably priced menu options.

Breakfast: hot breakfast entrées, breakfast sandwiches, fresh pastries, oatmeal, yogurt and parfaits, fresh fruit, coffee and specialty beverages

Lunch: grill selections, salads, deli sandwiches and wraps, chef-inspired daily specials, grain and protein bowls, soups

Grab and go meals, healthy snacks, cold and hot beverages

Overall: vegetarian and vegan offerings, gluten-free options

Mobile ordering and pickup, cashless payment systems desired

Commissary Kitchen Opportunity

Salt Lake County is interested in understanding how vendors might utilize the kitchen outside of cafeteria operating hours or during periods that do not impact employee dining service. Potential uses may include production of food for the vendor's other client locations, catering production, packaged meal preparation, retail food production and other commercial food production activities, The County is also open to considering other uses of the kitchen and adjacent areas by vendors for non-County related events, including evening and dinner-based events.

The intent is to provide the selected vendor with an opportunity to generate additional revenue through commissary operations, thereby improving the nancial viability of the cafeteria and helping maintain affordable meal pricing for employees. Although Salt Lake County does not intend to occupy the new campus until Q4 of 2027, there is a possibility of the food service partner utilizing the kitchen for outside activities prior to Q4 of 2027.

The kitchen and dining room oor plan is provided for informational purposes. The plan is from the original 2017 building design and may not reect the current design.

RFI Response Requirements:

The County is issuing this RFI with the desire to gain a better understanding from the market to create an RFP process. The following questions have been developed by the County to understand the qualications and needs of potential food service partners, and to gather information that will aid in the development of this project.

1. Company Information

Please provide a brief overview of your company and experience operating corporate cafeterias and commissary kitchens.

2. Interest in the Opportunity

Please describe:

• Your level of interest in this opportunity

• Factors that would inuence your decision to pursue a future RFP

3. Operating Approach

Briey describe your approach to operating a successful non-subsidized employee cafeteria.

4. Healthy Dining Philosophy

Briey describe how your organization supports employee wellness through healthy menu development.

5. Commissary Kitchen Capabilities

Please describe:

• Your interest in utilizing the kitchen as a commissary facility and why this would be benecial to your operations.

6. Kitchen and Facility Requirements

Approximate square footage of kitchen, including storage rooms, refrigeration and freezer units is 3,000 square feet. Dining area is approximately 3,800 feet.

Please briey describe facility requirements necessary to support both cafeteria and commissary operations for customer-facing service, production and distribution, including:

Kitchen size Equipment requirements Utility requirements Refrigeration and freezer capacity Dry storage requirements Loading dock access: the building’s loading dock is located on the same floor as the kitchen and is easily accessed.

Receiving and storage needs Point-of-sale technology Seating recommendations Other facility considerations

7. Financial Model

Please describe the nancial model type you typically utilize for employee cafeterias such as fully subsidized, partially subsidized, prot-and-loss or management fee structure.

• Indicate the type of nancial model information you typically provide in responses to cafeteria and commissary proposals.

Requested Outcome

The County intends to use the responses to:

• Assess market interest in this opportunity.

• Better understand operational models for a non-subsidized employee cafeteria.

• Identify kitchen and facility requirements.

• Evaluate the feasibility of incorporating commissary operations to improve nancial sustainability and help reduce meal costs for employees.

• Rene the project scope prior to issuing a formal Request for Proposal (RFP).

The organization welcomes creative and innovative operating models that align with these objectives.

GRAMA

The County is a governmental entity subject to the Utah Governmental Records and Access Management Act (GRAMA), Utah Code Section 63G-2-101, et seq. All documents submitted in response to this RFI will be treated as protected records under GRAMA Section 63G-2-305(7). Please be advised that documents submitted in response to this RFI will become public records upon execution of a contract directly relating to the subject of this RFI through a potential formal solicitation process, or in the event the County does not enter into a contract which directly relates to the subject matter, upon the expiration of two years from the date of issue of this RFI.

Trade secrets and commercial information will not be disclosed if you have properly compiled with Utah Code Section 63G-2-305 and Utah Code Section 63G-2-309.

RFI Response Submission Requirements:

Proposers are encouraged to submit their contact information and written response in no more than ten (10) pages to Salt Lake County Contracts and Procurement, attention Teresa Young, tyoung@saltlakecounty.gov.

Questions: Questions may be submitted to tyoung@saltlakecounty.gov no later than September 16, 2026, by 1:00 pm with answers provided to all proposers by September 18, 2026.

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