March 1, 2022 Dodging supply chain delays at the Upham’s Corner Comfort Station
This month Comfort Kitchen’s equipment supplier, TriMark, came out to the Upham’s Corner Comfort Station to take some measurements and review equipment details with architect Nate Fash of Supernormal, general contractor Mike Mawn of MJ Mawn, and Comfort Kitchen partners Biplaw Rai and Kwasi Kwaa. Although dimensions and obstructions are shown on the project’s architectural plans, confirming them with a tape measure is still a valuable exercise, and resulted in some plan adjustments to accommodate delivery logistics and installation, and allow for smoother long-term operations for kitchen staff.
Over the past year, Comfort Kitchen hosted pop-ups in a few different restaurants, which allowed Chef Kwasi to try out multiple kitchens and refine his equipment preferences. In pre-Covid times, we would have a lot more time to plan before having to place an order for the equipment, but lead times for deliveries now extend far beyond the normal 6-8 weeks to more than 24 weeks due to supply chain limits, so equipment orders must be made soon to ensure a late summer opening. Once the order is finalized, Trimark will be able to confirm availabilities and shipping dates. Hopefully substitutions won’t be required.
On site, we continue to make good progress on build-out at the Comfort Station. All recent work has been confined to the basement, where the old concrete floor slab was removed, trenches dug, and plumbing installed to prepare the area to become Comfort Kitchen’s meal prep and clean up space. The new concrete floor pour had to be rescheduled due to one of the recent snowstorms. A few days lost because of weather can easily be made up along the way toward our scheduled completion in late July. After the new basement floor’s concrete sets, wall framing begins, and the space will really start to take shape for its new use.
Stay tuned for more on this project next month!