Recently Completed: Road America Concession Stand
In 1955, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and School in Plymouth started selling grilled brats, corn on the cob, and buckets of soda out of a tent at Elkhart Lake's Road America. Located in the heart of the track, known as "the paddock", SJB Concessions has been an important fundraiser for the parish and school. Over the years, expanded facilities and increased offerings have made the concession stand well-known in the racing community for its exceptional service and outstanding food.
Today, SJB Concessions is one of the best-equipped stands at the track, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner out of a newly constructed facility for the 2020 race season.
The project consisted of removing the existing stand and replacing it with a 3,100 SF octagonal concession stand and pavilion. The building includes a food prep area with walk-in cooler and freezer, a 12’ charcoal grill, and seven 8’ roll up serving windows. There is a pavilion attached which has four glass overhead doors to create an open-air covered serving and seating area. Outside there is a 6,600 SF concrete patio which doubles as a stage for bands.
A challenge with the project was setting the 62’ long 3-ply wood trusses. The site provided limitations for bracing the large trusses within the octagonal structure. Gary and crew prefabricated the trusses on the ground in sections that would support themselves once set on the walls. The large sections were then set with a crane, helping to significantly limit the number of times the crew was up and down ladders setting the trusses.
