Aramark Launches Restaurant Brand

FM Staff

Aramark Healthcare will open Soluna Cafè Bakery, its first branded free-standing retail restaurants this month at the Texas Medical Center in Houston and early next year in Columbus, OH, and San Diego. Designed to meet the needs of physicians, nurses, hospital employees and visitors on large healthcare campuses, Soluna will menu tossed-to-order salads, made-to-order sandwiches and premium, home-style soups in a tranquil atmosphere.

The 4,000-sq.ft. unit at Texas Medical Center—a huge medical/research complex that includes the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Saint Luke's Hospital—will feature a 60-seat dining room with an outdoor patio that can accommodate more than 40 additional guests

Early next year, Aramark plans to open addition Soluna units at Ohio Health's Grant Medical Center in downtown Columbus and at San Diego's newly constructed Physicians Medical Office Building, across the street from Sharp Memorial Hospital and near Sharp Mary Birch Hospital and Children's Hospital & Health Center of San Diego.

"Bringing Soluna Cafè Bakeries to medical campuses is an important strategic initiative as physicians, nurses and hospital staff often have difficulty finding the time to refuel and relax during the demands of a typical work day," says Aramark Healthcare President Bob Carpenter. "Our research has indicated that a gap for this type of dining option exists in the healthcare setting, and developing this concept in close proximity to leading healthcare institutions allows us to meet their needs."

Soluna's signature menu item will be its Quiche-Adillas, baked in a flour tortilla. Lorraine's Favorite Quiche-Adilla has Swiss cheese, smoked bacon-and-a-touch of nutmeg, while the Roasted Vegetables with Asiago Quiche-Adilla consists of red, yellow and green peppers, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red onion.

A coffee bar component will offer blended and specialty coffee drinks, infused teas, real fruit smoothies and desserts. A premium catering component will allows the restaurant to deliver catered meals and snacks to nearby hospitals, universities and businesses.