When fire broke out on the Raleigh Convention Center roof on December 1, water from firefighting efforts poured directly into Sodexo Live!'s kitchen below. Soot and fire damage meant they couldn't salvage equipment even if it wasn't water damaged. Everything was gone.
"This could have easily been a catastrophic event with a building of 500,000 square feet," Raleigh Fire Chief Herbert Griffin said.
"We lost all our refrigeration. We lost the whole kitchen, the banquet office," recalled Samantha Amodio, Senior Catering Sales Manager. "We lost our dish machines, all our food product. We lost everything."
With major events scheduled to resume in January, the team had no time to wait for repairs. Their solution: transform the adjacent parking lot into a fully operational modular kitchen.
Innovation Under Pressure
The city is in the process of relocating the 6,000-seat Red Hat Amphitheatre to allow for an expansion of the convention center. In just four days, a 10,000-square-foot temporary kitchen was established in the Amphitheatre’s footprint to support ongoing events while the main kitchen is repaired.
"Our clients are getting the exact same excellent service they've always received from us,” explained Jamie Jenkins, Sodexo Live! General Manager at RCC. “Our modular kitchen isn't some makeshift operation. It’s the same professional-grade equipment that Sodexo Live! deploys at events like the Formula One Miami Grand Prix at Hard Rock Stadium. Our clients aren't experiencing 'plan B.’ We're operating at the same professional level we always have."
The City of Raleigh treated it like a brick-and-mortar build, requiring full health and building inspections. But that was only the beginning. Now every plate, every service, every beverage has to travel from the modular kitchen through backstage corridors and up freight elevators to reach convention center guests. The experienced teams at the convention center and Sodexo Live! had to bring all their experience to meet this challenge.
Executing Under Extraordinary Circumstances
The first major test came on January 11, five weeks after the fire. The City of Oaks Volleyball Tournament brought thousands of young athletes from five states back to the convention center. Tournament organizers had nothing but confidence in the team. "We were actually the first event after the pandemic, so we’ve been ‘first’ before," said Sherry Fadool, executive director of the Triangle Volleyball Club. "We have a lot of trust in the people here."
That trust in Sodexo Live! and the convention center team wasn't misplaced. The event proceeded flawlessly, with food service running smoothly from the modular kitchen while construction crews worked overhead. The team's efforts helped the convention center retain 34 of 35 events scheduled from January through March, preserving $4 million in revenue and 28,000 hotel room nights for downtown Raleigh.
A Team Under Pressure
Banquet staff faced immediate work stoppages. Management relocated offices three times. Administrative staff worked remotely while coordinating with clients, contractors, and city officials.
“There were some pretty major impacts to our kitchen,” recalled Samantha Amodio, Senior Catering Sales Manager. “But we had to be creative and resilient and figure things out.”
That commitment defined the response. While crews worked overhead installing new HVAC systems and removing damaged equipment, Sodexo Live! kept serving, executing complex multi-day events with flawless hospitality despite operating from a makeshift kitchen in an amphitheater.
Small But Mighty
Walking through the modular setup, Jamie captured the spirit that made it all possible: "We're small here, but we're mighty."
It's a philosophy that extends across Sodexo Live!'s 150+ venues worldwide. When crisis strikes, it's the people on the ground adapting, innovating, and delivering exceptional hospitality no matter the obstacles.
The modular kitchen continues operating as permanent repairs progress. Timelines remain fluid, but one thing is certain: Experience Makers in Raleigh proved that the greatest asset in hospitality isn't the building or equipment; it's the team that refuses to let anything stop them from serving their guests.
