Alto-Hartley is known for getting the job done – on time, on budget, and in a way that meets or exceeds the client's expectations.
As proof, much of our work comes from repeat clients and referrals. The following list is a small sampling of our work. Click on the highlighted client names below for details on some of these projects.
- Health care facilities
- Anne Arundel Medical Center - New main kitchen and cafeteria
- Greenspring - Retirement community kitchen and pantry renovation
- Inova Loudon Hospital - Scullery redesign and renovation
- Potomac Hospital - New main kitchen and cafeteria
- Walter Reed Army Medical Center - New main kitchen and cafeteria
- Educational institutions
- Smithsonian Institution - New cafeteria in the National Museum of American History and other projects
- Flint Hill School - Pulping and eCorect composting system installation
- Corporate cafeterias
- American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) - Dish room renovation
- Exxon Mobil - Kitchen renovation
- Oracle - Servery renovation
- Restaurants
- 2941 - Build-out of a Northern Virginia institution
- Cafesano - Design and build of a fast-growing chain featuring an Italian-Mediterranean healthy-food concept
- Citronelle - "Gut" renovation of D.C.'s finest restaurant
- Great American Restaurants - Long-standing relationship with this nationally known, casual fine-dining chain to work on new restaurants and replacement equipment
- L'Auberge Chez François - Reconstruction following fire
- Pizzeria Paradiso - New, optimized kitchen
- Rogue 24 - State-of-the-art kitchen equipment, custom design and installation; most equipment for cooking to be done in the dining room, including all electric equipment
- Teaism - Energy-efficiency upgrades to kitchen
- Volt - State-of-the-art kitchen equipment design and installation
- Government and military facilities
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - Catering pantry design and build in historic Scattergoode-Thorne home on complex grounds
- Embassies and ambassadors' residences (various) - High-end catering kitchen installations
- Fort Belvoir Regional Training Institute - New kitchen complex
- Pentagon - Food courts, executive dining room, and Joint Chiefs of Staff private dining room, following September 11, 2001, events
- World Bank - New dish-collection and -consolidation area and new pulping system
- Hotels
- Aloft Hotels (Starwood Hotels property) - Kitchen design and build in multiple states nationwide
- Holiday Inn Arlington - Kitchen updates and buffet renovations
- Interstate Hotels and Resorts - Equipment replacement and new construction nationwide for this 400-unit, full-service hotel management company
- Marriott Courtyard - C and S bar renovations; crafted the prototype and completed additional installations throughout out the Mid-Atlantic region
Spotlight Projects
Health Care Facilities
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Alto-Hartley performed a complete renovation of Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s kitchen and cafeteria. During this eight-phase, 14-month project, the cafeteria and kitchen remained in use so that it could continue to meet the needs of the patients, staff, and visitors in the interim. As a result of our outstanding performance, we were awarded us another project at Fort Belvoir.
Educational Institutions
Smithsonian Institution
The museums of the Smithsonian Institution are national treasures, visited by more than a million people each year. A million hungry people. Alto-Hartley has worked with the Smithsonian Institution on several projects to make eating in the cafeterias a positive experience.
Alto-Hartley was entrusted with renovating the National Museum of American History's entire cafeteria and building a new café, under a contract valued at more than $1 million. All work needed to be completed in just three months. It had to be ready for President Barack Obama to walk through before attending his inauguration. The facilities were completed and ready to begin service on time and on budget.
Among other Smithsonian projects, the Alto-Hartley team clad the existing cashier counters in the National Air & Space Museum's cafeteria in stainless steel to make them more durable and to eliminate a safety hazard. The team also built and installed stainless steel beverage counters at the National Museum of Natural History to make them more durable. These projects were critically important, especially given how many children go through the facility. In addition, Alto-Hartley supplied the National Portrait Gallery's cafeteria for its 2008 opening. All work that Alto-Hartley performed for the Smithsonian was completed off-hours to minimize the impact on the cafeterias' business and customers.
Corporate Cafeterias
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
AARP hired Alto-Hartley to replace the dishwashing equipment in its corporate cafeteria to increase energy efficiency and make better use of space.
The carousel dishwashing equipment, which was antiquated and expensive to run, filled the cafeteria’s dish room. The Alto-Hartley team developed an energy solution to address these issues. The team reconfigured the dish room for maximum capacity and functionality. The room was redesigned so that the dishwashing equipment could hug the wall and new, more energy-efficient equipment was installed. The Alto-Hartley team worked during off-hours to avoid disrupting the cafeteria’s business and customers.
With the redesigned dish room and new equipment, AARP conserves water and electricity – saving thousands of dollars each month on utility bills – and has freed up space for much-needed storage. This helps the cafeteria perform more efficiently and cost-effectively and in a more environmentally conscious manner.
Restaurants
Volt
When chef Bryan Voltaggio wanted to turn a historic mansion in Frederick, Maryland, into a fine-dining restaurant, he turned to Alto-Hartley for expert assistance.
Working within a strict budget, the Alto-Hartley team designed the open kitchen, including custom building a special seating area where customers can enjoy a 21-course tasting menu, as well as procured and installed all of the equipment. The project was completed on time, within budget, and to Voltaggio's delight. Volt has become incredibly successful. Its excellent reputation spread nationwide as a result of Voltaggio's winning season on Bravo TV's "Top Chef".
Rogue 24
Chef RJ Cooper engaged Alto-Hartley to help realize his vision of turning a car garage in a historic Washington, D.C. alley into a fine-dining restaurant. As part of this, he envisioned being able to cook in the middle of the dining room.
For this project, which is in process, the Alto-Hartley team is designing the kitchen and procuring and installing the equipment as well as custom building granite cooking islands, with cooking equipment built in, so that cooking can be done in the middle of the dining room. The state-of-the-art equipment will be highly energy efficient. And the chef's cutting-edge cooking methods allow for a smaller-than-usual equipment footprint. Once the restaurant is completed, it will offer customers a unique dining experience while operating in a highly efficient manner.
Pizzeria Paradiso
Chef Ruth Gresser was moving the Dupont Circle location of her restaurant, Pizzeria Paradiso. The new space would be twice the size of the existing one.
To address Gresser's needs, the Alto-Hartley team optimized the kitchen area to maximize seating. The team designed the kitchen and procured and installed all of the equipment. During the life of the project, the restaurant had to close for just a single day. The transition was seamless – the original location closed one day and the new one opened successfully the next.
Cafesano Catering & Market
The Cafesano concept of offering flavorful, and healthful, Italian-Mediterranean cuisine was so widely accepted that the owner decided to open a catering kitchen and market to better accommodate the lunchtime catering needs of the local business community.
Alto-Hartley provided and installed all of the kitchen equipment for Cafesano Catering & Market. Working closely with the general contractor and architect, we completed the job on time, and the new Cafesano opened as scheduled.
Government and Military Facilities
Pentagon
The effort to rebuild the Pentagon after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, included updating or reconstructing food-service facilities throughout the building. Alto-Hartley was selected to perform a five-year, multiphase project to renovate or rebuild these facilities in four of the five “wedges” that compose the building; the facilities in the fifth wedge had been renovated just before the attack.
Alto-Hartley furnished and installed equipment in multitenant food courts containing most of the big names in fast food, in the executive kitchens of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and in Army and Navy dining facilities. The work was completed on time and to the client’s full satisfaction. The eateries in the Pentagon serve thousands of people—military and civilian—everyday.
World Bank
Alto-Hartley installed a new dish collection and consolidation area as well as a pulping system that reduced cafeteria waste by 75 percent.
