311 or 509.755.2489
Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 9:40 a.m.
SPOKANE – City of Spokane Parks & Recreation is seeking food and beverage partners to support various sites and operations throughout the park system.
Service sites include Riverfront Park’s U.S. Pavilion with larger events in the park like concerts and weddings, and/or the Manito Park Bench Café and similar city-wide sites along with smaller event catering like birthday parties. Interested parties can apply for one or more sites.
Applications are open now through January 16, 2023 at 1 p.m. Vendors can learn more and submit a proposal at the City’s Purchasing online portal: https://spokane.procureware.com
The selection and contract negotiations are anticipated to take place over January/February, with a goal of having Park Board-approved contracts in February.
Previously, Lancer Hospitality provided food and beverage services for all of Parks & Recreation. Lancer terminated their contract, effective mid-February. “We appreciate [the City’s] efforts to collaborate with us through past challenging circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to the unfortunate significant decrease in programming coupled with other residual effects of the pandemic - including decreased attendance, rising labor costs, unprecedented inflation, and nationwide food supply shortages – Lancer has been forced to make the difficult decision to terminate our agreement.”
“It’s been an incredibly challenging period for hospitality and events, and we certainly understand Lancer’s decision,” said Garrett Jones, director of Parks & Recreation. “It’s an opportunity for us to take another look at our approach post-pandemic. Over the past few years, we have continued to learn about what works best in our new Riverfront Park, at our retail locations across the city, how to best serve the customer and community, and provide top value and experience. That may mean dividing up our food and beverage partnerships between large scale events and smaller scale retail/event support, which will give more flexibility and opportunity for local vendors.”
About City of Spokane Parks & Recreation
City of Spokane Parks and Recreation stewards nearly 120 properties across 4,000 acres of park land, including manicured parks, natural lands, aquatic centers, golf courses, sports complexes, and an arboretum. We also offer hundreds of recreation opportunities for all ages and abilities to improve the health and quality of life for our community. Enjoy all your city has to offer by visiting spokaneparks.org. Follow us @SpokaneParks on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
-###-
The City of Choice
509.625.6200
parks@spokanecity.org
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
