Building and environmental standards have also evolved and will play a prominent role in the design of the new Grant Grove Restaurant. The design is aimed at LEED Gold certification, and the $6.2-million project will feature an 8,000-square-foot restaurant, which will be built using sustainable materials and construction techniques.

�Upgrading Grant Grove Restaurant has been a central part of our vision for enhancing the overall visitor experience,� said John Motley, hotel operations manager for Delaware North at Kings Canyon National Park. �The new facility will raise the Grant Grove dining experience to match today�s visitor expectations.�
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The original structure featured a small lunch counter, which served park visitors until the restaurant was expanded to its current size. It has had few changes since then other than the conversion of the former Sequoia Room Bar into overflow seating for the restaurant. In 2013, when Delaware North�s parks and resorts business was awarded the Kings Canyon National Park concession contract, updating the Grant Grove Restaurant was high on its lists of planned improvements immediately following planned lodging upgrades. In 2014 and 2015, Delaware North completed renovations to the Grant Grove Cabins, John Muir Lodge and Cedar Grove Lodge.

Current Grant Grove Dining Options

The Grant Grove restaurant closed May 21, and alternative options are currently available, such as:

• The Grant Grove Market, which offers "grab and go" meals, pizza by the slice, and microwaveable breakfast burritos, biscuits and other choices.
• An Outdoor Food Court in Grant Grove Village offering meals to overnight guests and day visitors alike.
• Overnight guests at John Muir Lodge and the Grant Grove Cabins who have booked a package that includes breakfast can choose a continental breakfast at the John Muir Lodge Lobby or a-la-carte breakfast items at the Outdoor Food Court or Market.
• Peaks Restaurant at Wuksachi Lodge and Wolverton Barbecue in neighboring Sequoia National Park are both functioning as normal (roughly a 45-minute drive from Grant Grove).

About Delaware North at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Delaware North serves as concessioner to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, operating overnight accommodations, food and beverage, retail and other services at destinations including Wuksachi Lodge, Lodgepole, Grant Grove Village, John Muir Lodge and Cedar Grove. To learn more about Delaware North�s lodging and retail operations in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, visit VisitSequoiaKingsCanyon.com.

For additional information on Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, please visit NPS.gov/SeKi or contact Dana Dierkes; Chief, Branch of Communications and Outreach; at Dana_Dierkes@nps.gov or phone 559-565-3131.

About Delaware North�s Parks and Resorts Business
Delaware North is a global leader in the hospitality industry, operating lodging, recreational activities, food and beverage services, retail and educational programming at destinations throughout North America, Australia and Asia. Delaware North operates in many of the country�s iconic national and state parks, including Kalaloch Lodge in Olympic National Park and Niagara Falls State Park, as well as at cultural attractions such as Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. Its portfolio also includes five luxury resorts in Australia. To learn more about Delaware North�s hospitality management expertise, visit www.DelawareNorth.com/industries/parks.

About Delaware North
Delaware North is one of the largest privately held hospitality and food service companies in the world. Founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for 100 years, Delaware North has global operations at high-profile places such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos. Our 60,000 employee associates are dedicated to creating special experiences one guest at a time in serving more than a half-billion guests annually. Delaware North operates in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurant and catering, parks, resorts, gaming, and specialty retail industries and has annual revenue of about $3 billion. "Delaware North" is a reference to Delaware North Companies Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries, including location-specific operating entities. Learn more about Delaware North, a global leader in hospitality and food service, at www.DelawareNorth.com.

Media Contact:
Julie Wright
(W)right On Communications, Inc.
for Sequoia National Park
858-755-5411
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