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LEED Gold is the second-highest certification level for a building by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 8,000-square-foot restaurant 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.”

The inside seating capacity will be increased to 108, with outdoor deck seating for 48 and a large courtyard with picnic tables to seat 75.

A fireplace, large windows, vaulted ceilings and efficient layout will greet visitors inside, and a large modern kitchen will serve behind the scenes.

The original structure built in the 1970s featured a small lunch counter that 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, according to a news release.