Could you design a commercial kitchen without any experience? You might think you could give it a good shot but the fact is these designs should always be left to very experienced specialist kitchen designers.
The fact is you will fall down somewhere along the way and end up with a disaster.
The first essential point may seem rather obvious but it needs to be fully understood and that is the question of the service required.
This means an understanding of the likely numbers of customers to be catered for and the type of food to be served. Is it self-service, plated, or a la carte?
Understand the answer to that first question will help decide the physical size of the kitchen area and the amount and type of equipment.
Once a budget is agreed upon then the design can begin. One of the biggest mistakes is underestimating the space needed and this includes certain aspects the amateur designer may overlook. Is there enough space for the delivery Lorries to park and unload?
Is there enough storage space for dry goods, frozen deliveries and wet trade? Many suppliers will have a minimum delivery or offer discounts on large deliveries which the restaurant owner would be mad not to make the most of.
The best designers actually understand the likely amount of goods-in space and cold storage required where an inexperienced designer could under-estimate this factor with the result that the whole business is in jeopardy.
Health and safety will not allow overfill of deliveries blocking corridors that may be deemed fire escape routes.
There should be plenty of room for a check in area and this should be cleared immediately after every delivery to avoid confusion at the next delivery. Needless to say the delivery and storage should be adjacent to the preparation area but should not mean delivery drivers have any direct access into the kitchen.
The complete commercial kitchen design should always consider the flows of goods and staff. In other words, the preparation area should be next to goods storage which in turn is preceded by goods in.
The next is the cooking area. This is the heart of the business and should not be a thoroughfare for anyone other than the chef or chefs.
A great deal of thought and work goes into this cooking area and this is where careful selection of cooking equipment is dictated by the type of menu and the skills of the chefs. Safety and workflow are the main requirements.
The next critical part of the flow is the service area and yet again this is an area that is frequently under-estimated with the amount of space required. At peak moments, how many full dishes are likely to be placed on the service surfaces?
The next flow is the return route after the meals have been eaten and cleared and this consists mainly of the washing-up area which is frequently under-estimated in area with disastrous results for the smooth running of the restaurant.
Refuse storage and refuse collection completes the cycle.
The fact is you will fall down somewhere along the way and end up with a disaster.
The first essential point may seem rather obvious but it needs to be fully understood and that is the question of the service required.
This means an understanding of the likely numbers of customers to be catered for and the type of food to be served. Is it self-service, plated, or a la carte?
Understand the answer to that first question will help decide the physical size of the kitchen area and the amount and type of equipment.
Once a budget is agreed upon then the design can begin. One of the biggest mistakes is underestimating the space needed and this includes certain aspects the amateur designer may overlook. Is there enough space for the delivery Lorries to park and unload?
Is there enough storage space for dry goods, frozen deliveries and wet trade? Many suppliers will have a minimum delivery or offer discounts on large deliveries which the restaurant owner would be mad not to make the most of.
The best designers actually understand the likely amount of goods-in space and cold storage required where an inexperienced designer could under-estimate this factor with the result that the whole business is in jeopardy.
Health and safety will not allow overfill of deliveries blocking corridors that may be deemed fire escape routes.
There should be plenty of room for a check in area and this should be cleared immediately after every delivery to avoid confusion at the next delivery. Needless to say the delivery and storage should be adjacent to the preparation area but should not mean delivery drivers have any direct access into the kitchen.
The complete commercial kitchen design should always consider the flows of goods and staff. In other words, the preparation area should be next to goods storage which in turn is preceded by goods in.
The next is the cooking area. This is the heart of the business and should not be a thoroughfare for anyone other than the chef or chefs.
A great deal of thought and work goes into this cooking area and this is where careful selection of cooking equipment is dictated by the type of menu and the skills of the chefs. Safety and workflow are the main requirements.
The next critical part of the flow is the service area and yet again this is an area that is frequently under-estimated with the amount of space required. At peak moments, how many full dishes are likely to be placed on the service surfaces?
The next flow is the return route after the meals have been eaten and cleared and this consists mainly of the washing-up area which is frequently under-estimated in area with disastrous results for the smooth running of the restaurant.
Refuse storage and refuse collection completes the cycle.
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