It'shardtorealizehowimportantcommercialkitchendesignisuntilyouworkinonethathasbeendesignedpoorly.Smartkitchendesigncreatesaneasierworkareaandpreventsunnecessarybottlenecksandinterruptions.
It'shardtorealizehowimportantcommercialkitchendesignisuntilyouworkinonethathasbeendesignedpoorly.Smartkitchendesigncreatesaneasierworkareaandpreventsunnecessarybottlenecksandinterruptions.
Whenplanningthelayoutforyourcommercialkitchen,thereareseveralfactorsyouneedtoconsider.
AvailableSpace
Availablespaceisanimportantconsiderationregardlessofwhetheryouarebuildingfromthegrounduporplacingyourcommercialkitcheninanexistingbuilding.Eitherway,youwanttomakethemostofyouravailablespacewithoutsacrificingworkfloworspeed.Ageneralruleistoallowfivesquarefeetofkitchenspaceforeveryseatinyourrestaurant,soa60-seatrestaurantwillneedatleasta300squarefootkitchen.
EmployeeMobility
Awell-arrangedcommercialkitchenwillallowemployeestoeasilymovearoundwithoutbumpingintooneanother.Thisisvitaltomaintainingasmooth-runningkitchen,especiallyduringrushperiods.
KitchenHealthCodes
Localhealthcodeshavecertainstipulationswhenitcomestocommercialkitchenlayoutanddesign.Forexample,mosthealthdepartmentsrequiretheretobeafloordrainwithinsixfeet.
Ergonomics
Thetheorybehindergonomicsisthatthefewerstepsyouremployeesneedtocompleteatask,thebetter.Anergonomicallydesignedcommercialkitchenisonewhereemployeescanstandinonespotanddoalloftheirworkwithminimalbending,reaching,walkingorturning.Ergonomicscanalsoreducetheamountofinjury,discomfortandfatigueinthekitchen.
GoingGreen
Restaurantsthatwanttobegreenshouldalwaysseparatethecookingblockfromrefrigeration,tomaximizeenergyefficiency.Theyshouldalsobesurethatallcookingequipmentisunderanenergy-efficientventhood.
EnergyEfficiency
Energyefficiencyshouldbeaprimaryconsiderationforanycommercialkitchenlayout,becauseitsavesmoneyonutilitycosts.Inanenergy-efficientsetup,refrigerationandcookingequipmentarekeptasfarapartaspossiblewhilestillbeingpractical.Also,cookingequipmentisstrategicallyplacedtomaximizetheefficiencyoftheexhausthood.
SensoryAppeal
Beyondappetizingsmells,kitchenlayoutcanappealtocustomers’othersensesaswell.Exhibitionkitchens,forexample,allowcustomerstoseeeverythingthat’sgoingon.
Flexibility
Regardlessofthefinallayout,flexibilityofdesignisimportantforanycommercialkitchen.Achangeinmanagementorfoodtrendscouldcompletelychangethemenu,whichcanaffectequipmentusageandplacement.Beyondthat,makesuretheequipmentcanbeeasilymovedforcleaning.
KitchenArrangement
Thereisnodefiniteruleonhowtoarrangeyourcommercialkitchenequipment.Italldependsontheavailablespaceandyourparticularneeds.However,therearefourdifferentarrangementsthatarecommon.
ErgonomicConfiguration
Inapurelyergonomicconfiguration,thekitchenequipmentisarrangedaccordingtowhatismostcomfortableandefficientforthechefandkitchenworkersandisusuallylessenergyefficient.Forexample,anergonomicallyarrangedkitchenmighthaveanundercounterfreezerlocateddirectlybesidethedeepfryer.Althoughthisisnotenergy-efficient,itallowsfrozenFrenchfriesorchickenstripstobemoveddirectlyfromthefreezertothefryer,withouteventakingastep.
Assembly-LineConfiguration
Thisdesignisidealforarestaurantthatmostlyproduceslargequantitiesofthesamefoods,likepizzasorsandwiches.Inanassembly-lineconfiguration,thekitchenislaidoutaccordingtotheorderofuse,andthepiecesofequipmentaregenerallyinalineandaresometimeslinkedtogetherbattery-style.Forexample,apizzashopmightstartwiththecommercialrefrigerator,movetothedough-shapingarea,thentothepizzapreptablethentothepizzadeckovenandfinallytothewarmingandholdingstationorpizzabox.
Zone-StyleConfiguration
Inazone-styleconfiguration,thekitchenisdividedintodifferentzonesorblocks.Generally,thereisablockforfoodpreparation,ablockforcooking,ablockforrefrigerationandicemachines,ablockforsanitationandware-washing,andablockforthekitchen-to-servertransition.Theremayevenbemultipleblocks.Forexample,alargekitchenmayneedtwofoodpreparationblocks:oneneartherefrigerationandonenearthecookingequipment.
Island-StyleConfiguration
Island-stylekitchensarepopularinboththeresidentialandcommercialsettings.Itissimilartothezone-styleconfigurationbutthereisonemainblockinthemiddle.Typically,commercialkitchenswithanisland-styleconfigurationplacethecookingequipmentinthemiddlewiththefoodprep,storageandkitchen-to-servertransitionareasontheouterwalls.Thereverseisalsocommon,withprepequipmentinthecenterandcookingequipmentontheouterwalls.
CommercialKitchenLayoutAssistance
Everykitchenisdifferent.Determinewhatyourprioritiesare,andchooseadesignthatwillaccommodatethemandworkswellwithyourmenu.Otherwise,youmightenduphavingtomakecostlyrenovationstoyourkitchenlayout.Layingoutandorganizingacommercialkitchenisadifficulttask.It'sagoodideatogethelp.Vanyateamisspecializedindesigningandlayingoutcommercialkitchens.