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Tips for Commercial Kitchen Design
It is very important when designing any commercial kitchen, to take time and effort to understand the needs and requirements that the finished kitchen will fulfill.
Mistakes can be expensive to correct. In particular those with the plumbing and electrical wiring, hence it is vital that care taken in the initial planning stages.
Establish a Team
Get a small team together when planning and designing a commercial kitchen. Don't underestimate the importance of having opinions of experts in construction (plumbing and electrical).Also from experienced chefs who have actual work experience in a kitchen.Consider having a clear vision of the food served because this will help determine the equipment and layout that the chef will require.
Features of Great Restaurant Kitchen Designing
Ergonomics: - It results in time savings and helps to reduce the risk of any accidents happening in the kitchen.Size of the Kitchen: - Should be proportional to the size of the planned seating capacity of the restaurant. A general rule is 0,5 meters sq. in the kitchen for every seat in the dining area.
Energy Efficient; _ Kitchen design has a direct bearing on energy costs’ all cooking ranges should be together to reduce the overall costs of exhaust hoods.
Equipment: Discuss with the chefs, they will often want but not need a wide range of equipment. Discuss the benefits of each before making a final decision.Ventilation: - This is very important in a well-designed kitchen. It is not only important for the safety and comfort of staff in the kitchen but as a result diners are not surrounded by food smells.
Easy Maintenance; - Depends on the materials used in the kitchen and the storage facilities of the equipment.
Guide to allocation by percentage of Kitchen Space
Receiving Area – 5 %
Storage of Food – 20%
Pre-prep area -20%
Cooking area -12%
Baking area -10%
Pot Washing area – 5%
Aisles for Traffic – 16%
Garbage is for wet and Dry – 5%
Employee facilities- 5%
Miscellaneous -2%
The different examples of how to Layout your Restaurant Kitchen.
Single Assembly Line
Narrow Rooms.Usually, results in longest walking distance.Suggest sink in the middle of the line with separation from the range.Enhanced with additional island.Normally applied to kitchens serving a large quantity of food quickly. Place cleaning and storage areas behind the assembly line,resulting in a greater flow and efficiency during service.
Galley Kitchen
Shape offers most efficient use of space.Two rows allow lots of prep space.Moving between areas is as simple as turning around.Keep cleaning and cooking areas on the same side to avoid accidents.Make sure enough room for openable draws/cupboards.
The L-shape kitchen
Flexible layout design. Work areas are close together.All large appliances grouped together
Island-Style Layout
This places ovens fryers etc together in the center of the kitchen .Place other equipment around the perimeter.Allows a circular flow. Open layout easy cleaning.Allows easy supervision
Zone style Layout
All equipment and work areas are grouped together.Major appliances stored against the wall.Allows an open area in the middle for easy supervision.
Whatever design you finally choose most importantly remember it is worthwhile and cost effective to consult with your team before making any final decisions.