What is a restaurant without a kitchen? Well, it is practically just a regular hangout space. Think of your kitchen as the heart of your restaurant. The one that hopefully pumps out the best food and serves a great gastronomical experience like no other to anyone who comes, leaving a lasting impression for more.
The experience starts the moment customers catch a whiff of your restaurant on the internet and make the effort to visit with an expectation already in mind. We don’t want them waiting on their food do we? Which is why having a well-structured, clean and easily maintained commercial kitchen design is key to having a successful restaurant. In other words, a healthy heart leads to an overall healthy body.
What are the 4 major systems in a commercial kitchen?
When speaking of major systems, we essentially refer to a set of procedures working together as parts of a bigger mechanism. In this case, your commercial kitchen and in every commercial kitchen, they should have designated spaces or zones for:
- Storage
- Washing
- Food Preparation
- Cooking
- Bonus: Service
Of course, these are only the essential systems a basic commercial kitchen should have. Depending on your interior, concept and cuisine, these vary very much according to your preference.
What are the 6 types of kitchen layouts?
1) Assembly Line
As hinted from its name, the assembly line refers to a structured layout that assists individuals in the kitchen through a step-by-step process. It begins with the food prepping station and ends with a full cooked dish ready to be served by the staff.
Pros:
Facilitates well if the restaurant repeatedly only produces one type of dish
Simple structured
Space saving
Cons:
May cause space constraint for users if kitchen space is initially too small
2) Island
This is a type of commercial kitchen design layout where there is a central cooking or food preparation station in the middle surrounded by a ring-like layout.
Pros:
Provides additional storage
More space to move about
Provides multi-purpose usages. E.g. different kitchen zones can use the island
Cons:
Difficult to implement for a smaller kitchen space
May not be as cost effective to install
3) Zone-styled
Separated into different zones, each area of the kitchen is a designated space for a type of activity. For example, a food plating zone, baking zone, food preparation zone, washing zone or even a salad zone.
Pros:
Allows flexibility yet still being in structure and coordination
Caters to your specific needs and wants in the kitchen
Cons:
Unlike a traditional commercial kitchen layout, this might take a while to get used to
Needs ample planning, which may take more time
4) Galley
This refers to the kitchen zones and equipment being placed on the perimeter of the kitchen space.
Pros:
Maximises your kitchen space efficiently.
No space is left wasted
Cons:
Not much space for traffic
May not have much counter space
5) Open Kitchen
A commercial open kitchen restaurant design is one of the more popular choices we see today where customers are able to see our chefs cooking their meals. Usually, there would be a glass partition separating the customers from the kitchen but some restaurants might opt not to have that.
Pros:
Transparency towards customers
Appears more appealing towards customers
If you do not wish to install a glass separator, it is cost efficient to have as a separator requires more space and cost
Cons:
May be difficult to contain noise from both ends which can be distracting for chefs
Difficult to hide mistakes
6) Ergonomic
Now, this kitchen layout is designed to be adapted to the users, making tasks easier to complete and increases overall productivity. For example, shelves or counter tops are designed to an average height to accommodate most, if not all, users in the kitchen.
Pros:
May be costly and requires much planning to install, but it increases savings over time, as less issues will arise
Fewer injuries among users as an ergonomic layout reduces risk factors in the kitchen
Increases productivity
Cons:
May be costly to install
Requires professional guidance in planning
What features are included in commercial kitchens?
These are just some of the few essentials every commercial kitchen should and would have. Remember to take the time to invest in the right ones which are durable, easily maintained and easily operated.
- Dishwasher
- Fridges and freezers
- Food processor
- Ovens
- Grills
- Deep fryers
- Blenders
- Slicers
- Mixers
- Stoves
How to design a commercial kitchen?
Commercial kitchen design guidelines:
- Safety
Placing aside the aesthetics of your commercial kitchen layout, your first and utmost priority should be safety. The safety of your employees and restaurant in general. To ensure a safe environment, you would want to opt for equipment that prevent or reduce the risk of accidents such as silicone-based materials. A safer environment also creates a healthier and fun place for employees to work and customers to enjoy their food.
- Quality
Following safety, investing in quality equipment and products too helps ensure a safer environment. How? Well, high quality equipment is usually well-thought out and has an ergonomic feature that makes cooking easier. Not to mention, these cookware are highly durable which makes them cost efficient overtime.
- Multi-use Capabilities
This in particular refers to having kitchen tools and equipment that simplifies the cooking process for its users. They do not have to be extremely multi-purpose as a Swiss army knife nor too limited and simplistic.
The key is finding a balance and weighing out whether or not you need or want these kitchen tools. A good example would be to invest in stainless steel tools and equipment as they are simple yet durable that gets the job done without much hassle or long-term damage.
- Space Efficiency
Space efficiency varies across all restaurants. While some may get dejected over a small space, that is actually a great opportunity to find cost-effective and space-saving alternatives to create a kitchen space and layout like nobody has ever seen before.
Before committing to a budget plan or creating a Pinterest moodboard, you might wish to consider hiring a commercial kitchen design consultant like us. With our expertise, you will be able to create your desired kitchen layout no matter the size or budget.
- Sanitation
This goes without saying that sanitation is key to a safe and healthy commercial kitchen. If you keep your residential kitchen clean, that mindset should also be applied for your commercial kitchen, right? It is pertinent for your employees to clean and maintain the kitchen on a day to day basis. Moreover, be sure to be up to date of Australia’s food safety and sanitation codes to avoid fines and health issues.
- Easy Flow of Personnel and Materials
When you visit a popular restaurant that is bustling with customers in and out yet the food and service still remains impeccable? This all boils down to having a well-thought, kitchen operation flow. This is also where your commercial kitchen layout design comes into play. For example, where you would dispose of food waste and washing areas should be placed on the opposite end of food preparation and food serving. This prevents confusion and ensures an orderly fashion.
Where to get your perfect commercial kitchen?
All in all, designing a perfect or close to perfect commercial kitchen space takes time. You can have the best design consultants, best design elements and best kitchen crew but without proper, informed decision making, it can all go to waste. Take your time to research and observe, from learning about commercial kitchen design regulations to commercial kitchen ventilation designs, each step of your planning is important.
If you are still unsure as to where to start or how, Office Fitout Professionals are here to help. We know the name states ‘Office’ but our friendly, professional team of consultants are more than capable in consulting any of your designing needs for your space. Contact us today!