How to Choose the Right Commercial Kitchen Layout

The kitchen is the center of the restaurant. What comes out of it (and the way rapidly it comes out) makes or breaks the eating expertise for purchasers. 

A business kitchen’s format can decide how easily the restaurant features. When the kitchen is designed strategically, it allows the back-of-house crew to work effectively and produce high-quality meals persistently. When the kitchen is put collectively haphazardly, it could turn out to be an impediment for the BOH. In a poorly designed kitchen, employees can’t be as environment friendly as a result of they’ve to fret about bumping into one another.

A profitable business kitchen format is straightforward to make use of, meets the restaurant’s wants and allows your service employees to ship an incredible restaurant experience. Whether or not you’re constructing a restaurant from scratch, or have (actually) hit a wall together with your present design and have to renovate, you’ll turn out to be a business kitchen format skilled after studying this information. 

On this weblog publish you’ll be taught:

 

5 kinds of business kitchen layouts

Now that you simply perceive the elements of a purposeful business kitchen, and have thought of components equivalent to security and ergonomics, it’s time to begin designing your restaurant’s kitchen. Take inspiration from these 5 in style business kitchen layouts.

Industrial kitchen format varieties

• Meeting line format
• Island format
• Zone-style format
• Galley format
• Open kitchen format

1. Meeting line format

The meeting line configuration consists of a central row or island that begins with meals prep and ends with a accomplished merchandise that is able to be taken to your friends. 

The advantages of the meeting line format

This business kitchen format facilitates the manufacturing of numerous the identical sort of dish over and over. The meeting line works greatest with a number of cooks who’re every accountable for one a part of the meals manufacturing course of. Such a format is good for quick-service varieties eating places that want quick output. 

Disadvantages of an meeting line format

Whereas the meeting line format is unquestionably constructed for pace, it won’t be proper for all restaurant varieties. Because it’s created for a linear preparation course of and centered on repetition of particular actions, this format sort can restrict the pliability you need to change the menu. The give attention to pace and effectivity may also result in decrease high quality and lack of personalization or creativity. 

Which restaurant varieties is the meeting line format greatest for?

The meeting line format is greatest for quick meals eating places or eating places with restricted menus which have comparable preparation types, like pizza parlors or build-your-own bowl eating places.

Examples

Quick-casual chains like Chipotle and Sweetgreen use an meeting line configuration within the customer-facing aspect of their kitchens.

2. Island format

The island business kitchen format begins with the ring format and provides a central preparation or cooking station. For instance, a kitchen might have storage items, washing stations and meals prep counters alongside its perimeter and cooking tools in its heart.

The advantages of the island kitchen format

With a central “command heart” or passthrough level for all meals, the island configuration facilitates employees communication and government chef supervision.

Disadvantages of an island kitchen format

The island kitchen format is a well-liked possibility for house kitchens. In a restaurant setting, nevertheless, it could pose some challenges. With out the linear meeting line format, an island kitchen requires a little bit of coordination and communication between meals preparation and meals cooking areas. This format may also not work as effectively for smaller kitchens for the reason that important island requires far more room. 

Which restaurant varieties is the island kitchen format greatest for?

The island setup is greatest for eating places with ample kitchen house to make sure that the island doesn’t create an impediment for the BOH crew.

Examples

You possibly can watch the island format in motion on the Dutch restaurant Latour.

 

3. Zone-style format

A zone-style format creates separate stations for every sort of exercise that goes on within the kitchen or for every type of dish that’s ready in it. For instance, a restaurant might have a soup and salad station, meat station, frying station, and baking station.

The advantages of the zone-style format

This business kitchen format retains the kitchen organized and permits several types of dishes to be ready on the identical time. This format helps BOH employees divide and conquer. You possibly can rent a specialised chef for every station slightly than a line cook dinner to create the whole lot from begin to end.

Disadvantages of a zone-style format

Whereas nice for specialised cooking, one of these format could be far more costly to arrange. Every space or zone may require several types of specialised tools and even issues like air flow. All of this will add as much as greater preliminary prices, in addition to power and upkeep prices. The zone-style format can also be not appropriate for every type of eating places. Eating places with smaller menus wouldn’t profit from a fancy multi-zone format. 

Which restaurant varieties is the zone-style kitchen format greatest for?

This business kitchen format is greatest for eating places with various menus and many employees. The station format is suited to massive operations like lodge eating places, catering kitchens or occasion house kitchens.

Eating places with small kitchens ought to keep away from the station-based configuration because it doesn’t permit for multitasking. You’ll want ample house and employees to make one of these kitchen operate easily.

Examples

You possibly can see examples of station-based business kitchen layouts here and here.

4. Galley format

On this business kitchen format, all stations and tools are on the perimeter of the kitchen. In a really tight house, kitchen tools is positioned alongside solely parallel two partitions. This format is generally utilized in small business kitchen settings. 

The advantages of the galley format

In case your kitchen is massive sufficient to have a hoop format with empty house within the heart, you’ll be able to have a number of cooks within the kitchen they usually can simply rotate to work a number of stations without delay. In a really small house, like a meals truck, the galley kitchen is the one possibility the house permits. 

Disadvantages of the galley format

Such a kitchen is generally used for smaller operations which have restricted house and have to be as environment friendly as potential by way of manufacturing. A galley format doesn’t work for greater restaurant operations. For parallel stations, the house can turn out to be too cramped and it doesn’t permit for a excessive quantity of meals manufacturing. There’s restricted room for meals prep and this will result in longer wait occasions for purchasers if a better quantity of individuals present up. 

Which restaurant varieties is the galley kitchen format greatest for?

The ring and galley fashion business kitchen layouts are greatest for tight areas. with few employees, equivalent to meals vans. 

Small business kitchen format examples

Kitchens with lengthy, slim areas and just about any meals truck.

5. Open kitchen format

An open kitchen format lets clients see the motion that normally takes place behind the scenes. Any business kitchen format could be became an open kitchen by taking down a wall.

To make sure visitor security, it’s greatest to maintain scorching cooking home equipment as far-off from clients as potential. A glass partition between the service space and visitor seating is a brilliant alternative to guard the meals from surprising sneezes or coughs.

Within the instance above, Lightspeed buyer Pastel, named one among Canada’s 100 best restaurants, has an open kitchen format that lets friends see government chef Jason Morris and his crew put together dishes with precision.

The advantages of the open kitchen format

The open kitchen is nice for entertaining friends. An open kitchen can also be a very good alternative to maximise a small house. You possibly can create chef’s desk seating by putting bar stools by the kitchen.

Disadvantages of an open kitchen format

Whereas an open kitchen idea can add a novel industrial aspect to your restaurant, it comes with drawbacks. Loud noises and messes from hectic kitchens can create a distracting eating expertise. Smells coming from the kitchen may also diminish the precise ambiance of the restaurant and the meal the shoppers are having. 

Lastly, an open kitchen format may also be problematic relating to cross contamination and even considerations for meals allergens. 

Which restaurant varieties is the open kitchen format greatest for?

Open format kitchens are sometimes seen at high-end eating places or eating places with small business areas. Watching the cooks put together dishes turns into an integral a part of the eating expertise.

Examples

Sampan in Philadelphia and Minibar in DC have open kitchens and chef’s desk seating.

 

The 5 key elements of a business kitchen format

Earlier than designing a business kitchen format in your house, it’s necessary to account for the wants that the kitchen should fulfill and the tools related to these wants. When you recognize what elements want to suit into the house from the start of the design course of, it is possible for you to to design your restaurant kitchen format extra successfully. 

The 5 elements of a business kitchen

• Storage
• washing station
• Meals preparation
• Cooking station
• Service space

 

 

1. Storage

Your restaurant’s kitchen will retailer a wide range of objects together with cooking instruments (utensils, pans, and many others.), meals (produce, meats, dry items) and place settings (glasses, plates, linens). 

Your kitchen will want separate storage items for every of those wants, equivalent to a fridge for perishable meals, a pantry for dry items and cabinets for place settings and instruments.

2. Washing station

A number of cleansing goes on in a business kitchen to make sure the security of the meals that’s being served and the dishes that it’s being served on. We suggest creating separate washing stations for meals and for dishes in order that soiled dish suds by no means land on clear produce!

Your washing stations will want business dishwashing machines, sinks and drying racks to run easily.

3. Meals preparation

A business kitchen might have a number of meals preparation areas relying on what sort of meals is on the menu. The meals prep part of a restaurant’s kitchen consists of counter house, reducing instruments and storage containers.

Place meals preparation zones close to a fridge in order that your BOH crew can rapidly and safely retailer uncooked components till they’re prepared for use.

4. Cooking station

Until your restaurant’s idea is uncooked meals, your kitchen will want fairly a little bit of cooking tools to execute your menu. Most eating places have gasoline range-oven combos, business fryers, and some specialised cooking home equipment. A kitchen display system makes it straightforward for BOH employees to maintain up with incoming tickets.

5. Service

A business kitchen’s service space is used for plating dishes and handing them off to servers to ship to diners. A service space ought to have warmth lamps to maintain meals heat.

Place your kitchen’s service space as near the eating room as potential to reduce the gap from the kitchen to the desk for waiters. 

 

An important business kitchen format concerns

Now that you simply perceive the important thing elements of a business kitchen format, it’s essential to additionally issue just a few essential concerns into your kitchen’s design as a way to be certain that it’s protected and purposeful.

Ergonomics

In keeping with the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, ergonomics is the science behind “designing and arranging issues folks use in order that the folks and issues work together most effectively and safely.”

So as to create a purposeful, user-friendly business kitchen format it’s essential to consider how a lot tools the kitchen might want to maintain, how many individuals will likely be within the kitchen and the circulate of the employees’s routes between stations. 

House

How a lot room you need to work with will restrict which business kitchen layouts you’ll be able to undertake. Business pointers suggest dedicating 60% of your commercial space to the entrance of home and reserving the remaining 40% for back of house. 

So in case your restaurant has an space of 500 sq. ft, 300 sq. ft can be used for the eating space and ready room, and the remaining 200 sq. ft can be used for the kitchen.

Workers communication

Don’t neglect in regards to the human components of designing an area. Facilitate employees interplay and communication with an open ground plan as a substitute of a maze-like kitchen with walled-off sections. Make it straightforward for government cooks and managers to supervise what’s occurring within the kitchen in order that they’ll practice and communicate with staff.

This consideration could also be extra necessary in a fast-food surroundings with inexperienced employees than at a high-end restaurant with skilled cooks.

Security

Security and design go hand in hand. First, it’s good to contemplate meals security in your restaurant. Design an area that retains meals protected for consumption. A number of easy methods to do that embrace putting your receiving space close to the fridge and avoiding cleansing chemical substances close to meals. 

You’ll additionally have to verify local regulations to make sure that your restaurant takes meals security precautions that transcend widespread sense. In some states, native rules might decide your business kitchen’s format or design components. 

For instance, Missouri’s food code prohibits using wooden as a meals preparation floor (with just a few exceptions) and prohibits carpeting in a business kitchen. Test native business kitchen legal guidelines to make sure that your restaurant is as much as code.

You also needs to take your employees’s well being into consideration as you design your business kitchen. Construct correct air flow into the house. Place mats on the bottom to scale back knee and again wear-and-tear from standing.

Fireplace security is one other main aspect it’s essential to consider whereas designing a protected restaurant kitchen. Create fireplace exits. Set up smoke detectors and fireplace extinguishers. Work together with your inside designer to make room for on a regular basis kitchen tools into your house and emergency instruments.

 

Choosing the proper business kitchen format in your restaurant

Strategic design makes a kitchen purposeful and protected. The fitting business kitchen format allows a BOH crew to do their greatest work safely and effectively, leading to decrease employees turnover and better buyer satisfaction. Nevertheless, there is no such thing as a one kitchen format that’s higher than the remaining. 

Victor Cardamone, proprietor of restaurant kitchen design agency Mise Designs, says that your supreme business kitchen format is fully dependent in your kitchen house’s dimension and form. “In case your restaurant house has an extended, slim kitchen house, then an meeting line format will likely be handiest, whereas if the kitchen house was a sq. room, an island format can be extra applicable. Context is the whole lot.” You need to by no means drive a kitchen format sort into an area that wasn’t designed for it.

With that in thoughts, Cardamone suggests following these steps when evaluating a business house’s supreme kitchen format:

• Create a course of to execute every menu merchandise
• Develop an tools listing for every kitchen station based mostly on menu necessities
• Manage or design the tools format for every station
• Prepare the stations subsequent to one another that share menu elements
• Decide your service course of to finish dishes for supply to the shopper
• Design your expediting station and place it on the heart level of all culinary stations
• Perceive your constructing limitations and be keen to seek out alternate execution and repair supply strategies to accommodate
• Visualize a dry run, executing every menu merchandise in your new kitchen to make sure they’re created and delivered effectively

While you’re in search of the best business house in your restaurant, it’s good to actively assess the house’s potential. Which sort of restaurant kitchen format works greatest in your service sort and the kitchen house? Should you’re having points pinpointing which of the 5 kitchen layouts will work greatest, contemplate hiring professionals that will help you out.

 

Streamline restaurant communications 

An optimized restaurant kitchen format will enhance effectivity amongst kitchen employees, however don’t neglect in regards to the entrance of home. A one-stop restaurant administration system improves employees communication, streamlines the ordering course of and far more.

Need to see how? Talk to one of our experts to learn how Lightspeed can assist.