Whether you own a humble restaurant or a chain of hotels, kitchen design largely determines the efficiency of operations, which is bound to reflect in the level of customer satisfaction. Although every seasoned business understands the significance of kitchen design and hires a professional for the job, many new entrants make the mistake of taking the matters in their own hands, and have to bear the consequences in the form of operational glitches and compromised productivity. If you too are planning to set up or redo a commercial kitchen, we have identified some of the focus areas to keep in mind, but when it comes to doing a job well, it is always advisable to leave some things to the experts……
1. Food Flow
Food flow is unarguably the most vital of all aspects in commercial kitchen planning. The design must allow food preparation in the needed sequential order. The process starts with the inflow of raw materials, followed by storage and preparation. For inflow, you can have a dedicated room or create a space in the kitchen area. For storage, you can choose from freezers, chillers, and of course, the good old, refrigerators.
2. Visibility
One of the key concerns of your customers is the quality of food being served to them and the conditions in which it is prepared. That is the reason it is advisable to maintain as much visibility as possible between the sitting and cooking areas. As far as design is concerned, you can achieve transparency by opting for an open kitchen design or using a fiberglass wall to separate the cooking and dining sections.
3. Movement Space
Lack of space is another area of concern that must be on your list, when preparing a commercial kitchen design. Ample movement space is necessary for a number of reasons, ranging from easy transfer of raw materials and finished products, to easy collaboration of your kitchen staff. If space is a constraint, you can go for a space efficient design incorporating custom designed counters and cabinetry.
4. Air Circulation
Proper air circulation is not only necessary to provide a safe working environment to your staff, but is also indispensable if the aim is to achieve optimum operating efficiency. Moreover, as a food service business, you also have to comply with local environmental control norms, some of which dictate the quality of indoor air that must be maintained at all time. If you are unsure about how to comply, consult a kitchen planning professional for correct guidance.
5. Waste Management
When it comes to the regulations ruling the food services industry, some of the most stringent ones are on waste management. In fact, unless you want to risk paying some hefty penalties, waste management must be one of the key concerns when planning a commercial kitchen. Commercial kitchens produce various types of wastes, requiring at least three waste disposal systems for wet waste, dry non-recyclable, and dry recyclable waste, making the role of an experienced kitchen planning professional, indispensable.
Wrap Up
The food services industry has experienced phenomenal growth during the last decade and the graph is only expected to go up. Food businesses, however, might need to up their game in order to remain competitive in this much dynamic and evolving domain. If you are planning a commercial kitchen for your food services business, the experts at HPG Consulting are here to help. Equipped with extensive experience in kitchen planning, we are ideally positioned to deliver on any set of requirements. To get the ball rolling, fill out our contact form or simply call +91-11-43505228/29 or +919311202627