Sometimes all you need to increase efficiency, create an atmosphere, encourage safety, and keep customers coming back is a well-designed floor layout designed by reputed commercial kitchen consultants. 

Historically, the main goal of a restaurant floor plan was to make the most of the available space. This will be valid through 2021 and beyond. Real estate in the dining room and kitchen is now even smaller and more valuable due to social distance rules. You might be able to maximize sales while maintaining a secure atmosphere for both consumers and employees by intelligently structuring your floor designs. 

All the elements that go into your restaurant should be taken into account while designing an intelligent restaurant plan, including: 

  • Movable furniture 
  • Permanent fixtures 
  • Accessibility option 
  • Spaces  

The ideal configuration of these elements should provide the ideal mix of operational effectiveness, public safety, and individual comfort. For this reason, many restaurants are using a variety of “zone-based” layouts in which each employee is in charge of a certain region. Direct physical touch and overlap are reduced as a result. However, it’s frequently beneficial to create your floor plan in stages, giving particular attention to how each region of the restaurant fits. 

The following should be on a usual list of suggestions for restaurant layouts: 

  1. Kitchen 

The restaurant’s kitchen is its beating heart and the thing that makes expansion possible. There should be defined spaces in your restaurant kitchen floor plan for food preparation, cooking, dry inventory, cold storage, and washing, as well as clear pathways for ease of circulation among the kitchen staff. This idea can be used in the pickup area as well, preventing waiters from bumping into one another when fetching orders. 

  1. Waiting Room 

Even though it’s simple to ignore, the waiting room is important, especially when things are crowded. Considerable factors include: 

  • Sanitizer and Masks 
  • QR Menus 

Encourage customers to get a drink while they wait for a seat if your restaurant is a full-service establishment with a bar. However, you should also think about how to distribute seating around the bar so that patrons are not crammed close together. 

  1. Dining Area 

Add as many tables as you can while still adhering to social distance rules when optimizing the main dining space. It’s a good idea to seat guests away from the kitchen, bathrooms, and other busy areas of a restaurant in addition to leaving plenty of space between tables.

Possessing an outdoor terrace gives you many alternatives. Consider eliminating all floor decorations and other impediments to make room for more socially-spaced chairs if you only have the interior area to work with.

  1. Back Office 

The restrooms, break rooms, staff restrooms, and the back office are typically located in the restaurant’s back. Just keep in mind that social distance regulations still apply. If you are unable to change the arrangement, you might need to reorganize everyone’s schedule to make each shift as brief as feasible. 

HPG Consulting is the outcome of decades of ardent research, education, and long-term relationships to accomplish the impossible in the commercial kitchen planning field. As commercial kitchen consultants, we have worked with a wide spectrum of clients and understand the necessity of keeping project costs rational without compromising on quality and deliverables.