There are numerous variables to consider. There are no two restaurant kitchens alike, especially for different restaurant types such as full service and quick service, among others. However, any back-of-house design should take certain factors into account.
Flexibility & Space Efficiency
Your kitchen should be just as adaptable as your menu. Do you have any daily specials at your restaurant? Do you change your menu with menu engineering data by your side every season? Modular kitchens, such as those with mobile equipment or workstations that can be used for multiple tasks, will help you make better use of your space.
Simplicity
It should not be difficult to navigate your kitchen. Save space (and money) by only using the equipment you need. Consider where certain stations should be placed to make the kitchen workflow – from expo to line cook to executive chef – as simple as possible.
Kitchen Workflow
The majority of kitchens are disorganised. It’s just the way a kitchen works. On the other hand, the best kitchens make the most of the chaos. HPG Consulting recommends that cleaning, storage and inventory, food preparation, meal cooking, and service be considered when designing your kitchen. The waste disposal and cleaning area are separated from the meal preparation area in this layout, and ready meals exit on one side. At the same time, dirty dishes enter on the other.
Credits: APS-Hoods
Supervision and Training
Creating an incentive program for promotion in the back of the house is extremely important because hiring (and retaining) good restaurant staff is the top issue for over 50% of restaurateurs. The executive chef should have enough space in the back of the house to supervise (and train) line cooks, sous chefs, and other back-of-house employees. The executive chef should be able to walk around the kitchen and monitor everything going on.
Air Ventilation
Air ventilation should be considered in the same vein as energy efficiency. If there isn’t enough ventilation in the kitchen, the indoor air quality – odours and circulation – will suffer. Replace the range hood filter frequently and turn on the range fan when your chefs begin cooking, not halfway through. You may also want to include fans or air purifiers throughout your restaurant consult kitchen floor plan, as the back of the house can get quite hot.
Maintenance
What is the most common blunder made when designing a commercial kitchen? Making no provision for maintenance. Imagine your oven breaking down three months after it was installed. Suppose the repairman cannot assess the damage due to other equipment or counters being too close to the oven. In that case, you may need to replace it. That’s probably out of your price range!
Prepare for the worst by designing your kitchen to be modular, allowing you to move certain areas around to access broken equipment such as refrigerators, walk-ins, and ranges.
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Energy efficiency
Power is required in commercial restaurant kitchen planning. Energy costs may account for a significant portion of your restaurant’s budget. Strategically placing cooking equipment so that the exhaust hood can whisk away hot air keeps the kitchen cooler. Putting cold storage as far away from heat sources as possible keeps appliances from working overtime.