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Writer's pictureCKE Stainless

What to consider when designing a Commercial Kitchen

Updated: Aug 2, 2022


If a commercial kitchen is designed poorly, it can lead to chaos or even accidents. Thus when you’re starting a new restaurant or redesigning your existing business, you should consider the commercial kitchen design very carefully. In this blog, we will help you understand what to consider before designing a layout for commercial kitchens and how you can optimise your workflow.

Before designing a restaurant’s kitchen, you must first think about the workflow and the important pieces in the kitchen because different restaurant concepts will have different needs.

Such as, a fast-food establishment would require different cooking equipment than a contemporary bistro. Due to this, before you start planning your commercial kitchen design, you should first consider all of the restaurant equipment that is needed, all of the essential stations, and how food will flow through your kitchen. Nevertheless, below are some points that you should consider when designing your commercial kitchen.

  1. Flexibility and modularity

A commercial kitchen should be able to accommodate change as it is a dynamic place. You might have added new dishes, redesigned the menu, or hired a new chef that works differently than the previous one, creating a workspace that is adaptable might take the shape of multi-use workstations or moveable equipment.

  1. Simplicity

Cluttering is quite common in kitchens, and clutter can lead to confusion and unsanitary work environments that can negatively affect a food service operation. To maximise effectiveness and space the best option is to design a kitchen with simplicity in mind. For example, if a service station is located near the kitchen it would reduce trips through the dining room. And drop-in or modular equipment will help to eliminate some edges and corners and unnecessary shelving. Further, selecting the proper equipment with only the most important accessories will enable you to save space as well as money.

  1. The flow of materials and personnel

It is no surprise that a kitchen is a busy place, but it doesn’t have to be chaotic. A kitchen that is designed around the flow of personnel and materials will have a logical layout in which no materials or employees backtrack through the space. Simply said, the kitchen will operate in some type of circular pattern.

For example, the dry storage and refrigerator areas should be near the receiving area. But the ware-washing and waste disposal areas should be separated from the meal cooking and food preparation areas. The completed meals should exit the kitchen from one side and soiled dishes should enter the kitchen from another side. Adhering to this principle will not only keep the food safe and the kitchen clean, but it also helps to eliminate any confusion and ensures an orderly and well-organized system,

  1. Ease of Sanitization

Apart from cooking, restaurant employees spend most of their time cleaning the kitchen. So a commercial kitchen that is optimized for sanitation is quite important. One of the best methods to make a kitchen easy to clean is to install a caster on the work tables and equipment, so when cleaning the floor and walls, you can easily move them.

Food safety and sanitation codes are very important as it’s crucial that every food service upholds them. It’s a must to place hand washing stations in every area where food is prepared but it must be ensured that they are cleaned regularly and are not used for storage. This is the same case for waste disposal areas. Thus make sure that the kitchen complies with codes in your location.

  1. Ease of Supervision

When it comes to managing a kitchen the executive chef has a lot to handle. He/she should design menus, supervise the staff, finish dishes, monitor food quality, ensure the cooking equipment is working properly, and order supplies. Thus an open kitchen that has few or no walls allows for increased vision, better communication, easier movement, and makes it easier for the head chef to supervise the kitchen.

  1. Space efficiency

Most restaurants have limited space for their cooking equipment so you should figure out a method to fit all the important items into a limited space. For example, if fried foods are common in your commercial kitchen a light countertop fryer is more suitable than a large floor model. However, keep in mind not to save space unnecessarily because if a kitchen lacks equipment, it will hinder production.

Nevertheless, creating a well-thought-out commercial kitchen design can help your business to succeed. An optimised commercial kitchen will make the work much easier for your employees and even prevent accidents. This is why we at CKE Stainless do professional commercial kitchen designs that will help take your kitchen to the next level. So if you’re ready to take the next step, contact us and watch us optimise your kitchen into something great.

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