Table of Contents
Factors that affect kitchen design
The factors which can affect the layout plan are:-
1. Type of business
2. Type of customers
3. Possibility of expansions
4. Seasonal pressures
5. Number of covers (guests) to be offered
6. Cover turnover
7. Type of meal
8. Timings of meals (lunch or dinner service, or day service)
9. Facilities of equipment in a still room
10. Floor space
11. To what extent will ‘convenience’ foods be used?
12. Is an allowance to be made for special functions?
13. Type of service proposed- self- service, cafeteria, waiter or waitress service)
14. Position of windows, ventilation, drainage, water service, etc.
Here are the notable characteristics of good commercial kitchen design, that you need to consider in your kitchen planning and layout.
Energy Efficiency
Commercial kitchen design has a direct impact on your energy costs. One sure way to keep energy consumption to a minimum is to locate all the cooking ranges in one place so as to optimize the energy costs associated with wit6h exhaust hoods.
Ergonomic
The best kitchen design is such that the staff movements are kept to a bare minimum. This can only be achieved through the incorporation of ergonomic design. Ergonomic design helps your commercial kitchen reduce or eliminate accidents and accidental food spillages, and also, save time in food preparation.
Ventilation
Proper ventilation is very important in the design of every commercial kitchen. Every hotel or restaurant kitchen planner knows that proper ventilation is essential for safety and the comfort of the hotel staff. It also saves your diners from having to be surrounded by food smells.
Maintenance
The best industrial kitchen design makes for easy maintenance by using the right materials and optimizing equipment arrangement and storage.
Size
Another element of good commercial kitchen design is that there should be a connection between the size of the kitchen and that of the restaurant. The basic rule of thumb is that there should be 5 square feet of space for every chair that is in the restaurant.
Team
You can never design the best commercial kitchen without first putting together the best team with which to work. You need to have professional and experienced contractors such as plumbers and electricians as well as experienced chefs in your team. It also helps to have knowledge of the food that the business will serve as it has a bearing on the layout and equipment choices.