Commercial Kitchen Design

Things to Consider When Designing a Commercial Kitchen

You can’t have a successful hospitality business without a strong commercial kitchen design. A good design should not only ensure that your kitchen and all of your equipment operates efficiently, but it should also make it as easy as possible for your staff to perform their job. In other words, how all the different aspects of your business run depend on the design of your commercial kitchen.

There are five things to consider for the best possible kitchen design. They are:

1. Storage

The most important thing to think about when deciding how you’re going to store your food and equipment is spatial planning. You need to think about how much space you have, how much space you need for storage, and how many people will be using and/or going through your kitchen.

The different types of storage you need to consider making room for are refrigerated storage, freezer storage, dry storage (for canned goods, spices and some fresh produce), non-food storage (such as napkins, paper cups, paper plates and order books), crockery storage and storage for cleaning equipment. Your crockery should be located in a clean, grease-free, water-free area near a washing up facility to minimise movement around the kitchen. Your cleaning equipment, such as your bleach and cleaning chemicals – should never be stored above food, food equipment, crockery or utensils.

2. Food preparation

Food preparation stations should be located between storage and cooking areas to ensure a linear traffic flow. Think about how you’ll segregate different processes, such as the preparation of raw meat, vegetables, poultry and dessert, in order to maintain Occupational Health and Safety standards. Also consider the placement of a sink dedicated to food prep, such as for washing produce.

If you have a large menu, you may need also more space than a smaller menu where you reuse equipment frequently and need less separate food preparation stations. There are many different layouts for you to consider. A zone-style kitchen means your kitchen is divided into different sections, each dedicated to a different stage of meal preparation. An island-style kitchen has one main table in the middle of a main space, usually with the cooking area, while food prep and storage are located around the walls. An assembly-line kitchen is laid out with equipment in a line in order of use, which is great for businesses that produce large quantities of the same food.

3. Cooking and meal assembly

You should also be considering how much food needs to be cooking at a time. Envisaging the traffic flow is essential to ensure you get things right in the first design. The cooking area really is the heart of your kitchen, so your cooking equipment needs to be located in an area that is easy to move around. Adequate ventilation needs to be installed to prevent excessive heat and moisture build up, as well as to keep the kitchen as clean and fresh as possible. Ensure you have fire-retardants located at key points around the kitchen to be used in the case of an emergency. Meal assembly should also take place that is close to the kitchen’s entry from the catering area. Wait staff shouldn’t have to walk through the whole kitchen to pick up plates ready to be served, as this will create a number of safety hazards.

4. Service

A well designed commercial kitchen is one that considers every aspect of your staff’s activity. Staff should be able to enter, exit and move around the kitchen without having their path obstructed by trolleys and crates.

You also need to consider the delivery of your food. You should ensure that large quantities of food can easily and safely be transported from the back door to where your food is stored. Your deliveries shouldn’t have to be carried through the catering area at all to reach your food storage.

5. Cleaning

Safety and hygiene is of paramount importance when designing your kitchen. Each food prep area should have dedicated sinks to avoid cross contamination. You should also have dedicated basins for washing hands, positioned in a way that any water drops don’t fall onto surfaces where food is handled. You also need to consider how your waste water will be disposed of. A sink in a separate room for janitor duties is essential, as bleach and cleaning chemicals shouldn’t be coming anywhere near your food.

Ensure that there are also spaces for garbage bins, and that these bins can easily be carried out of the kitchen to be emptied.

No two kitchens are alike. Remember, no two businesses are the same, which means no two kitchens are either! You may have unique needs in your commercial kitchen that aren’t in most commercial kitchens. Talk these through with your kitchen designer so that they can ensure that you have a tailored kitchen that is also efficient, safe, and enjoyable to work in.