6 Mistakes in Commercial Kitchen Design

While the kitchen forms the core of every restaurant, many still suffer from a lack of knowledge and experience when it comes to designing the perfect kitchen. 

Below, you will find some of the most common mistakes in kitchen design. 

1. Non-strategic workstation and placement of equipment

This can get in the way of the chef if he needs to move towards the north to take a look at the order sheet and shift towards the south to get ingredients before walking towards the east to cook and lastly walking towards to west to hand the cooked dish to a waiter. The work zones need to be strategically planned to ensure a smooth workflow.

The placement of cooking equipment also matters. Big-sized items such as refrigerator and oven should not block the way and hamper the chefs in moving around the kitchen. More importantly, equipment that requires maintenance should not be placed at a dead end.

2. Bad ventilation system

It is wise to invest in a quality range hood to route contaminated air through ductwork and keep the kitchen clean. The resulting odour from terrible air circulation would result in an unpleasant experience for customers, and even the workers.  

3. Too little storage space

Bulk purchasing is a norm in the F&B industry to avoid the hassle of having to constantly restock. Some restaurateurs who fail to recognise the importance of having sufficient storage space end up restocking very frequently. Chances are they are also unable to purchase in bulk, thus incurring more costs when they could have saved by buying in bulk. Furthermore, this can be quite troublesome when the restaurateur eventually decides to expand the business. 

4. Insufficient kitchen space

It will definitely affect the working conditions of those who have many workers as they are forced to congregate in a tiny area. Thus, it is important to take into account the number of kitchen workers they have before deciding on the size of kitchen. It is advisable that the aisle be around 42 and 48 inches to allow ease of movement so that their work efficiency would not be affected. 

5. Inappropriate placement of garbage bin

The trashcan should always be located near to the exterior door so that workers do not have to walk past the food preparation and cooking areas with the trash in hand. This helps prevent food from getting contaminated. 

6. Non-compliance

It is mandatory to ensure that the kitchen is compliant with all safety regulations. The authority might disapprove the restaurant from going into business if any of the regulations is violated. On top of that, the management’s rules and regulations regarding the restaurant’s design are to be followed.