The success of any restaurant lies in its kitchen. There is no doubt in saying that the kitchen is the heart of every restaurant. It is the place where all the raw materials are made ready for cooking and cooking is done to make the ordered food ready. In a restaurant kitchen, the quality of food prepared has to be always good and the service should be speedy. For the proper functioning of a restaurant, a good restaurant kitchen design should be made and expert advice should be taken if needed.
If you commit a mistake while planning and purchasing for a restaurant kitchen design, you would have to pay doubly for it (in terms of loss of productivity and customer dissatisfaction). Having the perfect kitchen design for a restaurant is important because a poorly planned kitchen would result in dissatisfied guests, slow production of food, unhappy staff and higher payroll costs.
An ideal restaurant kitchen design should be planned keeping in mind the envisaged menu. This will help you in selecting the proper equipments, building the work space and determining the capacity. These days the rents and construction costs are very high, which dictate you to use every square inch of the area available wisely. The restaurateurs should have perfect knowledge about space allocation and cooking. If you are hiring a consultant you should do an in-depth discussion before giving the assignment.
Besides the architects, the chefs of the restaurants are well experienced and they would be of great help in guiding you. They know how to make the layout and do perfect spacing.
Before the kitchen layout is completely designed, the first decision that has to be made involves selecting the fuel. One can choose from wood, propane gas, electric, steam, natural gas and heating oil. The wood and heating oil equipments are not given much preference as they require frequent cleaning. The commonly used fuels include propane, electricity, natural gas and steam. Basically the choice of fuel depends upon the city and the type of cuisine, for example Chinese chefs prefer propane because of its extremely intense heat.
Once the fuel is decided there are other points that become important:
1. Lighting: A restaurant kitchen should be well illuminated. Lighting is important to increase the efficiency of work, prevent accidents, prevent wastage of food and other things and to keep a check on quality control. It is advisable to have fluorescent light fixtures for cool operating temperatures and efficiency.
2. Ventilation: Ventilation in a restaurant kitchen design is another area of concern. It plays an important role in keeping the kitchen fresh and odorless. Ventilation also ensures that cooking smell does not enter the dining area. This is in turn helpful for improving the efficiency and quality. Some people even air-condition the kitchen for better results.
3. Sprinkler systems: All the restaurant kitchen designs should necessarily have a proper sprinkler system. These systems are of two types:
- Water releasing.
- Fire extinguishing chemicals with carbon dioxide mixed.
Though there are two choices but the Fire extinguishing chemicals with carbon dioxide mixed are recommended.
4. Floor coverings: The floors in a restaurant kitchen should never be slippery as a slippery floor can cause accidents. Tile coverings should be avoided as they are prone to warping and cracking due to moisture. Stone chips are considered best for these kitchens. They are cheap and can be quickly applied. Cleaning these floors is also easy and they also prevent infestation of insects.
5. Wall coverings: The walls of a restaurant kitchen should be preferably covered with tiles or durable paint with highly glossy finish. Though tiles are expensive, but their durability makes them cost effective. The tiles are even easy to clean, but if you opt for glossy paint it will be more expensive in long run.
If a restaurant kitchen design is made keeping in mind the above considerations, you will surely land up having a successful restaurant.
In the meantime, be sure to check out the Planner 5D Online Kitchen Planner. This kitchen design software will be of great help to you while designing a restaurant kitchen. The program will also help you visualize your restaurant kitchen design project in realistic 3D.
If you consider opening your own restaurant, you will certainly need blueprints for the actual dining room as well as the kitchen.
Good post, it’s so important to have good fire prevention.