1/13/23, 12:37 PM Layout of Commercial Kitchen (types, drawing a layout of a Commercial kitchen) – hmhub: Perfect 🖥 hub for 120k+
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Layout of Commercial Kitchen (types, drawing a
layout of a Commercial kitchen)
https://hmhub.in/layout-of-commercial-kitchen/
June 16, 2020
Categories: 6th Sem Facility Planning Notes
The layout of Commercial Kitchen
A successful commercial kitchen layout is easy to use, meets the restaurant’s needs, and
enables your service staff to deliver an amazing restaurant experience. Whether you’re
building a restaurant from scratch, or have (literally) hit a wall with your current design
and need to renovate.
5 Types of commercial kitchen layouts
Now that you understand the components of a functional commercial kitchen, and have
thought about elements such as safety and ergonomics, it’s time to start designing your
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restaurant’s kitchen. Take inspiration from these five popular commercial kitchen
layouts.
Commercial kitchen layout types
1. Assembly line layout
2. Island layout
3. Zone-style layout
4. Galley layout
5. Open kitchen layout
1. Assembly line layout
The assembly line configuration consists of a central row or island that starts with food
prep and ends with a completed item that is ready to be taken to be served.
The benefits of the assembly line layout
This commercial kitchen layout facilitates the production of lots of the same type of
dish over and over again. The assembly line works best with multiple cooks who are each
responsible for one part of the food production process.
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Which restaurant-types is the assembly line layout best for?
The assembly line layout is best for fast food restaurants or restaurants with limited
menus that have similar preparation styles, like pizza parlors or build-your-own bowl
restaurants.
2. Island layout
The island commercial kitchen layout starts with the ring layout and adds a central
preparation or cooking station. For example, a kitchen may have storage units, washing
stations, and food prep counters along its perimeter, and cooking equipment in its
center.
The benefits of the island kitchen layout
With a central “command center” or passthrough point for all meals, the island
configuration facilitates staff communication and executive chef supervision.
Which restaurant-types is the island kitchen layout best for?
The island setup is best for restaurants with ample kitchen space to ensure that the
island doesn’t create an obstacle for the BOH team.
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3. Zone-style layout
The station layout creates separate zones for each type of activity that goes on in the
kitchen or for each kind of dish that is prepared in it. For example, a restaurant could
have a soup and salad station, meat station, frying station, and baking station.
The benefits of the zone-style layout
The station commercial kitchen layout keeps the kitchen organized and allows different
types of dishes to be prepared at the same time. This layout helps BOH staff divide and
conquer. You can hire a specialized chef for each station rather than a line cook to
create everything from start to finish.
Which restaurant-types is the zone-style kitchen layout best for?
This layout is best for restaurants with diverse menus and lots of staff. The station
layout is suited for large operations like hotel restaurants, catering kitchens, or event
space kitchens.
Restaurants with small kitchens should avoid the station-based configuration as it
doesn’t allow for multitasking. You’ll need ample space and staff to make this type of
kitchen function smoothly.
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4. Galley layout
In this commercial kitchen layout, all stations and equipment are on the perimeter of
the kitchen. In a very tight space, kitchen equipment is placed along only parallel two
walls.
The benefits of the galley layout
If your kitchen is large enough to have a ring layout with empty space in the center, you
can have multiple cooks in the kitchen and they can easily rotate to work multiple
stations at once. In a very small space, like a food truck, the galley kitchen is the only
option space allows.
Which restaurant-types is the galley kitchen layout best for?
The ring and galley configurations are best for tight spaces with some staff, such as
food trucks.
5. Open kitchen layout
An open kitchen layout lets customers see the action that usually takes place behind the
scenes. Any commercial kitchen layout can be turned into an open kitchen by taking
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down a wall.
To ensure guest safety, it’s best to keep hot cooking appliances as far away from
customers as possible. A glass partition between the service area and guest seating is a
smart choice to protect the food from unexpected sneezes or coughs.
The benefits of the open kitchen layout
The open kitchen is great for entertaining guests. An open kitchen is also a good
opportunity to maximize a small space. You can create a chef’s table seating by placing
bar stools in the kitchen.
Which restaurant-types is the open kitchen layout best for?
Open layout kitchens are typically seen at high-end restaurants or restaurants with
small commercial spaces. Watching the cooks prepare dishes becomes an integral part
of the dining experience.
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The 5 key components of a commercial kitchen
Before designing a commercial kitchen space, it’s important to account for the needs
that the kitchen must fulfill and the equipment associated with those needs. When you
know what components need to fit into space from the beginning of the design process,
you will be able to design your commercial kitchen layout more effectively.
The 5 components of a commercial kitchen
1. Storage
2. washing station
3. Food preparation
4. Cooking station
5. Service area
1. Storage
Your restaurant’s kitchen will store a variety of items including cooking tools (utensils,
pans, etc.), food (produce, meats, dry goods), and place settings (glasses, plates, linens).
Your kitchen will need separate storage units for each of these needs, such as a
refrigerator for perishable foods, a pantry for dry goods, and cupboards for place
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settings and tools.
2. Washing station
A lot of cleaning goes on in a commercial kitchen to ensure the safety of the food that’s
being served and the dishes that it’s being served on. We recommend creating separate
washing stations for food and for dishes so that dirty dish suds never land on clean
produce! Your washing stations will need commercial dishwashing machines, sinks, and
drying racks to run smoothly.
3. Food preparation
A commercial kitchen may have several food preparation areas depending on what kind
of food is on the menu. The food prep section of a restaurant’s kitchen consists of
counter space, cutting tools, and storage containers.
Place food preparation zones near a refrigerator so that your BOH team can quickly and
safely store raw ingredients until they’re ready to be used.
4. Cooking station
Unless your restaurant’s concept is raw foods, your kitchen will need quite a bit of
cooking equipment to execute your menu. Most restaurants have gas range-oven
combinations and commercial fryers, and some specialized cooking appliances.
A kitchen display system makes it easy for BOH staff to keep up with incoming tickets.
5. Service
A commercial kitchen’s service area is used for plating dishes and handing them off to
servers to deliver to diners. A service area should have heat lamps to keep food warm.
Place your kitchen’s service area as close to the dining room as possible to lessen the
distance from the kitchen to the table for waiters.
The most important commercial kitchen layout considerations
Now that you understand the key components of a commercial kitchen, you must also
factor a few crucial considerations into your kitchen’s design in order to ensure that it’s
safe and functional.
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Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the science behind “designing and arranging things people use so that the
people and things interact most efficiently and safely.”
In order to create a functional, user-friendly commercial kitchen layout you must take
into consideration how much equipment the kitchen will need to hold, how many people
will be in the kitchen and the flow of the staff’s routes between stations.
Space
How much room you have to work with will limit which commercial kitchen layouts you
can adopt. Industry guidelines recommend dedicating 60% of your commercial space to
the front of the house and reserving the remaining 40% for your back of the house.
So if your restaurant has an area of 500 square feet, 300 square feet would be used for
the dining area and waiting room, and the remaining 200 square feet would be used for
the kitchen.
Staff communication
Don’t forget about the human elements of designing a space. Facilitate staff
interaction and communication with an open floor plan instead of a maze-like kitchen
with walled-off sections. Make it easy for executive chefs and managers to oversee
what’s going on in the kitchen so that they can train and communicate with staff.
This consideration may be more important in a fast-food environment with the
inexperienced staff than at a high-end restaurant with experienced chefs.
Safety
Safety and design go hand in hand. First, you need to consider food safety in your
restaurant. Design a space that keeps food safe for consumption. A few simple ways to
do this include placing your receiving near the fridge and avoiding cleaning chemicals
near food.
You’ll also need to check local regulations to ensure that your restaurant takes food
safety precautions that go beyond common sense. In some states, local regulations may
determine your commercial kitchen’s layout or design elements.
For example, Missouri’s food code prohibits the use of wood as a food preparation
surface (with a few exceptions) and prohibits carpeting in a commercial kitchen. Check
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local commercial kitchen laws to ensure that your restaurant is up to code.
You should also take your staff’s health into consideration as you design your
commercial kitchen. Build proper ventilation into space. Placemats on the ground to
reduce knee and back wear-and-tear from standing.
Fire safety is another major element you must take into consideration while designing a
safe restaurant kitchen. Create fire exits. Install smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
Work with your interior designer to make room for everyday kitchen equipment into
your space and emergency tools.
Choosing the right commercial kitchen layout for your
restaurant
The strategic design makes a kitchen functional and safe. The right commercial kitchen
layout enables a BOH team to do their best work safely and efficiently, resulting in
lower staff turnover and higher customer satisfaction. However, there is no one kitchen
layout that’s better than the rest.
Following these steps when evaluating a commercial space’s ideal kitchen layout:
1. Create a process to execute each menu item
2. Develop an equipment list for each kitchen station based on menu requirements
3. Organize or design the equipment layout for each station
4. Arrange the stations next to each other that share menu components
5. Determine your service process to complete dishes for delivery to the customer
6. Design your expediting station and place it at the center point of all culinary stations
7. Understand your building limitations and be willing to find alternate execution and
service delivery methods to accommodate
8. Visualize a dry run, executing each menu item in your new kitchen to ensure they are
created and delivered efficiently
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