5 Key Areas To Consider When Designing A Commercial Kitchen

Caterline

For a commercial kitchen to work it boils down to the initial commercial kitchen layout and kitchen design. Things like utensils being close to hand, doors opening the right way and there being a steady flow of preparing dishes – all things which reduce the potential for things and people to clash and best optimise your space and kitchen productivity.

This is fundamentally achieved by having a good commercial kitchen design and layout – designing it expertly really is invaluable in helping to maximize productivity. A good catering efficient layout for a commercial kitchen will determine how efficiently food is stored, food is prepared, and food is served to hungry, paying customers. There are many things to consider for the best layout of the kitchen, but we can discuss this for you and come up with the best layout for your kitchen, taking into account your individual requirements.

To achieve the optimum commercial kitchen layout there are five key areas to consider when designing a commercial kitchen. These include:

Food Storage

Raw and cooked food needs to be kept fresh, at the correct temperature, and free from contamination. Fridges and freezers need to be kept away from cooking equipment to create an energy-efficient commercial kitchen. A commercial kitchen chef could benefit from additional localised refrigerating storage such as considering under-counter refrigeration units with the layout. This is more vital for a smaller commercial kitchen, that really needs to design a commercial kitchen layout that will utilise all areas and space in order to provide a rival service to larger business rivals. Regular maintenance must be adhered to as well as thorough cleaning prior to cooking and after cooking. Storage for a catering retail business can’t afford to let any aspects of hygiene sleep, so a good idea is to opt for easy cleaning surfaces during your kitchen layout. Storage and surfaces that require the least maintenance and are the easiest to conduct a thorough cleaning are stainless steel. Consider a number of different storage facilities and stations in the project layout of your kitchen that best work with your space and that’ll keep the chef happy!

Food preparation

Processes to be addressed include the crossover of raw food and proper food segregation. Environmental health officers are very big of food segregation so this is an essential layout consideration for a commercial kitchen design layout. Important items to consider within the designing of a business kitchen are:

  • The Layout of Kitchen Food Prep Stations

  • Food Prep Sinks, designing in each different food area – ie, fish area, meat area, veg prep area.

  • Food pot sinks

  • Kitchen Handwashing stations

  • The layout of Kitchen Wall shelves – for all commercial kitchens to really optimise space

Cooking

Where cooking equipment is placed in a commercial kitchen is essential for smooth food prep and service. This, in addition to the placement of food storage stations, should be strategically designed so that a chef can take as few steps as possible. The layout should consider how best to reduce chefs turning, walking, and bending. The comfort and safety of the chef and staff should always be a high priority with the layout. Ventilation is also highly important in a commercial kitchen layout and so cooking essentials need to be placed in a way to promote the ventilation hood’s efficiency.

Foodservice counter 

The best commercial kitchen design will give staff who are ‘front of house’ easy access to move between the back and the front. It is of the essence to create a layout that allows for the safe flow of waiting staff as they to and fro from the commercial kitchen and chef, to the dining area.

Washing up

The washing up of pots and pans should be done in one area, on a designated kitchen surface, of the commercial kitchen, to reduce the risk of food contamination and the area kitchen staff have to travel. Designated handwash stations should be at key points around the commercial kitchen.

If you have any questions contact our support team today.

For more advice or to discuss introducing new commercial catering equipment to your kitchen contact us on 01384 597111

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