If you are thinking about setting up a commercial kitchen, it can be pretty intimidating. But, with the right restaurant kitchen design, it can also be a really exciting opportunity. When setting up, there are some essential things to remember: every choice you make should maximise efficiency whilst minimising wastage of labour, space and materials.
-fix725x370.jpg)
1. Functional Design
A commercial kitchen that requires the least amount of steps to complete a task will be the most efficient. With your restaurant kitchen layout, make sure you consider how your staff will prepare food, which parts of the kitchen they need access to, and how they can make movements as efficient as possible.
2. Required Equipment
Prepare a list of all the commercial food equipment you'll need for food preparation, refrigeration, display, and storage.
Consider these areas when choosing your equipment and ensure you understand which pieces need additional equipment (such as a ventilation hood for ovens) and how each part fits your budget and space.
3. Health and Safety Requirements
A commercial kitchen must adhere to strict health and safety regulations to prevent infection and injury among staff and customers. Consider all the health and safety regulations relevant to your commercial kitchen when planning your space.
A poorly designed kitchen that lacks structure and organisation can throw a spanner in the day-to-day operation. Therefore it's integral that your restaurant kitchen design ensures everything can work together to create a fluid, flowing workspace.
-fix725x370.jpg)
1. Simplicity
In busy restaurant kitchens, clutter can cause confusion and errors. To maintain efficiency and clarity in the kitchen, commercial food equipment needs to be organised. Furthermore, by selecting the right equipment and adding only the necessary accessories, you can maximise the space in your kitchen. RATIONAL's range of cooking systems are multifunctional to help maximise space in your kitchen, e.g. the RATIONAL iVario Pro brings together a stove, deep-fat fryer, pressure cooker and bain-marie into one compact unit, saving your kitchen vital space and dramatically reducing equipment clutter.
2. Flexibility
A kitchen should be able to adapt to new requirements without disrupting the routine when new dishes are added to the menu, or new hires enter the kitchen. This is when a flexible space comes in handy, with modular units, moveable equipment, and versatile workstations.
3. Smooth Workflow
A busy restaurant kitchen doesn't have to be chaotic. A well-designed restaurant kitchen layout should allow for an easy flow of workforce and food. With the cooking intelligence in the iCombi Pro, food production has never been so easy, allowing one unit to be used for grilling, frying or as an oven - all at once and at the touch of a button. The iCombi Pro is easy to use, with no checking and supervision, which saves your team time, leaving them free to prep dishes and clean down stations.
4. Easy Cleaning
Proper sanitation is essential since commercial kitchens handle food products. Stainless steel tables, easy-to-clean equipment, and efficient waste disposal can simplify sanitation. All RATIONAL cooking systems also have been specially designed for easy cleaning. The iCombi Pro can automatically detect the level of self-cleaning needed, whilst the iVario Pro can tilt like a traditional Bratt pan to assist with cleaning.
Restaurant kitchens, like any other commercial space, are based on specific design ideas and principles that aim to ensure efficiency and productivity, so whether you are setting up a commercial kitchen or redoing an existing one, take it one step at a time, and ensure you create an optimal team workflow.
Click here to learn more about RATIONAL's range of intelligent cooking systems that can help simplify your kitchen workflow and save you energy and time with cleaning. We can also assist you with the planning and laying out of your restaurant or commercial kitchen space, so don't hesitate and get in touch today.