When you’re designing commercial foodservice space, it’s critical to create a layout that’s conducive to smooth operations. And if you incorporate the right equipment into that layout, you can make foodservice even more efficient for staff — and more pleasant for customers.
To facilitate efficient food flow from the back of the house to the front, take the following measures.
Design multi-use kitchen spaces
Menus change depending on the time of day, time of year, and current trends. To seamlessly accommodate those changes, designate multi-purpose kitchen space for equipment versatility. Whether you design extra counter space, allowing staff to change out countertop equipment easily, or you factor in space for multi-functional equipment, allocate space for the range of equipment types you’ll need. By doing this, you create an adaptable kitchen space, so food flow isn’t interrupted every time there’s a menu change.
Keep food prep and storage stations close to each other
Now more than ever, functional food prep stations are a must in the kitchen. Plant-based diets, farm-to-table concepts and clean eating trends mean there’s more fresh produce coming into kitchens than ever before. To properly prepare it, you need well-equipped prep stations. But perhaps just as important, you need refrigerated storage space within reach of your prep stations. This ensures food stays fresh, and prep stays efficient.
Use equipment to preserve food temperature
One sure-fire way to save time and eliminate stress in the kitchen is to utilize foodservice equipment that keeps food at optimal temperatures. For example, hot/cold shelves offer the ultimate food storage flexibility since you can change between hot and cold temperatures, depending on current needs. And if you need additional space to keep hot food available at peak meal times, you can add in drawer warmers to keep a large volume (and variety) of food at just-right, flavor-fresh temps so it’s ready to serve.
Create multiple kitchen entry points for service staff
As meal rush times roll around, kitchens can get hectic. When service staff is rushing to serve customers, the last thing they need is a congested kitchen. To make sure there’s sufficient room to move — and there’s not a traffic jam every time staff goes in and out of the kitchen — design a minimum of two kitchen entry points for service staff.
With efficient operations, everyone wins.
The right kitchen layout and equipment lend themselves to efficient operations, happy staff and happy customers. Take advantage of the opportunity to optimize commercial kitchen design and operations by checking out our versatile range of equipment. And if you’d like to learn more about solutions that will work with your space, contact us today.
