Every restaurateur worth their salt understands that the kitchen is the heart of their restaurant. Kitchens are where the establishment is made or unmade, and everything from the quality of food to the efficiency of the kitchen staff and equipment can make all the difference. Decor and the cordiality of your wait staff can go a long way in impressing your customers, but at the end of the day the quality of the food wins. Almost equally important is whether or not your kitchen can deliver food to tables in a reasonable time frame, and this is where the efficiency of a proper commercial kitchen setup can pay dividends. A commercial setup isn’t like a domestic one, when things go drastically wrong in a commercial kitchen it tends to have a domino effect on food service and the restaurant in general, resulting in unsatisfied guests, or in a worst-case scenario, illness due to food safety issues. Here are some tips to ensure your commercial setup is efficient and effective.
Equipment and Placement
There’s a seemingly endless supply of equipment available in the modern commercial kitchen, and choosing the right selection will make all the difference in terms of ease of use. Making a budget first will help in choosing the right kind of ovens, under-counter and regular fridges, prep sinks, deep fryers, etc. It all depends on your workforce and how many customers you expect. Go for quality over quantity, but not to the point where you can’t cook for your projected customers in a reasonable time frame.
Using Available Space
Ergonomics are another crucial aspect of setting up the commercial kitchen. A tossed-together setup can lead to delays, frustration in your staff, and even food safety handling issues. Cross-contamination must be avoided at all costs, so the commercial kitchen should be set up to minimize the risk of it, while also being easy to clean. Employee safety and ease of movement should also be prioritized, with kitchen equipment like overhead or under-counter ovens maximizing space in the kitchen setup. Check out Dawnvale’s website for more ideas about clean and efficient kitchen layout.
Streamline Processes
Ensuring that cooking processes are streamlined will help the entire kitchen operate at an elevated level. Cooking processes can be combined and pared down, which will increase kitchen efficiency and make it more difficult for cross-contaminating bacteria to get a foothold in your kitchen, providing proper waste management protocols are followed. Another benefit of an uncluttered kitchen counter surface is that less harsh cleaners will have to be used to wash them off, which reduces waste and over-usage of chlorine and other cleaning materials. Demarcating which zones are used to prepare meat and vegetables is another helpful way to reduce the odds of cross-contamination. Buying items such as previously washed vegetables also reduces the need to wash them in-house, which can be a real time saver.