Thus was the advent of the restaurant kitchen design firm. These are a select group of consultants who specialize in the complex world of commercial kitchen design and specifications. There are literally tens of thousands of different manufacturer and model numbers for commercial food service equipment so it would be expected that with such a niche position in the industry, the kitchen consultant should be very well versed in all the options available and recommend them accordingly, based on the needs and limitations of the project. Being a chef myself, I am very much an advocate that all owners become educated on all of the options available to them, not just to ensure they know what they are getting, but also to help them allocate their valuable capital wisely.
Many restaurant kitchen design consultants will utilize a number of ratios to determine the sizes and quantities of equipment that will be needed for a project, based simply on the amount of seating or potential meals that are planned to be served on a daily basis. Some of these ratios can be very valuable in providing the appropriately sized piece of equipment for a project, while others could waste large sums of money if the project as a whole is not properly evaluated by the design professional. Ice machines, refrigeration and freezer specifications for example, are typically sized simply by the number of seats a restaurant will fill throughout the day; and in the case of the ice machine, being roughly 3 pounds of ice per person, this will most likely be adequate for a basic operation without a liquor bar. Refrigeration and freezer space on the other hand, could vary considerably based on concept, so these rules of thumb may or may not apply; such as in the case of a health club café or other highly sustainable type of fresh food concept. In these types of operations, freezer space should be kept to a minimum, if installed at all since all of the product would be typically prepared fresh daily with little to no use of frozen product. Should these ratios be blindly followed in the development of operations such as these, an owner could expect to pay several thousands of dollars just to satisfy an industry norm.
In order to prevent this type of situation form occurring, the commercial restaurant or hotel kitchen design professional must have not only a substantial project development background, but they should also have practical hands on experience in operating a food and beverage operation. It is true that anyone can learn the basics of design to put together a sound plan for a restaurant kitchen, but only a chef can have an intimate working knowledge of an operation and how it will potentially function once the doors open. There are many substitutes that can be made in the development of a restaurant to save money, but experience is something that will only add value to any project as it develops.
Tags: commercial food service, commercial food service equipment, freezer space, kitchen design firm, liquor bar