Commercial Kitchen Flow: Tips and Advice to Help You Get It Right

Ideally, you will hire a third party to design your kitchen for you. However, sometimes this simply isn’t possible and at other times, it might be wise to learn a bit more about kitchen design before hiring the design company – so you know you’re getting a good deal. For those of you that fall into the latter category, this article is for you. Today, we’re going to provide you with a basic outline of hot to design a commercial kitchen.

Flow Is the Most Important Thing to Consider When Designing Your Kitchen
You can buy the most powerful ovens, fridges, hobs, etc. use only the most expensive and high quality sideboards and counters, hire the best staff in the world, use the highest quality ingredients, but if you fail to factor flow into your catering kitchen design, then the kitchen will not perform as well as it should.

What is flow? Simply put, it’s the way people move around the kitchen. It involves placing things like preparation areas, food pick up sections, and appliances in a logical manner, so that people move from one to the next in a smooth and easy manner.

Each individual within the kitchen has to be able to flow through the kitchen easily, and also pass each other in a flowing way too. This helps to increase safety and prevents people from bumping into each other, dropping plates, and causing accidents.

If you have trouble picturing what we mean by flow, imagine a factory line. Each person in the line has a clear and defined role, and this role is linked to next role in the line. For instance, in a sandwich factory, the first person might cut the loaf, the second person butters the bread, and the third fills the sandwich.

With good flow, each step is a logical progression. With bad flow it isn’t. Bad flow in this example might be the first person puts filling on the conveyor belt, the second person butters the filling, and there third scoops up the mess and puts it in the sandwich. Yes, there’s a sandwich at the end, but it’s not very well made and it takes longer to do (can you imagine trying to better tuna and sweetcorn? It doesn’t even make sense!).

When a kitchen has good flow, everything is organised. Ingredients are always found in the same location. Preparation areas are always in the same place. Deliveries are always taken to the same area. This means that whenever anyone walks into the kitchen (providing they’re part of the kitchen staff, that is), they know exactly where everything is.

You cannot appreciate the importance of good flow to commercial kitchen design. If you need to know anything, it’s how to create good flow. This consists of sitting down and thinking about all the processes that happen in your kitchen, then thinking about the most logical progression for getting these processes in place.

As long as your kitchen is designed with flow in mind, it will work well. A kitchen with good flow is efficient and profitable, which is all you really want from a commercial kitchen.

If you would like further help and advice about your kitchen design, then please visit http://www.garnersfse.co.uk

10 Tips to Help You Make the Right Choice When Buying Commercial Catering Equipment

If you’re reading this article, then we are assuming that you are new to the commercial catering industry. It can be a very complex industry to get to grips with – there are many different that you will need to understand. This comes with time and experience.

Here, we are going to help you to understand one of the most important steps in securing a successful commercial kitchen: buying the correct commercial kitchen equipment. Our 10 tips will help you to make the correct decisions for your restaurant.

Tip 1: Consider Energy Input
You would be surprised how common it is for new restaurant owners to accidentally buy equipment that doesn’t suit their energy use. For example, buying an electric oven when they can make use of gas – gas ovens are superior to electric ovens, so the only reason you would choose electric over gas would ordinarily be when there is no gas supply.

Tip 2: Make Sure That It Adheres to HSE Regulations
If you are running a restaurant in the UK, we would recommend that you only ever buy from a commercial catering equipment UK supplier. If you don’t, you run the risk of buying equipment that is illegal for use in commercial kitchens in the UK, because it doesn’t adhere to HSE regulations.

Tip 3: Choose a Reputable Supplier
Tip 2 brings us nicely to tip 3: always choose a reputable supplier. The quality of commercial catering equipment UK companies varies in the UK. It’s important that you choose one with a decent reputation. This helps to ensure that you end up with the type of equipment that will work best for your restaurant. Reputable suppliers will make or break a business, regardless of industry.

Tip 4: Consider Maintenance and Cleaning Costs and Effort
Sometimes, you might buy what appears to be a bargain, only to find that the amount of maintenance and upkeep involved is extremely costly. Before you purchase any equipment, find out how much it costs to run and maintain.

Tip 5: Consider Energy Efficiency as Part of Profitability
Again, you might think that you’ve bought a bargain, only to find that the running costs are astronomical, and that the equipment costs you far more in the long run than a more expensive, but also more efficient version does. Sometimes, the more expensive pieces cost you less over the lifetime of the item.

Tip 6: Buy According to Output & Duty Levels Required
When choosing your equipment, make sure that it has the required duty. If it is going to be used frequently, it needs to be heavy-duty.

Output is also vital. You need to work out how much of a particular product in needs to produce, e.g. how much toast does your toaster need to produce in a typical hour?

Tip 7: Make Sure the Warrantee Is Appropriate
It’s important that the warrantee reflects the price. In general, the more you pay for an item in comparison to competitor equipment, the longer the warrantee should be.

Tip 8: Consider the Future Direction of the Restaurant
When choosing equipment, don’t just think about today, but think about tomorrow, too. For instance, you might want to buy a small oven today, but if your restaurant grows, will you need to replace it for a larger model? If so, it might be worth buying the larger one first.

We hope that you have found this article informative. If you would like further help and advice, then please visit our website.

7 Tips to Help You Get It Right When Buying Commercial Catering Equipment

Choosing the correct commercial catering equipment for your restaurant is paramount to profitability, safety, and the overall satisfaction of your staff. There are key considerations that must be taken into account. Below, we have outlined 7 of the most important concerns that you should address when buying new equipment; the larger and more expensive the equipment, the more important they become.

1. Commercial vs Domestic Grade

The first thing you need to ensure is that you buy the correct grade of equipment. There are several key differences between commercial and domestic kitchen appliances. Most notably, there is the issue of health and safety. Commercial kitchens are held to more rigorously standards than domestic kitchens; a domestic appliance might actually fail the legal requirements for use in a commercial kitchen.

As well as safety, there are other concerns, but these are also covered below, so we’ll refrain from repeating ourselves.

2. Types of that particular equipment

Something that beginner restaurant owners sometimes forget is that with commercial catering equipment, there are huge variations in type. Take the “toaster”. In a domestic kitchen, they are pretty much the same – they have two to four slots, and a timer of around 5 minutes maximum. However, with commercial toasters, there are so many more options. They can toast 20+ pieces at a time – more even; they can lie on their sides, straight up, sideways, or head first.

When discussing your needs with your commercial catering equipment suppliers, make sure that you understand all available options.

3. Output

Clearly, you need equipment that has the correct output levels. If you know that many of your customers will want toast, then the toaster must be able to produce the correct quantities.

You should also think about the growth of business. If you are expecting it to grow, is it better to buy a larger machine now, rather than wait until a later date? There are pros and cons here, so you will need to sit and work it out.

4. Power source

Most commercial kitchens use natural gas, and so much of the equipment is gas powered. However, do not assume this to be the case, and always check with the commercial catering equipment suppliers before you sign anything.

                                    

5. Space management considerations

As well as output, you also need to think about space, too. For instance, you might need a toaster that caters to 100 people in 10 minutes, but only have space for a toaster that caters to 75 people in 10 minutes.

You will need to consider things carefully here. Sometimes, a menu change might be needed; at other times, you might be able to sacrifice another, less used piece of equipment; and still at other times, you might have to buy a more expensive, but more compact model.

6. Material

The material might not seem important to you, but there are several ways in which it is vital. First, it determines longevity – low quality materials mean the equipment will become faulty more quickly. Second, it determines the maintenance costs, such as cleaning and moving. Finally, it determines the way it looks in the kitchen, which can impact on the professional appearance of the kitchen.

7. Profitability: Energy efficiency & Running costs

This is the most important factor for most restaurants, but you can only work it out once you have addressed the above issues. You will need to sit down and work out the cost of the equipment, from the initial purchase, to the staff costs, to running and maintenance costs. You will then need to work out the profit margins and make sure that it is suitable for the restaurant.

Helpful Tips for Planning the Design of Your Coffee Shop

It’s not always easy to design a coffee shop. Sure, it might sound like fun to start with, but once the project gets underway, you’ll soon have a different perspective on it all! Well, we have been there and done that, on numerous occasions, and we have a few tips to help you to get it right. We won’t be describing the entire process – that’s for another, longer, article. Instead, we’re going to look at just a few tips that we have found useful over the years. Here goes…

Do you need a high turnover of clientele?

If you’re selling coffee and muffins, and nothing much else, then it’s unlikely that you’ll make much money unless you have a high turnover of customers. They come in, order, sit down, eat/drink, and leave. In this case, you don’t want to make the furniture too comfortable. Make it appear comfortable, but don’t actually make it comfortable. For example, have harder fabric sofas or cushions on wooden chairs that are a little too thin. It’s important that you don’t make your customers too comfortable, otherwise, they might stay too long, and you will find it difficult to turn a profit.

On the other hand, you might be the type of coffee shop that wants its customers to stay longer, and spend more. In this case, you do the opposite of the above: you make everything extra comfortable. You set mood lighting, not too dim and not too bright. All those little tricks that will make people want to stay.

Often, coffee shop design for city centre cafes (where they want a high turnover of customer because they can get a lot of profit), is less comfortable than the design in coffee shops that are in quieter locations.

Cater to two types of customer: extravert and introvert.

The best coffee shops have something for everyone. Extraverts gain their energy from the hustle and bustle, so for them, provide some tables in the middle of the room. Here, they can gain energy from the people milling around them.

For the introverts, have a few tables peppered around the outside of the room, in little corners and nooks and crannies. Believe me, they will appreciate it greatly.

Create a social hub.

Even if you opt for a coffee shop design that provides more for a high turnover of customer, you should still try to make the shop sociable. People love to go to coffee shops to grab a drink and have a natter, whether it’s a ten-minute natter or an hour-long natter, they like to socialise.

To make your coffee shop socialising-friendly, include things like round tables. It’s no coincidence that the Knights of the Round Table sat around a, well, a round table: it’s democratic; it’s sociable; and it creates a feeling of camaraderie: the perfect atmosphere for any coffee shop!

Commercial Kitchen Equipment: Getting It Right First Time

If you're new to the restaurant industry, then it’s important that you do plenty of research before launching your new restaurant. Failure to do this will result in problems, some of which can be very expensive. It’s impossible to understand everything before you start, and some things are a matter of trial and error, but it’s important to minimise the risks as much as possible. Nowhere is this more important than in your choice of kitchen equipment.

When it comes to buying commercial kitchen equipment, errors can cost a significant amount of money. For this reason, your choice of equipment should be of paramount concern. Below, we’re going to help you to understand the process involved with choosing commercial kitchen equipment - getting it right now, means saving money in the long term.

1. The size of the equipment: as your first restaurant, it’s unlikely that you have a lot of space. Before you buy any equipment, you need to plan your kitchen. This means creating a 3D model (or use graph paper if you don’t have that technology to hand) and physically planning a to-scale model of the kitchen.

List every item that you need in order for the kitchen to function properly. This includes things like the sink, cupboards, preparation areas, and the equipment. Find suitable pieces of each type of equipment and then set about mocking up the 3D/graphic model. This will ensure that you buy the correct size of equipment.

2. The cost of the equipment: while you will be limited to a budget during the initial purchase point, you also need to factor in the long term costs of the equipment. You need to find out the following:
   1. What is the energy rating of the equipment? The higher the rating, the more your ongoing expenses will be. In other words, you'll pay more in electricity and gas.
   2. What are the maintenance costs? Does it require an annual service? Depending on the kitchen equipment design, you might need to change parts regularly. For example, oil filters in deep fat fryers.
   3. Does the equipment come with a decent warrantee? If you're buying kitchen equipment, then of course you should expect a minimum warrantee of at least 12 months. However, with the larger items, they should come with a longer warrantee – especially if they’re new, and especially if they’re expensive.
   4. Does the equipment have a solid reputation for durability? You don’t want to spend too much money if the kitchen equipment design is poor and of a low quality. They won’t last long, and they won’t perform at the standard you require for a commercial kitchen. Choose a respected brand where possible.

So, while an item might appear expensive initially, if the long-term costs are relatively low, it’s worth splashing out for this model than a cheaper version that will cost you more in the long run.

It is important that you carry out in-depth research into the equipment that you are thinking of buying. Failure to do this can result in expensive outcomes that you might not be able to address in the first few years of your restaurant being open.

If you would like further help and advice about choosing kitchen equipment for your new restaurant, then please visit Garners.

How to design a bistro kitchen

Bistro kitchens are typically designed around the French style of the 19th century with their quaint charm and recognisable style elements although the more favoured design choices of late include mixing contemporary fixtures with the original French theming.

Commercial Kitchens: Functionality & Efficiency Rely On Good Design

If you're thinking of running a commercial kitchen, then it is important that you understand the value of good design.