subject: Kitchen Design Improves Profits For Businesses Within The Commercial Catering Industry [print this page] In the past, restaurant kitchens tended to be poky little affairs. The main reason for the smaller kitchen was cost, in general, the larger the seating area, the more customers would come, the more dishes could be sold, the greater the profits. Nowadays, whilst it is true that the kitchen tends to be small in comparison to the main restaurant, they are no longer the cramped and cosy environments that the used to be. This is largely down to improvements made by the commercial catering design industry, which places great emphasis on functionality and efficiency within commercial kitchens.
Kitchens are now designed in ways that make it easier for catering staff to access the cooking utensils and implements that they need, as well as the food that needs to be prepared. It is common to find small refrigeration units integrated into worktops and tables, for example, which saves on space, as there is less need for large commercial refrigeration, but also makes the kitchen more efficient by having food nearby, rather than on the periphery, thus saving time, too.
The architecture of a well-designed commercial kitchen is a fine art, correct configuration of the various items found in a particular kitchen is actually a feat of engineering, and should be treated as such, if kitchens are to be run at maximum efficiency. Poor design within the kitchen makes cooking time consuming, and wastes space, and in the end, will cut into the restaurants profit margin.
For instance, when comparing two small commercial kitchens one that is poorly designed, and one that is well designed the latter may save enough space to enable extra seating for two within the main restaurant, and save enough time within a catering shift to cook two extra meals. If each seating area provides two meals per shift, then this equates to six lost meals per shift. If each meal averages 10, that is a reduction in turnover of 60 per shift. If there are two shifts a day, that is a reduction in turnover of 120. If the restaurant opens an average of 300 days a year, that is an annual reduction in turnover of 36,000!
Therefore, even if the kitchen design service that is chosen is quite expensive, 100,000 at most, then the renovation, or newly designed kitchen, will pay for itself in fewer than 3 years. Given the costs of kitchen design, and the potential for loss of profits with a poorly designed kitchen, it is essential to engage the services of a professional, and reputable, design company.
In general, the kind of services you should expect from a professional commercial catering design company, are as follows: high-quality design, full project management and development, an exceptional level of after care services, extended servicing and maintenance contracts (for which you should expect to pay extra), delivery and installation of large items, and the provision of secondary items, such as kitchen utensils.
