Expect to see vegetarian, special diets change the design of back-of-the-house

Nation's Restaurant News, Oct 21, 2002 by Foster Frable, Jr.

Until a few years ago operators involved in layout and design gave serious consideration to diet issues only when they were planning kitchens in health-care facilities and those servicing religious populations such as Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs with special dietary needs. Then those operating and planning college and university facilities saw a movement from fringe to mainstream in customers interested in vegetarian and vegan meals.

If California and New York City are barometers of the future for foodservice trends, it is clear that the growth in customer interest and demand for vegetarian, natural foods and ethnic and religious diets has exploded. New York City even has a new cooking school focused on natural healthful cuisine.

The cover story in the July 15 issue of Time magazine, "Should you be a Vegetarian?" amplified the huge interest in alternative eating options. The increase in numbers of diet-sensitive customers means a greater chance of vetoes cast toward operations with limited healthful menu choices. For that reason operators need to enhance and expand diet and vegetarian offerings, even if their main menu remains the same.

The impact on operations planning new or renovated kitchens will vary depending on segment, location, customer age and competitive pressures. If you are planning to serve a broad cross-section of college students, you need to offer more than a token steamed-vegetable plate to satisfy demand for vegetarian fare. Grill and fry stations need to have duplicate-equipment sections similar to Glatt kosher kitchens offering both meat and dairy. Cooking oils and meat or dairy-based foods cannot be commingled in production or service.

Those operating kitchens built around batteries of griddles and fryers may need to rethink equipment packages so that they can be geared to producing more healthful menus and more vegetable products. The manufacturers of those products may need to consider developing new equipment categories to replace diminishing demand for deep-fried items. We may see the day when rice cookers outsell fryers. It may not happen in two or three years, but it will happen.

Consider that half the nutrients in vegetables are washed down the drain when they are blanched in water instead of steamed. Convection steamers, combi ovens and woks are all representative of equipment geared toward healthy production methods.

Those wanting to accommodate vegan and other special diet interests in smaller quantities should consider sous-vide cooking, which is making a comeback. Sous-vide products are produced and stored in plastic pouches, which are cooked in controlled-temperature water baths. Since the pouches can be held frozen or refrigerated until needed, they allow for extended holding times for items that might have only a few sales per dining period. There is no waste or cross-contamination with meats, contaminated cooking oil or other undesirable effects.

The size of the cold-prep area of many kitchens has diminished with the growth of preprepared produce and other cold ingredients to provide generic salads and basic vegetables. But if menus change from their heavy meat orientation to offering more vegetarian dishes and salads, then the cold-prep area will need more space and equipment. That will allow operators to purchase more naturally grown products and a much wider range of produce and vegetables, which often are often not available prechopped or sliced in a bag.

With more fresh products and produce, the storage capacity of walk-in refrigeration will need to shift back to mostly refrigeration. Today we see huge freezers in many operations because they are using mostly frozen convenience and speed-scratch products. The refrigeration of fresh products and vegetables often requires different storage temperatures. Ample dry storage space needs to be provided for legumes, nuts, seeds and so on in either mobile, closed bins or "cellars."

Creating alternate menu items that entice vegetarian customers will require more creativity of the garde manger. Manufacturers can expect the demand for blenders, food processors, juicers, choppers, produce washers and dryers, along with other specialty prep equipment, to increase. Operators can expect in the future to see blenders that can heat or cool products as well as blend them.

The number and size of prep sinks also will change. And since spices play a major roll in ethnic and vegetarian dishes, ample bins and racks to store them will need to be accessible and moisture resistant. Larger kitchens that create volumes of stocks in kettles or stockpots may need to add equipment to produce meatless vegetable stocks. Three- or 6-gallon tabletop kettles are ideal for that purpose.

The most important element in the planning of almost any kitchen today is flexibility. A flexible layout supports easy changes in equipment, and the ability to add new or different equipment is the key to adapting menus for ever-changing customer demands.

Experts predict that the combined demand for meatless diets and more healthful food finally will reach critical mass over the next five years. Planning your kitchen layout and equipment selection today with an eye toward the future will keep your operation prepared for the changes when they occur.