Well-executed commercial kitchen design requires step-by-step planning, patience

Nation's Restaurant News, Feb 16, 2004 by Foster Frable, Jr.

Successful projects don't just happen by accident; they depend on an orderly planning process.

A well-executed design process follows a series of steps, starting with broad-based thinking and asking such questions as, How will various spaces need to be allocated or divided between various functional needs? Where is the entrance? Where is the receiving area?

After those questions are answered, the design process can focus on such issues as these: What kind of equipment will the menu require? How many tables and chairs will there be? Later phases will concentrate on details like interior finishes, coolers, furniture style, and specific equipment sizes and options.

Throughout the process the design needs to be tested to ensure that everything fits within the financial and regulatory limitations.

The first major steps in a new project are the programming and schematic phases. In some projects they also may include feasibility studies, menu development and related tasks.

Programming divides or balances the space into core front- and back-of-the-house functions. It assures that adequate space is allocated from the beginning for support functions, like mechanical and utility rooms, toilets, offices and storage space. It also includes developing a list of core objectives. The list may include a vision of a certain image or style, a budget ceiling, a unique feature or a piece of equipment. It also should include a listing of options that are not acceptable compromises.

After the space has been divided into areas, the specific locations and interrelationships between them need to be planned. During that schematic phase a good planner will try to develop at least two or three alternative plans, evaluating the best and worst features of each plan. At that point the plans don't need to resolve all of the issues, but they should reflect realistic solutions that fit the space and budget.

The designer then should present the plans to the owner for review and comment. Since many owners or clients have difficulty reading and understanding plans, coloring plans and providing a scrapbook of visual images of similar facilities can help to make sure that everyone shares the same understanding of what the plan represents.

On complex projects or prototype development, a simple cardboard and balsa wood model can assist greatly in illustrating three-dimensional spatial relationships. Budget estimating during that phase usually is done by multiplying the project's square footage and industry standard area costs.

After selecting the most promising scheme, the planning effort should move forward into a phase commonly called design development, which is a good description of what should occur. Design development refines and works out the earlier assumptions of how spaces are allocated. Building systems, like heating, air conditioning and kitchen ventilation, are defined and integrated into the design. Cost estimates are itemized in an equipment list. The architect or interior designer begins to develop and present the color palettes, fabrics and finishes. The dining areas often are presented on a color board and may include a basic three-dimensional rendering drawn by hand or computer.

The end of design development should include a formal sign-off by the owner or chef that the design meets the core objectives defined in the programming phase. If there are any lingering doubts or problems with the design, now is the time to resolve them. Later on in the design process, making changes will be much more difficult and costly. Never move into construction documents until all the core objectives are met and the project cost estimates are within the established budget.

Construction documents are the detailed plans, elevations and schedules required to define the thousands of parts and systems required to bid and build a project. They are divided into drawings, or plans, and written details, or specifications.

Allocating adequate time and resources for a 100-percent-complete document package is one of the wisest decisions an owner can make. The looser the documents, the more questions the bidders have, and they will respond with higher prices to cover the uncertainty or later could run up huge cost overruns for change orders and revisions.

Another key roll of the construction document phase is to provide the documentation required for review by building and health departments. Ideally, the drawings should be submitted for a "plan review" before completion, so that any revisions or changes can be incorporated into the documents sent out for bidding.

When all of the drawings, specifications and details are complete, the project usually is sent to a select group of contractors for pricing, or bidding. As with the documentation process, providing adequate time for contractors to prepare bids can reward an owner with lower prices and fewer misunderstandings. A standard bidding time of three or four weeks allows the bidders to ask questions and the designers to issue additions for missing information or problems with the documents.