How to avoid 10 more common kitchen-design errors

Nation's Restaurant News, May 5, 1997 by Foster Frable, Jr.

My Feb. 10 article described "10 Common Errors in Kitchen Design." As a follow-up, consider 10 more preventable errors that often occur in the design of commercial foodservice facilities.

(1) No provision of necessary clearances for drawer extension and door swings. Equipment plans should include the full swing arc of all doors into ovens and refrigerators so that adjustments can be made to the layout before installation. In addition, door swings on refrigerators and warmers should be planned so that they open toward the intended work areas using that item. Even with the best planning efforts, ordering and shipping errors can and will occur. Therefore, purchasing an up-right refrigerator without field-reversible doors is not advisable.

(2) Walk-in cooler doors that swing into main traffic aisles. Many kitchen accidents occur when an employee is inside a cooler and opens the door without being aware of another employee walking past the cooler. Solutions include providing an insulated glass or Lucite door, offsetting the door panel into the cooler or ordering a door that swings into the cooler. The best solution is locating the main doors on the ends of coolers away from the main aisle and using sliding-glass reach doors for access from work areas.

(3) No space for bread and rolls. Considerable space is required to support the large variety of different breads and rolls in demand by today's customer. Toast stations, deli, short-order and sandwich prep areas need enclosed drawers or cabinets to hold bread products within easy reach and protect them from contamination. In facilities that serve a large breakfast volume, an open area should be planned to accommodate a rack or stack of standard bakery bread racks.

(4) No contingency funds for changes that occur between the time the facility is designed and opened. No matter how carefully a plan is developed, many factors can influence the acceptability of a kitchen layout. On large projects months or even years can occur between the design phase and the completion of the installation. A new chef may wish to make radical changes to the menu. A structural wall may move 6 inches. Local codes may require additional clearances than originally were shown on the plans. Major projects should never be planned without both space and budget contingencies.

(5) Lack of coordination with architects and engineers. A 7-foot-high beam running through the middle of a hood or walk-in cooler and an unexpected column appearing in the middle of a cooking line are errors that can occur when all participants in a project don't coordinate their work. As plans develop from schematics to detailed layouts, it's critical that information flows regularly between the kitchen planner, the architects and engineer. Otherwise, each professional may make assumptions about changes or requirements related to their area. During construction errors and conflicts then appear throughout the facility.

(6) Too much emphasis on reducing the budget without realizing the impact on the ability to serve the guests. Good kitchen design is far more than just filling a space with the right-size equipment. It is balancing the production and storage requirements with the investment available. Unfortunately, on some projects, when funds are limited, decisions are made that handicap the ability of the kitchen to function, rendering the facility incapable of delivering the volume necessary to operate efficiently and profitably. An easy solution to a project's budget problem often is to cut equipment or options that increase labor and energy life-cycle cost. When the facility opens, the resulting operating costs stifle profitability. Good strategies to reduce a project's cost while you're still developing a viable business plan include balanced reductions in all areas of the project scope. If you're cutting the size and capacity of the kitchen, reduce the dining room and seating proportionally. In addition:

* Defer items that easily can be added or expanded later as volume demands. Some of the most valuable space in a kitchen may be empty space under a hood or along a wall that allows for future growth.

* Lease expensive items, such as dishwashers and ice machines.

* Use quality equipment with lower-cost finishes -- for instance, aluminum-clad refrigerators instead of stainless steel.

(7) Too much cost cut from the infrastructure. One common way to cut costs is to downgrade the walk-in coolers, ventilators, exhaust fans and fabricated equipment. Unfortunately, those items remain in place longer than such catalog equipment as ranges and reach-in refrigerators. Replacing such core items as hoods and walk-ins in an operating facility is an expensive and disruptive experience that often can be avoided for a few thousand dollars of additional investment in the core equipment and systems.

Cutting small items, such as general-purpose receptacles around a kitchen, can be another false economy. General-purpose outlets are necessary for cleaning and service equipment, tools, time clocks, computers and a host of other support equipment.