Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/873536
Foster Frable When an Aroma Turns into an Odor: Tips on How to Tackle the Problem—at the Beginning of a Project By Foster Frable Jr., Clevenger Frable LaVallee fosterf@cfl design.com M ixed-use buildings are becoming increasingly common today, and if/when the day to day in a commercial kitchen causes quality of life problems (such as noise and odors) for the tenants who live there, confl icts are not easily settled. The press gets involved, lawyers get hired, and lots of money gets spent in the process of resolving issues. It's not surprising that, in many cases, issues such as these drive new regulations. Odors that drift from a kitchen or prep area diminish overall air purity and can annoy customers, both inside and outside a restaurant. Yet, property owners consider foodservice establishments to be desirable tenants to fi ll empty retail spaces. So why have foodservice-odor- related issues come to the forefront of concerns by property owners, tenants, and the public? One culprit could be the increase of ethnic foods on many menus. Some of the hottest new cuisines are aromatic Indian, Thai, and Malaysian foods. Menu expansion is another offender when equipment like Panini grills, food fi nishers and speed ovens are added to the front of house, where there often isn't proper ventilation. These areas were originally planned for offi ce or retail use rather than foodservice. And how about the new trend of coffee bean roasting on the premises? The strong interest in solid-fuel cooking—wood, charcoal, and coal— aromatic Indian, Thai, and Malaysian foods. Menu expansion is another offender when equipment like Panini grills, food fi nishers and speed ovens are added to the front of house, where there often isn't proper ventilation. These areas were originally planned for offi ce or retail use rather than foodservice. And how about the new trend of coffee bean roasting on the premises? The strong interest in solid-fuel cooking—wood, charcoal, and coal— hottest new cuisines are aromatic Indian, Thai, and Malaysian foods. is another offender when equipment added to the front These areas were originally planned for offi ce or retail use rather than foodservice. And how about the new trend of coffee bean roasting on the premises? The strong interest in solid-fuel cooking—wood, charcoal, and coal— adds yet another challenge. Unlike gas or electric, the fuel source, itself, has its own odor. In addition, cleaning the exhaust stream from a hood that services solid-fuel cooking is more diffi cult. The byproducts of solid-fuel cooking require a scrubber or pollution control device two to three times more powerful than what would be required for gas or electric cooking. The installed cost of a scrubber/precipitator and odor control system for a single wood-fi red grill can easily be more than $75,000 and require more than 25 feet of linear fl oor space. Add to that the operating cost, which can exceed $5,000 a month for fi lters, chemicals and deodorizers. With costs in this range, many operators try to cut corners and avoid scrubbers, hoping the smoke and odor won't create too many complaints. But, city offi cials are hearing more air quality complaints from neighborhood residents, resulting in new legislation that requires approved pollution control systems. Locations in New York and Southern California are especially vulnerable to this. More Challenges to Consider When the cost of installing proper ventilation after the fact carries twice the price tag, doing it right the fi rst time makes infi nite sense. Even so, there are a number of other issues that make odor control a daunting task. The exhaust fans from grease hoods are often poorly located, and/or discharge air in the direction of the supply air intake for the restaurant and even neighboring buildings. Although exhaust systems may include environmental control systems designed to fi lter and capture smoke and odor, if they aren't properly maintained, they won't perform the intended task. Local and national energy codes enacted over the past 10 years require operable windows on new buildings in most areas of the country. This is intended to allow occupants to use outside air during mild temperature days instead of using heating and air-conditioning systems. This creates two issues: 1) There is more opportunity for food odors to reach inside those residential spaces, and 2) tougher codes that require any type of kitchen exhaust to be at least 30 feet from an operable window. Compact trash coolers with roll-in carts are common in French and German kitchens but have not seen wide usage in the U.S. They should be a standard item in any kitchen that doesn't have a dedicated walk-in cooler for trash holding. It's a great add-on sale for a new or renovated kitchen that customers appreciate. 18 FEDA News & Views