Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/571132
26 FEDA News & Views Foster Frable Valuing Good Design and Following Industry Practices Helps Avoid Pitfalls By Foster Frable Jr., Clevenger Frable LaVallee fosterf@cfldesign.com Most chain restaurants use a proto- type kitchen layout and equipment list. There may be some modification based on unique layout needs and/or number of seats, but when the basic flow and organization of the kitchen is similar, a team from one unit can help with start- up and train employees from location to location with little confusion. However, not all operations have the option of a prototype layout. Kitchens in small restaurants, coffee shops, boutique hotels, or small cafete- rias with just one or two outlets are usu- ally designed "from scratch," based on a designer's experience with similar facilities. Typically, there isn't a strong chef driving the design or layout of the kitchen. The starting point is likely to be a building plan, a menu, and perhaps an equipment list from the last kitchen restaurant owner or franchisor. For ease of use, a kitchen design should start with as traditional a layout as possible: a straight rectangular fin- ish cooking line supported by a parallel chef's table or pass. In a large operation with baking and scratch cooking, a sec- ond parallel line is placed behind the wall of the finish cooking and includes bulk cooking equipment like stock pots, a braising pan, convection or deck oven, and perhaps a steam-jacked kettle. If it is an Asian concept, there would be woks instead of ranges, duck roasters instead of broilers, but the overall blocks of space remain the same…a universal kitchen. When a kitchen is designed with par- allel lines, it's easier to reconfigure if a menu or concept changes. Most impor- tantly, it can accommodate the way most chefs and cooks are accustomed to work- ing. There are certainly places where an island-style or cooking suite layout is desirable, but these are usually in fine dining or chef-driven restau- rants where the chef has the experience and a staff accustomed to working with this type of layout. Once a kitchen is developed with a cen- tral island/suite cook- ing design, locations of the exhaust hood, util- ity connections, floor drains, sinks, etc., are locked in. The exhaust requirements are usu- ally also more robust than a straight cooking line against a wall. The equip- ment in a modular island suite can be changed for a different chef or menu but the core infrastructure (such as an exhaust hood) rarely changes and when it does, the cost in time and expense can be staggering. European cooking suites from brands like Bonnet, Molteni, and some high- end American brands offer a one-piece top. While this seamless design elimi- nates crevices where liquids can leak, it makes it very difficult to change indi- vidual cooking components. A French top changed to a four-burner, or a fryer converted to a griddle are examples. The decision to plan a kitchen around a cooking suite should be carefully eval- uated and the pros and cons shared with all stakeholders. If there is any ques- tion that the chef or menu may change down the road, a modular suite facili- tates equipment changes both during the installation and after the opening. Another commitment that needs to be carefully presented to owners are the pros and cons of concrete curbs or bases under equipment. Like the contin- uous top on high-end ranges, although cleaning and sanitation is easier, equip- ment changes are much more difficult. Coordinating curbs with field conditions and equipment requires precise align- ment and doesn't allow flexibility for adjustments in equipment or location in the kitchen. Some equipment (like fryers with filter systems and ranges with con- vection bases) need cutouts in the base. Adding a filter system on a fryer could easily occur after the curbs or bases are installed and require a costly modi- fication when the equipment arrives. Equipment with industry-standard cast- ers or legs with removable panels pro- vide greater flexibility and reduce the likelihood of errors and back charges. If an owner insists on curb bases, suggest making them out of stainless, which is easier to modify if changes are required. Floor sinks have become a popular way to accommodate multiple indirect waste lines in a kitchen while providing The equipment in a modular island suite can be changed for a different chef or menu but the core infrastructure (such as an exhaust hood) rarely changes, and when it does, the cost in time and expense can be staggering.