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14 FEDA News & Views continued on page 29 Foster Frable "Hey, It's Only the Kitchen!" How to respond to anyone looking to rob space from the BOH By Foster Frable Jr., Clevenger Frable LaVallee fosterf@cfl design.com P rior to launching my consulting practice 32 years ago, I worked in the architecture and construc- tion department at Marriott. Projects/ meetings were plentiful at Marriott but one particular design meeting (or a new hotel project) made such an impression on me that it sticks in my mind to this day. The genesis of this strong memory was nothing more than an architect's offhand comment regarding his propos- al to drastically change the confi gura- tion of an already functional back-of- house (BOH) area, which would require numerous columns being added and turn the kitchen into an awkward lineal space. When I protested on behalf of the opera- tions people who would have to use that crippled kitchen, the architect exclaimed, "What's the big deal, it's only the kitchen!" Fortunately, I worked for people who cared about work environment design and also under- stood how BOH areas support opera- tions. Although the architect ultimately backed down on his proposal, his kitch- en-space-is-expendable attitude contin- ues to prevail all too often in today's kitchen design planning process. With land, building costs, and com- mercial rents rising to stratospheric levels, today's owners understandably look for every possible way to reduce square footage. Kitchen and other BOH areas have low priority in the minds of many folks on project design teams who espouse the economic value of seats and bars—and very little else. Many of them would eliminate the kitchen altogether if there were a way to do it. Although architects and engineers often have a similar lack of vision regard- ing the sizing of other support areas like bathrooms, electrical rooms, closets and exit halls, the size and clearance requirements for these spaces are often mandated by codes and regulations. Kitchens, storerooms, and other back-of-house (BOH) areas, don't enjoy the same level of regula- tion. Even when a project starts out with a reason- able allocation of space for front and back-of- house spaces, problems occur when stakehold- ers push for larger bath- rooms, mechanical areas, and private dining areas. When design teams go hunting for space, the kitchen is often the place that gets squeezed. Some of the worst examples of poorly planned facilities occur after the kitchen becomes a bank to rob when additional space is desired. When faced with a chal- lenge from an architect or developer pushing back on the area of a kitchen, I suggest three strategies. First, develop and maintain a spreadsheet that tabu- lates kitchen sizes derived from histori- cal data (from your own projects and/ or those published in trade magazines). Established ratios of kitchen areas to din- ing size or number of seats in successful operating environments provide metrics that support right-sizing the kitchen. Statistics like this help your customer (the owner or chef) make appropriate kitchen-sizing decisions when the space robbers are eyeballing opportunities. Secondly, code requirements for sizing commercial kitchens have become more rigorous, so use them to your advan- tage. In many areas, codes now dictate the required cubic feet for refrigeration (for raw and prepared foods), the lin- eal length of dry storage shelving, the width of aisles, clearances for cleaning and serving equipment, and compliance with ADA codes. Taken together, these code requirements can add 10-20 per- cent to a traditional kitchen space with- out adding any new equipment or menu expansion. Share this information with the architect and owner. Lastly, visit one of your customer's new restaurants just before opening and pho- tograph a shipment of smallwares and support equipment being delivered by your truck. Make sure the photo shows everything out of boxes and, if possible, spread out over the dining room fl oor. When an architect or developer wants to cut the kitchen in half, show the pictures. Ask where these items will be stored if the kitchen has been whittled down to a small walk-in, cooking line, and dishwashing. When I have "space issues," I pull out a photo of an empty hotel ballroom. It was taken after the smallwares and mobile New technology requires that the people who plan, select, and specify equipment for a new or renovated kitchen have an ever- widening universe of knowledge.