Hotel Kitchen Layout: Designing It Right

The design, functionality, and efficiency of your kitchen can make or break your hotel venture. Therefore, you need to design and equip your kitchen department for maximum productivity, quality, and savings in terms of finance and resources.

Optimising your kitchen layout will not only help your cooks and support staff feel right at home when preparing delicious meals, which will reflect on your guest satisfaction, but it will also enable you to make substantial financial savings long-term and keep the inspector away. Here is how to design your hotel kitchen for quality and success.

Calculate your kitchen size

Firstly, you'll need to address the question of kitchen size. How big should the kitchen be in order to satisfy all guests in your hotel at any given time? Simple, your kitchen size should correspond to the number of seats and tables in the dining area.

Generally speaking, you'll need to ensure at least five square feet of kitchen space for every seat in the dining area, meaning that a hotel restaurant boasting a hundred seats should also have a kitchen of 500 square feet. The details may vary according to your specific needs.

Design for easy manoeuvrability

Your chefs and staff need to work in a safe and ergonomic environment, meaning that the design needs to aim for efficiency above all else in order to minimize movement, resource and time wastage, and prevent mishaps and injuries.

An ergonomic kitchen will boast smart solutions in terms of appliances and working areas, with dedicated chef workstations specifically designed to suit the chef and the way she works. Remember, a design that's optimal for one person might not be suited for someone else, so going the extra mile is a good idea.

Modern equipment standards

When it comes to kitchen equipment, there can be no compromise. Your equipment needs to be second to none in terms of quality, durability, efficiency, and functionality. Investing in contemporary kitchen equipment will definitely pay off in the long run, so rather than buying used items and risking malfunctions, be sure to splurge a little on your kitchen appliances.

Your basic equipment needs entail tables for food preparation, refrigerators, freezers, ice machines, cabinets, drawers and shelves to store dishes. Of course, you also need quality cooking and dishwashing equipment (such as the new line of Maytag dishwashers, for instance) in order to enforce resource efficiency across the board.

Energy efficiency goes a long way

Speaking of equipment, it is important that you look for the Energy Star on your amenities. Contemporary kitchen equipment is not only built to last, but it's built to conserve precious resources and thus facilitate long-term financial savings.

With prices of electricity and water constantly on the rise, failing to go green right off the bat could spell disaster for your business, especially if your hotel achieves the success you have envisioned. Being constantly booked is a sign of success, but how you manage your newly gained popularity will determine if it will last.

Ventilation and maintenance

Finally, your kitchen needs to have a proper ventilation system installed, and it should be easy to maintain. Ventilation is crucial in dealing with fumes, odours, and various airborne elements and particles, but it is also important for keeping the health inspector at bay. Couple your ventilation system with smoke and gas alarms and you're all set.

Secondly, the kitchen shouldn't require too much maintenance on a daily basis. The floors, equipment, and countertops must be easy to clean, and every piece of kitchenware needs to have its own place in the culinary jungle.

The design of your kitchen will spell the future of your business venture. Be sure to use these essential tips to create an efficient and functional food preparation area and you will pave the road to long-term success.

Lillian Connors
Senior Digital Marketing Strategist
Bizzmark