Zen and the Art of How Thoughtful Back-of-the-House Design Brings Front-of-the-House Harmony and Success

Ever been to a newly-opened restaurant - let's say a family-style one in a restaurant space that you vaguely recall as being something ethnic just a few months earlier? You look around the dining room and see what appears to be a family theme. But you look closer and you can still make out a few remnants of the previous restaurant.

As a professional in the industry, you may wonder how much thought the new establishment placed in back-of-the-house design when it took over this restaurant space. Well, it's critical to the longer-term efficiency and maybe even profitability of the new place if ample thought were placed in kitchen design.

What drives great kitchen design? Size of menu, complexity of preparation, number of functions provided by that single kitchen, and use of convenience foods versus primarily cooking from scratch. Think in terms of functional lines. How will ingredients and raw food need to travel from storage to preparation to the front of the house? Which of these functions will happen most often? When?

Think, too, in terms of equipment and utensils that kitchen staff will need to access - and in what order. A rectangular area works best most of the time. Prep work is best located centrally and plating and final prep works most efficiently on the side of the kitchen closest to the dining room or serving station.

The ability to communicate with and supervise workers is tantamount to making a simple, yet incredibly useful back-of-the-house kitchen design. Choose equipment sporting only the accessories that you'll need most and consider modular equipment that provides "custom" configurations that can easily be modified as your menu changes.

Finally, keep in mind that no kitchen design will be perfect. Sometimes you will have to convert that kitchen layout or even the concept. That's the reality of our business. But with a little forethought and the ability to modify as you go, you can create a back-of-the-house area that keeps the front of the house fed and happy.

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