While we don’t know yet the full extent of how COVID-19 is going to change the way we all live and work, it is clear that worker safety is going to be an issue for all businesses. In the food service industry – whether that’s the restaurant setting, catering and delivery, or in an educational, healthcare, or senior living facility – that means taking an objective look at the commercial kitchen.
Most commercial kitchen remodels in Massachusetts involve making the kitchen larger and easier to work in. The average commercial kitchen comes in at just over 1,000 square feet. Even when you’re working with a small crew – a cook, a prep cook and a dishwasher – it doesn’t take long for things to get crowded. Add in the waitstaff and bussers, and the quarters get even tighter.
The idea that more work space is required goes against a long-held commercial kitchen design practice, which has been to minimize back of the house space in favor of front of the house – profitable – space. Sometimes this is discussed in terms of percentages – you’ll hear the figure 30% bandied about as the ideal amount of the facility’s total footprint to devote to the kitchen – while other builders use a per-patron square footage formula. Our approach is a little different. We take an individual approach, making our recommendations based on your business’ unique circumstances so you can achieve the commercial kitchen you need successfully, without spending too much money!
Whether you’re remodeling your commercial kitchen, working with an experienced commercial kitchen designer in Massachusetts can help you configure your layout – including work station placement – so that it’s easy for your team to comply with any new safety regulations that may emerge. Smart commercial kitchen design makes it possible for your team to do their best work safely.