When It Comes to Design: Size Matters

At the NRA show, there was a panel discussion about kitchen design. When asked how big a kitchen should be, Rick Tramonto, the culinary director of Cenitare Restaurants in Chicago, quipped, “as large as possible.” In a subsequent Chain Leader write-up on the panel, Dave Farkas mentioned that the kitchen for Tru, one of the kitchens that Rick designed, is 50 percent of the restaurant footprint.

Even though Tru is a fine-dining kitchen, I think it’s important to point out that Rick Tramonto’s comments are not representative for the industry. In addition, they don’t make financial sense. The kitchen, in fact all the operating areas, should be kept at less than 50 percent of the facility’s total square footage in limited service and less than 40 percent in casual dining. Bear in mind that many QSRs measure less than 2,000-square-feet, with some checking in at less than 1,500 when using in-line or a simple delivery/carry-out format. Many full-service concepts have prototypes around 4,000-square-feet. Kitchens are getting very small as equipment gets more sophisticated, robust and simple to operate. And operators are pressed to reduce capital investment AND operating cost.

For a multitude of reasons, restaurant operators are highly interested in smaller footprints these days. It’s less expensive to build and operate, and it’s easier to find better real estate, especially if flexibility is built into your store design. Space is a strategic asset that has a cost and creates revenue — just like labor and equipment.

As you reduce the size of your work space, you have to increase the thought you put into equipment choice, placement, storage. (And, work processes, but that’s another post.) So, think of your restaurant like it’s a ship’s galley … or a Manhattan apartment.

First, take a look at a specific piece of equipment and ask yourself if you really need it? One of the best ways to do this is to start by eliminating everything, and only add back an item if you can justify it. We often find that operators use specialized pieces of equipment that really are not necessary for the volume they produce. For example, a radiant conveyor toaster is a wonderful piece of equipment, but if you don’t need a lot of toasting, a grill may work just as well. That decision could free up some space and some money to invest in something that could really provide some value to the concept. While we are talking about the kitchen, this exercise works for bar configurations and dining room setups, too.

And once you’ve decided if you really need it, ask yourself do you need so much of it? More than you need is a waste of resources — space and money. Also, operators add equipment over the years as menus and concepts evolve, but few like to get rid of equipment. You can do it!

Next, find out what’s new in equipment and technology that would work with your menu and required capacity. Look for equipment that can do more than one thing, such as a microwave convection oven. It may be an investment that will pay off in increased speed and labor savings.

And of course, look for any opportunity to use vertical space and undercounter space. You’ll have to make sure that your crew has all of the equipment and storage they need to do their jobs — especially during any peak periods. But good planning can often take care of bottlenecks.

In short, to get more in the same space, you just need to think about what you have to accomplish.