A well-designed commercial kitchen will be appreciated by restaurant owners and chefs alike. When compared to a badly-designed space, a well-designed back of the house (BOH) will increase profits by reducing the amount of kitchen labor required and improving the energy efficiency of the kitchen.

No matter what kind of kitchen you are creating, your design will have to comply with your local food and building codes, so consult your local codes first. Also, before you begin to design the BOH, you must first consider your equipment requirements. Since you cannot know what equipment you need until you have developed your menu items, develop your menu first, and use it to guide you when forming the list of kitchen equipment. Then you will be ready to start designing your kitchen.

Before you begin to design your closed commercial kitchen space, you will need to decide what your priorities are. The layout of the kitchen can be designed to optimize on one or more of the following:

• Space limitations. If you are renting or buying a pre-existing building or space, the limitations of the architecture and engineering of the kitchen area will almost always be an important consideration.
• Safety. The health and safety of kitchen employees should always be taken into account when designing the kitchen. In addition to meeting health and food code requirements, a commercial kitchen should be well lit and give staff enough room to move freely while transporting sharp objects and hot foods. » Learn More
• Ergonomics. Often, ergonomics is the number one consideration when designing a kitchen. You want your commercial kitchen to be designed for maximum labor efficiency, so that your kitchen workers do not have to waste time walking back and forth as they prepare the food and clean. The theory behind ergonomics is that the fewer steps and moves your employees need to complete a task, the better. Ergonomics can also help reduce employee injury, fatigue and discomfort in the workplace.
• Energy-efficiency. This design focuses primarily on the efficiency of the energy equipment setup. In this setup, refrigeration and cooking equipment are kept as far apart as is possible while still being practical, and cooking equipment is strategically placed to maximize the efficiency of the exhaust hood.
• Sensory appeal. Every restaurant should smell delicious, but beyond that, the kitchen does not have to appeal to the senses unless it is an exhibition kitchen that is open to the customers’ view. In an open kitchen, visual appeal and even the sounds from the kitchen are crucial elements.
• Flexibility. If your restaurant undergoes a management shift or if the kitchen arrangement turns out to be undesirable in some way, you will need to rearrange your kitchen. To ensure that your kitchen is flexible enough for this, purchase casters and quick disconnect gas hoses for your equipment. These will also make it easier for you to clean under and behind your restaurant equipment.

There are many ways to design a kitchen. There is no definite rule on how to configure your kitchen, but there are three typical methods of grouping equipment and supplies:

• Ergonomic ConfigurationIn a purely ergonomic configuration, the kitchen equipment is arranged according to what is most comfortable and efficient for the chef and kitchen workers, without regard to energy efficiency. For example, an ergonomically arranged kitchen might locate an undercounter freezer directly below or beside the fryer. Although this is not energy-efficient, it allows frozen French fries or chicken strips to be moved directly from the freezer to the fryer, without even taking a step.
• Assembly-Line ConfigurationThis design is ideal for a restaurant that mostly produces large quantities of the same foods, like pizzas or sandwiches. In an assembly-line configuration, the kitchen is laid out according to the order of use, and the pieces of equipment are generally in a line and linked together battery-style. For example, a pizza place might configure its equipment in a line, beginning with the refrigerator, moving on to the dough-making area, then to the refrigerated pizza prep table, where all the toppings are added, then to the pizza oven and finally to the warming and holding station.
• Zone-Style ConfigurationIn a zone-style configuration, the kitchen is divided into different blocks. Generally, there is a block for food preparation, a block for cooking, a block for refrigeration and ice machines, a block for sanitation and ware-washing and a block for the kitchen-to-server transition. There may even be multiple blocks. For example, a large kitchen may need two food preparation blocks: one near the refrigeration and one near the cooking equipment.

Before setting up the equipment, make sure you have proper electrical, gas and water hookups to fit your design. If you do not, you need to call an electrician or engineer to come put them in for you.

Each kitchen will have different equipment. So you will need to tailor your equipment layout to your restaurant’s needs. However, in general, follow these tips and examples for grouping the following:

Refrigerators should generally be at the beginning of an assembly line or near the prep area in a block-style kitchen. Undercounter or worktop coolers can be used to combine the work or cooking area with refrigeration for ultimate ergonomics. A sturdy refrigerated chef base can be used as a foundation for food prep or cooking equipment. However, in an energy-efficient kitchen, refrigeration and ice machines will be separated from cooking equipment as much as is pragmatically possible.

• Have ice ready where needed. The ice machine should be placed where it is most needed. Generally, this is near the entrance to the kitchen where servers can access it to fill glasses, or near the beginning of an assembly line if ice is often needed for food preparation. If ice is needed in two places, you can use ice totes or an ice caddy to transfer the ice from the machine to another area of the kitchen
• Put the blast chiller last. A blast chiller will quickly cool down hot food so that the food can then be transferred to a refrigerator or freezer. If you need to refrigerate or freeze pre-cooked foods, this is an energy-efficient way to take the strain off of your refrigeration. The blast chiller can be placed at the end of the cook line, instead of at the beginning with the rest of your cooling equipment. This keeps kitchen workers from having to carry hot food items across the kitchen, which poses a threat to employee safety.
• Think about walk-ins. If you will need a lot of cooling space, consider investing in a walk-in. A walk-in cooler or walk-in freezer is its own zone within the kitchen. If you think you need a walk-in but do not have the space for one, keep in mind that walk-in coolers can be custom-built, inside or outside the building. They can be as small as 5’ x 6’, or as big as you need them to be.

Because it usually requires extra space for preparation, food prep equipment such as food processors, meat slicers, mixers, dough presses and grinders are usually best placed near work tables, cutting boards or the prep counter. Here are some more tips on arranging your food preparation area(s):

• Consider an island-style prep area. Often, the commercial kitchen is designed with the prep and work tables forming an island in the center of the kitchen. On one side of the island you might find a line of cooking equipment against the wall, while cooling equipment is found on the other side of the island, at the end of the line or under the prep area in the form of undercounters or worktop refrigerators. If you have enough room, this island-style configuration is an ergonomic way of arranging the kitchen, and it can be energy-efficient, too.
• Match the heights. When placed in line with other equipment, work and prep tables should be the same height as the countertop or the top of your cooking equipment, such as your range or griddle. Having everything at the same height is ergonomic and facilitates an assembly-line process.
• Try undercounter or worktop cooling. Undercounter or worktop refrigerators and freezers save space and labor by combining your refrigeration area with your prep area. This prevents workers from having to walk across the room to retrieve items from the coolers. Refrigerated prep tables are another convenient way to save space and optimize your ergonomics, especially if you run a pizza, sandwich or salad joint.

Usually, cooking equipment is arranged in a line against the wall. This facilitates the gas hookups and maximizes the efficiency of the kitchen ventilation. Use gas manifold hookups to string your gas equipment together to be powered. When equipment is set up in a battery like this, only one piece of equipment needs the gas connection, and the rest can be hooked up through manifolds. Cooking equipment can also be set up in an island formation. This is often convenient for large kitchens, but it makes it more difficult to separate cooking from cooling equipment, and an island-style cooking block will have a less energy-efficient ventilation system.

• Center your ranges, griddles and charbroilers. Range-tops, griddles and broilers are heavy-duty equipment, and need to be placed near the center of the vent hood to avoid spilling fumes and heat into the kitchen. Oftentimes, this is also an ergonomic arrangement, since restaurant ranges and griddles are usually used to cook a wide variety of menu items, and therefore deserve to take center stage in the kitchen.
• Strategically place microwaves. Commercial microwaves are extremely versatile. They can be used to thaw, boil, cook and reheat. Depending on your application, it may be wise to have multiple microwaves, with one or more at each end or zone of the kitchen.
• Isolate your simmering liquids. Steam kettles, tilting skillets and stock pot ranges are often used for simmering or boiling liquids such as soups, stews, broths and water. If you are using them for this purpose, keep them near one end of your cooking block. They do not need to be monitored as carefully as a range or griddle. Also, they do not put off a lot of heat, so they can be near the edge of the hood.
• Finish off with salamanders or cheesemelters. Salamanders and cheesemelters are used during the final stages of preparing a dish, to brown and toast foods or to melt cheese. For this reason, good locations for them include the following:
  • The end of the cooking block near the warmers
  • Near the counter where servers will pick up food to take to the table
  • Mounted above the oven/range or the griddle, so that finished foods can be immediately transferred for light browning or cheese-melting

Generally, warming and holding equipment should be placed at the end of the assembly line, on the outer edges of the cooking block or near the area where servers pick up the food. That way, it is easy to transfer recently cooked foods directly to the warmers, where they can await plating without going cold.

• Put steam tables in the prep area. Steam tables are often used in the kitchen to keep ingredients warm and safe before they are added to a dish. That way, warm ingredients do not need to be prepared to order. Place your steam table in the prep area or across from the cook line. For example, a fast-casual Mexican restaurant might put its steam table directly across from the griddle, beside its worktables. Workers can then use it to assemble the preheated beans, chili and ground beef to form burritos and enchiladas, which can then be transferred directly to the griddle. In cases where steam tables are used to serve pre-prepared dishes directly onto the plate, they should be placed at the very end of the cook line or near the edge of the cooking block.
• Keep warmers out of the way. In general, countertop warmers and holding cabinets are used to hold prepared foods. Since they are usually not needed until the final stages of food preparation, they should be kept on the edge of the cooking and prep areas.
• Locate overhead warmers near the server pick-up area. In open or exhibition kitchens, overhead warmers or heat lamps should be placed on the counter between the kitchen and the front of the house to keep plated food warm during the transition from chef to server.

Usually, the dish room or warewashing area will be its own zone in the kitchen, and utility carts or dish carts are used to transfer dinnerware, soiled pots, pans and utensils from the kitchen or dining room to the dish room.

• Properly size your dish room. Your warewashing area should be spacious enough to accommodate all of the traffic it will get. A general rule for sizing your dishwashing zone is to allot about one square foot for every 2 meals served per hour. The area will need to be expanded if you want to include a glasswasher or a pot and pan washer.
• Have a back-up plan. Health codes require that every restaurant have a three compartment sink. This should usually be located somewhere between the cooking line and the warewashing area, since restaurants without pot and pan washers use it to wash large cookware that will not fit in the warewasher. You may also consider having an upright glass washer on hand to facilitate the cleaning of glasses in case your regular warewasher breaks, especially if you have a bar.

Every commercial kitchen is required to have a three-compartment sink. In case the commercial dishwasher breaks down, it serves as a back-up washing station. Furthermore, according to the most recent federal food code, you cannot wash mops, cleaning rags or cleaning sponges in the three-compartment sink. Instead, these must be washed in a separate sink, commonly known as a “mop sink.” All facilities that do not currently have mop sinks are required to have them by February 15, 2010.

• Put an extra sink near the prep area. A one- or two-compartment food prep sink can be used for washing produce, for recipes that require water and for filling pots, pans, kettles, steam reservoirs and any other equipment that requires water.
• Carefully locate your hand washing sinks. According to the 2007 supplement to the FDA food code, there must be a hand washing sink within 24 feet of any food preparation or utensil washing area. Some local codes have even stricter rules. For example, some local codes might stipulate that you need one hand sink for every 3 employees.

Every block or area of the kitchen should have plenty of storage and shelving for storing food, utensils, cookware, cutlery and other kitchen supplies. To turn a good kitchen into a fantastic kitchen, place storage and shelving wherever it is needed.

Take advantage of your walls. Most commercial kitchens are packed with equipment. To save space, use wall shelving above the cooking and prep areas to hold important ingredients and utensils. To hold heavy items, place dunnage racks under your work tables. Hangers, hooks and racks are also convenient for kitchen workers and allow you to make the most of your wall space. They are perfect for hanging oven mitts, cookware and large kitchen utensils. You can even hang baskets from the walls or ceiling to hold much-needed food items and other supplies.

Designate a food storage area. You need a special place to hold back-up inventory to keep it out of the way of kitchen workers. Your food area might be as small as a kitchen pantry, or as large as an entire room. Equip your food storage area with shelving, can racks and dunnage racks.

Make use of carts. Carts are good for transferring equipment, foods, dishes and other supplies from one area of the kitchen to another. For example, you may need a utility cart to transfer large tubs of food from the pantry to the food prep area, or use a lug cart to transfer produce. Mobile ingredient bins with casters can be used to transfer dry goods from the food storage area to the food prep zone. For baked goods, use a pan rack to transfer large quantities of dough or baked items around the kitchen or into a roll-in refrigerator or walk-in cooler.

There are two basic types of commercial kitchen designs: closed kitchens and exhibition kitchens. If you choose to design an exhibition kitchen, one of your main considerations should be its sensory appeal. For closed kitchens, efficiency and ergonomics are usually the primary concern.

When designing an exhibition kitchen, you will want to make your most visually appealing cooking processes visible to the customer. Usually, the kitchen will be separated from the dining area by a counter or by a partition with an opening that frames the kitchen. To be sure that your customers see the interesting cooking going on, follow these tips:

• Make your flames prominent. Flaming broilers, indoor grills and ranges should take center stage in an exhibition kitchen. Customers will find the flames exciting. This is a perfect example of how you can sell the sizzle, rather than the steak. Rotisserie ovens are another visually appealing piece of cooking equipment that you can put on display.
• Show off your chefs’ technique. You will want to make the more artistic or fun culinary processes visible to the customer. For example, if you run a sushi restaurant with an open kitchen, the sushi-rolling area should be in prominent view. If you run a pizza restaurant with hand-tossed pizzas and an open kitchen, let customers watch the flying dough.
• Keep your storage out of site. If you run an open kitchen, you need to minimize the amount of storage and shelving that customers see. Otherwise, it will look messy. If you must have storage in sight, make sure that it is organized and neat.

There are no definite rules for commercial kitchen design. Every kitchen is different. Determine what your priorities are, and choose a design that will accommodate them and works well with your menu. Otherwise, you might end up having to make costly renovations to your kitchen layout.