UNIT - II

PLANNING & LAYOUT OF KITCHEN DEPARTMENT

Introduction
It will be right to say that kitchen is the heart of a hotel; just as the heart pumps out blood of all
the parts of the body, the kitchen supplies food to all the sections of the hotel. On a busy day
when the restaurants are full and room service is also busy, it can get very chaotic (disorganized)
if the operations are not well planned. Before we can talk about a well planned it is very
important to understand good workflow (plan/system) in the kitchen. This unit will discuss
various areas of kitchen and shall stress upon the importance of organized planning layouts for
smooth workflow.

A well designed kitchen from the architectural point of view might not be the best option for a
functional kitchen that would meet the requirements of the operations. Therefore it is important
to understand the workflow of the jobs being done in the kitchen in order to plan them
effectively. Time and motion (movement) study is carried out to see the feasibility (usefulness)
of laying out the machines and equipments so that the staff does not have to move around too
much while cooking, otherwise it will cause fatigue(tiredness/weakness) and accidents. This
chapter also deals with different types of kitchen.

General Kitchen Planning and Layout

Kitchen is a busy place and cross traffic can really hamper the operations. There are certain
factors that one needs to keep in mind while planning a kitchen. This usually done by ‘facility
planning department’ that carefully plans the layout of the kitchens. Some hotels contract out
these services but certain hotel chains such as Oberoi Hotels and Resorts have their own facility
planning department which is responsible for planning and layout of all the kitchens.
Planning a kitchen entails (involve) much more than just placement of equipment in its place. A
well planned operation will always follow a systematic procedure.

Picture

When we talk of design of a kitchen it would generally mean the overall planning of the space
with regards to size and shape of the operation. Layout means the detailed arrangement of the
floor of the kitchen and allocation of place for the kitchen equipment to be placed where the
specific task would be carried out. A cluster (batch/collection) of such places is referred to as
workstation.

A well planned layout is not only important for the smooth workflow in the kitchen but it also
adds to the profitability of the entire operation. Smooth workflow (plan/system) will ensure
timely pick up of food for a busy meal period thus creating happy guest and good reputation.
Such an operation is also directly linked to the motivation and overall moral of the staff.

Well planned kitchen operations would always follow a basic three flow pattern which would be
BACK – FRONT – BACK. All the raw material are received at the kitchen (back of the
operations) then processed and sent to the restaurant (front) for consumption. The leftover
unusable food is brought back and disposed as garbage. A typical workflow is shown below.

It would be ideal to have straight lines of production to speed up the service to the guests, but it
is rarely achieved. The designing and layout of the kitchen should be in such a way that there is
no intersection or crossing/junction/crossroads of the cooking as well as the service staff. The
service team usually picks up food from a designated space in the kitchen often referred to as
pass window. This space is the kitchen restricts (limit) the entry of the service staff beyond this
point. This is done for various reasons and one of them is the smooth work flow of the kitchen.
During busy times when cooks are under stress and are working with hot pots and pans they do
not want to have any accidents with the intersecting traffic.

WHILE PLANNING, DESIGN AND LAYOUT OF A KITCHEN THE FOLLOWING

AREAS SHOULD BE INCLUDED:

Kitchen design and layout should cover: Receiving Areas, Storing Areas, Preparation Areas,
Finishing Areas and Dishing-out Areas
1. Larder Operation – Cold department
2. Kitchen Stove Operation – Hot section
3. Pastry Operation – Sweet Department
4. Bakery Section – Breads/cakes
5. Preparation Area – Mise en place
6. Executive Chef’s office
7. Cold room for meat – Grade manger
8. Cold room for fish – Grade manger
9. Cold room for vegetable and fruits – Walking cooler
10. Cold room for dairy products – Refrigeration
11. Still room/Pantry – Coffee kitchen
12. Dish washing area – Scullery
13. Dish washing area – For china ware, cutlery and glasses
 14. Kitchen staff room – Rest room
15. Waste area – Garbage disposal – Empties
16. Goods receiving area
17. Bulk dry store
18. Bulk cold store
19. Day to Day store- Ingredients room
20. Equipment store
21. Food service counter

Kitchen Planning Consideration

1. Types and Size of Establishment
Fast food outlets, hotels, restaurants, specialty restaurants, outdoor caterings, cafeterias.

2. Types and Method of Customer Service

Self service, take away, table service (a la carte, table d’hôte, buffet)

3. Types of Menu Offered/Extent(size/length)of the Menu

Snack, full meal like Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Supper

Designs should include provision for:

 Receiving of incoming goods.
 Adequate storage areas.
 Sufficient preparation and service areas.
 Facilities for washing and storing areas.
 Cleanliness and hygiene to be maintained.
 Good ventilation system.
 Easy maintenance of walls and ceiling.
 Non-slip floors for dining and kitchen.
 Working diagrams for water and waste installation.
 Proper drainage system.
 Proper allocation of equipment.
 Adequate working space.
 Dishing out area.
A well-planned kitchen should:
 Have a satisfactory working environment.
 Enable maximum productivity.
 Provide adequate facilities for staff.
 Provide adequate storage facilities.
 Minimize risk of cross-contamination.
 Provide adequate hot and cold water supply.
  Include a proper drainage system.
 Sufficient lighting system.
 Deny access to pests.

Workflow Planning of Kitchen

Each task requires careful planning so that it is performed in a logical sequence with time
constraints meaning that everything has to be ready for service on time.

It is necessary for all kitchen staff to organize their daily tasks so that productivity is maximized
and wastage of food and labour is kept to a minimum.

Cooperation between all kitchen staff is essential in creating an effective team. In this way
confusion is eliminated productivity is high and the working environment is better for all.

The objective of work flow planning is to make work easier. This can be achieved by simplifying
the operation, eliminating unnecessary movements, combining operations into one where
possible, or improving old methods. For instance, when peeling carrots, if you let the peeling fall
into a bowl instead of onto the bench you won’t have to clean the bench after you have finished.

Likewise before you start preparing a more involved recipe, it is important to select the correct
equipment and light the ovens, setting the desired temperature if necessary.

The following list of task will give you an idea of what is required to select and assemble the
correct equipment before you start.

 Turn on and light the ovens and set to the desired temperature.
 Assemble and turn on electric scales.
 Select and assemble food processor- plug it in.
 Select all small equipment required including wooden and metal spoons whisks ladles
piping bags, sieves etc, as determined by the task to be done.
 Gather support materials such as foils, plastics wraps, silicon paper etc, which may be
required.

Workflow planning involves five areas. They are:

 Logical sequence – taking a step-by-step approach to completing tasks is important in

any commercial kitchen. Having a clear and logical plan will ensure all dishes are ready
for service.

 Time efficiency (Effectiveness) – tasks should be approached in a time efficient manner.

Some tasks are simple and others are more complex. By combining tasks, it is possible to
achieve more than one goal at a time and complete tasks efficiently.
  Planning and organisation – in a kitchen brigade, the head chef is responsible for the
smooth running of the kitchen. However, a kitchen cannot run smoothly if all sections are
not working together. Planning and organisation are essential in the kitchen as it allows
all sections to complete their tasks to ensure service times are met.

 Time constraints (Limit)– service periods rely on strict time constraints. Mise-en-place
must be complete before a service period so meals can be served to the customer in a
timely manner. Chefs must meet these time deadlines to ensure the customer receives
their food in an appropriate time frame and to a high standard.

 Co-operation – teamwork and co-operation are essential in any workplace. All workers
in the kitchen brigade need to work together to reach their common goal.

Why use workflow planning?

A work flow plan identifies the precise steps of the task.
 The type of food to be prepared and served.
 The number and size of the portions to be served.
 The time when food has to be served.
 The method of food service and presentation.
 The location of the food service e.g. the dining room.

 Facilitates a minimum amount of time to be taken from preparation to finishing.

 Enables a one directional flow of food from raw to cook.
 Has its equipment so positioned to minimize walking?

Work flow planning of each task, no matter how big or small is essential to the smooth and
efficient running of the kitchen.

Types of Kitchen
Kitchen is a well designed area in which food is prepared or cooked for customer services. In a
modern definition kitchen can be define as a well designed closed area with advanced machines,
equipments and utensils which is used for preparing food item as per guest order by following
standard recipes.

Main kitchen
Main kitchen is probably located at the central part of hotel where overall sequence of food
receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, serving and clearing areas are properly designed and
managed. Technically, it is known as central kitchen having many sections. Hence, it may
occupy a large space. This kitchen provides wide range of food varieties e.g. Indian, continental,
oriental, Mexican, Italian, etc. through its respective section with the help of skilled/semi-skilled
culinary crafts persons called chef-de-parties and commie cooks.
A main kitchen is usually located adjacent (next to) to room service, service bar, store, pantry
stillroom, bakery, butchery etc. for efficient work flow. It may have both a’ la crate and table d’
hotel menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This kitchen may serve up to three or four line dining
restaurants simultaneously. There is often a separate kitchen for banquet and other activities.
Basically, main kitchen is divided into the following sections:

 The hot sections (the main cooking areas)

 Still room
 The vegetable preparation area
 The cold section
 The pastry/bakery section
 The butchery section
 Attached cleaning and washing area (kitchen steward)
 Cold provisional store
 Head chef’s office
 The larder (storage)
 Temporary kitchen

Satellite kitchen
Satellite kitchen is constructed and established to cater to a particular outlet where the main
kitchen cannot cater due to its location disadvantage. Largely, this kitchen can organize most of
the preparation work in its own kitchen. However, it may depend upon the main kitchen for
various other things such sauce, stocks, gravies, pastas, etc. usually such a chef commands over
this kitchen. This kitchen becomes a must for specialty restaurants such Continental, Chinese,
Mexican, Nepalese, etc. which are located away from the main kitchen.

Fast Food Kitchen

Fast food kitchen is influenced by American catering technology, i.e. fast food to lead a fast life.
Fast food was developed from original fish and chips concept at that time. But modern catering
mostly provides dry and light food. It is independently established to meet the pace of customers’
busy life. It is specially located at the public area (lobby level) of a hotel, or out of hotel where
either food is taken away or consumed at the fast food lounge area.
Most of the fast food establishments may be found in retail and leisure areas and in road side
service complexes, airport lounge, railway stations, and at some events where mobile hamburger
and hot-dogs stalls are traditionally seen.
It provides varieties of dry and light meals like burger, sandwich, fish and chips pizza, snacks,
grilled meat/fish/shellfish, cold and hot beverages, etc.
The characteristics of fast food kitchen are as follows:

 Highly equipped with standard equipments.

  Fully skilled employees.
 Pre-cooked food at reasonable price range.
 Established anywhere to cater to the fashionable customers.
 Products offered can be cooked quickly and held in the short-term without deteriorating.
 Mostly pre-plated service.
 Adequate miser-en-place.
 Large turnout of customers.
 Precise portion control.

Display kitchen
In this kitchen food is prepared and cooked in full open view of customers, which appeals to the
eyes, palate and dining experience of the consumers. At the same time, the sizzle and aroma of
food item adds to the pleasure of eating e.g. grill Room. The hygiene, sanitation and décor of the
kitchen, as well as the skill and showmanship of the staff in particular may determine the sale of
such kitchens. This kitchen also seeks the support of the main kitchen for various items. It is
headed by soups chef/ chef de parties.

Conventional Kitchen:
This is small type of kitchen, established for small table d’hôte and banquet kitchens that have
flexible standards for menus and portions, all departments are grouped together in blocks. Both
preparation and finishing are carried out in the same areas.

Combined Preparation and Finishing Kitchen

This type of kitchen is practiced by medium sized establishment in which certain amount of
standardization of the menu is possible. The advantage of this system is that cooks may be
assigned to both sections preparation and finishing. In principle preparation and finishing are
separated into two blocks. Whether these blocks totally or partially separated depends on the
type of establishment. Each block should accommodate all types of menu items such as cold
foods, hot foods, and pastry.

Separate Preparation and Finishing Kitchen

This is preferred for large establishments. The preparation and finishing blocks (satellite
kitchens) are in separate rooms. Each satellite kitchen should consist of one room housing all the
departments necessary for the dishes on the menu. Usually these have no large cooking ranges.
Instead, there are grill bars/griddles, microwave oven, convection ovens, bain-marie and deep
fryers.

Full Service Kitchen

The example is of a full service kitchen that one would find in a expensive restaurant. What
separate this design from the casual dining kitchen are the various stations. These stations allow
for a wide range of foods to be prepared and served to the paying customers. While this is an
impressive design it does require a large amount of skilled labor to function properly.

Casual Dining
This is a restaurant kitchen which is called casual dining. This design is popular in the United
States with most sit down chain restaurants. The kitchen is equipped with various tools and
stations that allows for an organized and efficient area to prepare food. The design also reduces
the number of cooks needed by placing all the stations close enough to one another. 

Mobile Kitchen
This class of restaurant is the mobile platforms for consumption. Catering companies serve large
groups of people at remote locations primarily using these vehicles. This type of kitchen is
restricted in the amount of space available. Therefore it is extremely important to utilize every
square inch of space and to equip the vehicle with only what is needed.

Layout of the Commissary

A commissary kitchen is the backbone of the kitchen as most of the pre preparation food is done
here. This Kitchen does the basic Mise en place for large scale operations such as banqueting and
so it is very important to have a well spaced area as there would be heavy movement of staff.
This kitchen also uses specialized machines such as pulverizes which are used for making pastes
and powders for curries etc. Certain fruits and vegetables that cannot be stored in the walk in are
stored here and provided to the kitchens on basis of requisitions. In many hotels this kitchen
forms a part of store and hence control becomes easy.
Basic Layout of Main Kitchen
Main kitchen can be rightly called the nerve centre of all the kitchens. The kitchen associated
with an individual restaurant is known as satellite kitchen and the main kitchen comprises
butchery, cold kitchen also known as garde manger, coffee shop kitchen, bakery, chef’s office
production kitchen etc.
Lay out of Butchery
Butchery is the biggest money holding centre of the hotel operations, though it does not make
money directly, it is indirectly responsible for maintaining the food cost. This section of the
kitchen stores and processes most expensive meat which both local and imported. Hence a well
planned butchery operation is a must for a profitable food business. Butchery in various hotels is
part of food stores, as they process all the meats and store them for usage in the kitchen against
food requisitions.
Lay out of Garde Manger
Garde in French means ‘to keep’ and manger means ‘to eat’ so garde manger literally means kept
cold to be eaten. This kitchen is called cold kitchen as foods such as sandwiches, salads juices
are prepared and served out from this kitchen. This kitchen is always a part of the main kitchen
as it not only serves a la carte, banquet, but is also responsible for room amenities, welcome
drink to the guest and many other support roles for other kitchens.
Layout of Bakery & Confectionery
Bakery and confectionery is very important section of the kitchen as this is a very important
section of the kitchen as this department operates round the clock and is the busiest operation. It
produces breakfast rolls for the morning breakfast, cakes and pastries for the pastry shop and also
the a la carte desserts of various restaurants and banqueting operations. There is a separate
chocolate room which produces chocolates and garnishes.
Layout of Western Banquet Kitchen
The western banquet kitchen prepares food for banquets and is also responsible for bulk Mise –
en-place required by other satellite kitchen such as soup bases, stocks, and sauces. Banquets also
prepare buffet food for all day dining restaurants. The segregation is not done on the basis of
amount of work but rather for the flow of work. A western kitchen is divided into following
section
Range: This section basically takes care of food which is prepared on the range. The actual
cooking such as preparation of dishes is done here.

Grills: This section takes care of all the grills, hot plates, baking, deep fat fryer and finishing
different types of meat in the oven. All the grilled work is done here, such as grilling, searing of
meats and vegetables etc.
Mise en place section: The bulk Mise –en-place such as cutting and chopping id done here. The
banquet kitchen also has sophisticated equipment such as brat pans steam kettles and
combination ovens that are used for cooking steaming and also reheating food. As this kitchen
can carter up to a size of 3000 guests, it is important to have a smooth workflow and storage
space available for bulk Mise en place.

Layout of Show Kitchen/Display Kitchen

Show kitchen are also known as display kitchen are the most modern trends in today’s
restaurants. These kitchens not only add a style statement to the business but also act as a
marketing tool, telling the guests that the food prepared here is fresh and hygienic. The guests do
not complain about the delay in foods, as they can see their meals being cooked in front of their
eyes. The idea of having a show kitchen as a feature of the restaurant is very commonly seen in
modern hotels, where the live cooking by chefs acts as a USP.
While designing show kitchen it is important to decide what should be visible to the guest and
what should be skillfully masked away. For example a station where a skilled chef is cooking
teppanayaki or carving a Peking duck is a far better sight than someone handling raw poultry of
fish.

Show kitchen use best equipment as the guest can see them and the maintenance cost of the same
is very as compared to the equipment of the normal kitchen. The staff working here needs to be
very skilled and design of the uniform must also blend with entire ambience. Food courts in
various malls are example of display kitchens.
 KITCHEN DESIGN AND LAYOUT MECHANISM
Kitchen must be designed so that they can be easily managed. Executives must have easy access
to the areas under their control and good visibility in the areas that have to be supervised. Large
operations should work on separate work floors or supporting sections should be housed in
different levels for reasons of efficiency and hygiene.

 Product – raw materials to finished product.

 Human resources - how people move within the kitchen: for example, staffs working
dirty areas should not enter the areas of finished products.
 Containers/ equipment/ tools/utensils – should be separated for specific purpose.
 Refuse(Garbage) – refuse must be kept separated and should not pass into other areas.

Product flows
Each section should be subdivided into high-risk and contaminated sections. High-risk food is
that which, during processing, is likely to be easily contaminated. Contaminated food is that
which is contaminated on arrival before processing- for example, unprepared vegetables, raw
meat. Back-tracking or cross-over of materials and product must be avoided.

Work space
Approximately 15 square feet is required per staff for movement; too little space can cause staff
to work in close proximity to stoves, steamers, cutting blades, mixers, and so on, thus causing
accidents. A space of 4.5 feet from equipment is desirable, and passage must be of adequate size
to enable staff to move safely. The working area must be suitable lit, and ventilated with
extractor fans to move heat, fumes and smells.

Working sections

The size and style of the menu and the ability of the staff will determine the number of sections
and layout that is necessary. A straight-line layout would be suitable for a snack bar, while an
island layout would be more suitable for a hotel restaurant.

Access to ancillary areas

A good receiving area needs to be designed for easy receipt of supplies with nearby storage
facilities suitably sited for distribution of foods to preparation and production areas. Hygiene
must be considered so that kitchen equipment can be cleaned, and all used equipment from the
dining area can be cleared, cleaned and stored. Still room or pantry facilities may also be
required.

Equipment
The type amount and size of equipment will depend on type of menus being provided, not only
should the equipment be suitably sited but the working weight is very important to enable the
equipment to be used without excess fatigue. Kitchen equipment manufacturers and gas and
electricity suppliers can provide details of equipment relating to output and size.

Food Preparation Areas

Proper design and layout of the preparation area can make a major contribution to good food
hygiene. Staff generally responds to good working conditions by taking more of a pride in
themselves, in their work and in their working environment.

Adequate work space must be provided for each process and every effort must be made
to separate dirty and clean process. Vegetable preparation and wash-up areas should be separate
from the actual food preparation and service areas. The layout must ensure a continuous work
flow in one direction in order that cross-over of foods and any cross-contamination is avoided.
The staff should not hamper each other by having to cross each other’s paths more than is
absolutely necessary.

Designing and Layout of the Cooking Areas

Because raw materials enter the cooking section from the main preparation areas (vegetables,
meat, fish and dry goods) this section will be designed with a view to continuing the flow
movement through to the server.

Layout is not, however, just a question of equipment sitting and selection, much depends
on the type of management policy on use of prepared foods and the operating cycle. Clearly the
cooking section should contain no through traffic lanes. The layout should be planned so that raw
foodstuffs arrive at one point, are processed in the cooking section and then dispatched to the
server.

The cooking section should be designed with a view to making maximum use of the
available area and providing economy of effort in use. The following design and layout are
practiced for cooking setup:

Island groupings
In an island arrangement, equipment is placed back to back in the center of the cooking area.
There will need to be sufficient space to allow for this, including adequate gangways around the
equipment and space to place other items along the walls.

Wall sitting
An alternative arrangement involves sitting equipment along walls. This arrangement is possible
where travel distances are reduced, and normally occurs in smaller premises.

L- or U-shaped Layouts
L-or U-shaped arrangement create self- contained sections that discourage entry by non-
authorized staffs: they can promote efficient working, with distances reduced between work
centers.

Kitchen Environment

 Space: approximately 15 square feet is required per person for working space, and height
10-11 feet. The office, Shop and Railway Premises Act 1963, stipulates 11.32 cubic
mitres per person, discounting height in excess of 10 feet (British Act).
 Humidity: a humid atmosphere creates side effects such as food deterioration, infestation
risk, condensation on walls and slippery floors. Anything higher than 60 percent humidity
lowers productivity. Provision for the replacement of extracted air with fresh air is
essential.
 Temperature: no higher than 20 – 26º C. is desirable for maximum working efficiency
and comfort, with 16 – 18º C. in preparation areas.
 Noise: conversation should be possible within 13 feet.
 Light: the minimum legal level in preparation areas is 20 lumens per square feet with up
to 38 lumens preferable in all areas.

Ventilation System

There three basic types of ventilation system.

1. Extract: this system only removes air, thereby creating a negative pressure in the space.
Outside air will come into the space wherever it can, usually through doorways, window
areas or specially prepared openings. It can be used to avoid contaminants spreading to
other areas, as a negative pressure is created within the space in which the system
operates.
 2. Inlet: this system is concerned only with the supply of outside air. In this case, the space
is under positive pressure, with the air leaving through doorways or windows. This
system is used mostly in clean spaces, thus preventing contaminants coming in from
other areas. This system is suitable for storage and larder areas not for the cooking areas.
3. Combined: this balances the flow of air in and out the space.

Requirements of Ventilation for Kitchens

 Air changes: this method involves specifying an air change rate through the area.
 Air velocity: this system involves knowing the size of the hood over the equipment and
allowing a certain velocity of air over the face area.
 Air volume: the most useful method is to allow a specific volume of air for each
particular piece of equipment.

Setting Up of Work Stations

We all know that in a busy kitchen there is a lot of hustle and bustle and noise. The guest
orders on the pickup counter keep the service staff on their toes. Each dish has to be
consistent and hot food has to be served hot to the guest, one always has to be prepared even
if the entire restaurant is full and the orders are waiting on the counter, commonly known as
pass and is usually handled by the sous chef of the chef in charge of the meal service. In
order to meet deadlines it is mandatory for a cook to be well organized.

Here is the basic setting of a workstation:

1. Gas Range
The cook has to ensure that all the ranges are in proper working condition. He/she must
light up all the burners and physically check them. In case of any malfunctioning,
engineering must be informed for necessary repairs. A cook must light up the small
protruding pipes known as ‘pilots’. Pilots should be kept lit as they out a very small
amount of flames and one does not have to light up the flame every time an order comes
in.

2. Mise-en-place
This is a French word which literally translates to ‘putting in place’. A pre- preparation of
a dish is also referred to as Mise en place. Before being able to put finishing touches to a
guests food the entire Mise en place has to be in place and within reach so that the cook
does not have to move from one place to another place as this would tire him easily.

3. Pot Full of Water

Pot full of water to hold ladles and spoons kept near the cooking range save a lot of time
while cooking. The water in the pot helps rinse the ladles and spoons but the water should
be changed time to time at regular intervals. Some people add a small amount of chlorine
into the water so that the knives are constantly sanitized; however care has to be taken as
we do not want the smell of chlorine getting into the food.
4. Chopping Board etc.