KITCHEN

ORGANIZATION
& LAYOUT
EFFICIENCY, SAFETY &
CONVINIENCE
 • WHY PLAN A KITCHEN ?

• FACTORS THAT GOVERN THE

DESIGN.

• TYPES OF STANDARD LAYOUTS.

LEARNING
OBJECTIVES • ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
OF EACH LAYOUT .

• MODERN TRENDS IN KITCHEN PLAN

•
WHY PLAN A KITCHEN ?
A commercial kitchen’s layout can determine how smoothly the
restaurant functions.
• When the kitchen is designed strategically, it enables the team
to work efficiently and produce high-quality meals consistently.
• When the kitchen is put together haphazardly, it can become an
obstacle for the efficiency of the team.
• In a poorly designed kitchen, staff can’t be as efficient because
they have to worry about bumping into each other.

• A successful commercial kitchen layout is

easy to use, meets the restaurant’s
needs and enables your service staff to
deliver efficient and top class dining
experiences.
 The plan or layout of a kitchen should be determined by a clear
FACTORS THAT catering policy, even though the plan is often limited by space
available.
GOVERN DESIGN ! The policy adopted and the space and layout required for the
kitchen to carry out that policy will be affected by many factors
like:
1. What type of meal will be offered?
2. How many persons will be served?
3. Meal timings and how many sittings (turnover) (PAX)
4. Will convenience foods be used?
5. Is allowance to be made for special functions?
6. What is the floor space available?
7. What type of service is proposed?
8. Reduction of kitchen mileage
 5 MOSTLY USED
EFFICIENT LAYOUTS
1. ASSEMBLY LINE LAYOUT

The assembly line

configuration
consists of a central
row or island that
starts with food
prep and ends with
a completed item
that is ready to be
taken to be served.
 ASSEMBLY LINE LAYOUT
ADVANTAGES & LIMITATIONS
• This commercial kitchen layout facilitates • This layout does not work well in the
the production of lots of the same type of multi cuisine format.
dish over and over again.
• The assembly line works best with • This layout is also inefficient in very
multiple cooks who are each responsible large operations that deal with bulk food
for one part of the food production such as banqueting or institutional
process. catering operations.
• The assembly line layout is best for fast • This operation needs multiple people
food restaurants or restaurants with working in a chain formation even for
limited menus that have similar small orders.
preparation styles, like pizza parlors or
build-your-own bowl restaurants.
2. ISLAND LAYOUT
The island commercial
kitchen layout starts with
the bay layout and adds a
central preparation or
cooking station.

This kitchen has storage

units, washing stations,
and food prep counters
along its perimeter, and
cooking equipment in its
center.
 ISLAND LAYOUT
ADVANTAGES & LIMITATIONS
• With a central “command center” or pass • the islands are a huge investment as
through point for all meals, the island they are manufactured to specific order.
configuration facilitates staff communication .

• All the team members on the central island are

• This layout requires a larger floor space
facing each other at all times, facilitating as we need to leave ample corridor
improved non- verbal communication and noise. around the Island and the bay.

• There is ample space to have all the necessary

cooking equipment around the chef which reduces
kitchen mileage.
3. ZONE STYLE LAYOUT
The station layout creates
separate zones for each
type of activity that goes
on in the kitchen, or for
each kind of dish that is
prepared in it.

This layout also facilitates

distribution of separate
spaces to various cuisines
in case of a multi cuisine
operation.
 ZONE STYLE LAYOUT
ADVANTAGES & LIMITATIONS
• This layout of commercial kitchen keeps • This layout is best for restaurants with
the kitchen organized and allows different diverse menus and lots of staff. The
types of dishes to be prepared at the station layout is suited for large
same time. operations like hotel restaurants,
• This layout helps staff divide jobs of catering kitchens, or event space
efficiency. kitchens.

• A specialized chef can be hired for each • Restaurants with small kitchens should
station to create authentic cuisine. avoid the station-based configuration as
• This layout is energy efficient as hot and it doesn’t allow for multitasking.
cold areas can be separated.
4. GALLEY LAYOUT
In this commercial
kitchen layout, all stations
and equipment are on the
perimeter of the kitchen.
In a very tight space,

kitchen equipment is
placed along only one
parallel wall in the space
 GALLEY STYLE LAYOUT
ADVANTAGES & LIMITATIONS
• If your kitchen is large enough to have • This layout has its limitations if the
this layout with empty space in the menu is diverse and varied.
center, you can have multiple cooks in
the kitchen and they can easily rotate to • It is not very convenient for large
work multiple stations at once. operations as the chefs will keep
bumping into each other due to paucity
• In a very small space, like a food truck, of space.
the galley kitchen is the only option the • These kitchens can get very hot and
space allows. uncomfortable

• This kind of setup is also very common in

Cruise lines and railway onboard catering
5. OPEN KITCHEN LAYOUT (LIVE KITCHENS)
An open kitchen layout lets
customers see the action that
usually takes place behind the
scenes.
Any commercial kitchen layout
can be turned into an open
kitchen by taking down a wall.

To ensure guest safety, it’s

best to keep hot cooking
appliances as far away from
customers as possible.
A glass partition between the
service area and guest seating
is a smart choice to protect the
food from unexpected sneezes
or coughs.
 OPEN KITCHEN LAYOUT
ADVANTAGES & LIMITATIONS
• Better visibility of the kitchen for better • May adversely effect the air-
confidence levels for the guest. conditioning of the restaurant.

• Opportunity for the chefs to interact with • .May eat up into the cover space of the
the guests better. restaurant if not planned in advance.

• Better opportunity for the chefs to display

there skills .

• Reduction of time between the pan and

the guest.

• Service convenience .
 1. Storage :-

5 • A kitchen will store a variety of items including cooking tools

(utensils, pans, etc.), food (produce, meats, dry goods), and
place settings (glasses, plates, linens).
KEY COMPONENTS • Every kitchen will need separate storage units for each of
OF A COMMERCIAL these needs, such as a refrigerator for perishable foods, a
pantry for dry goods, and cupboards for place settings and
KITCHEN tools.

2. Washing station :-
• A lot of cleaning goes on in a commercial kitchen to ensure
the safety of the food that’s being served and the dishes that
it’s being served on.
• Separate washing stations for food and for dishes so that
dirty dish suds never land on clean produce!
• washing stations may need commercial dishwashing
machines, sinks, and drying racks to run smoothly.
 3.Food preparation area :-

5 • A commercial kitchen may have several food preparation areas

depending on what kind of food is on the menu.

KEY COMPONENTS
• The food prep section consists of work space, cutting tools, and
storage containers for preparation of perishables such and
vegetables, fruits and meats.
OF A COMMERCIAL • Place food preparation zones near a refrigerator so that your BOH

KITCHEN team can quickly and safely store raw ingredients until they’re
ready to be used.
4. Cooking station/s :-
• All kitchens need quite a bit of cooking equipment to execute the
menu. Most restaurants have gas range-oven combinations and
commercial fryers, and some specialized cooking appliances.
5. Service :-
• A commercial kitchen’s service area is used for plating dishes and
handing them off to servers to deliver to diners. A service area
should have heat lamps to keep food warm.
• kitchen’s service area should be as close to the dining room as
possible to lessen the distance from the kitchen to the table for
waiters.