Frequently Asked Questions Q1. What is a Commercial Kitchen? Any kitchen that's main focus is to prepare food for customers is a commercial kitchen. The word 'commercial' specifies that these kitchens are designed with the sole purpose of preparing food to sell rather than cooked and eaten by the people making it. A commercial kitchen can be a kitchen in a house, restaurant, hotel, bar, or other hospitality-type business. The type of food you serve, the size of your business, the number of staff working in the kitchen and the order output all determine the type of kitchen you require. Usually, commercial kitchens are designed for large scale purposes. It is built to handle a high volume of orders, large turnover, and different types of food at varying preparation stages. Some equipment in a commercial kitchen can be found in most kitchens, whereas there are other built-in appliances and equipment to support the large output of food and constant running of high-power equipment. Suppose you are looking for commercial kitchen consultants in India. In that case, Nitin Tandon can help you with a detailed account of fully equipped commercial kitchens to transform your normal kitchen into a commercial one. Q2. What functions should a commercial kitchen have? Did you know all commercial kitchens need ample space to support seven necessary functions? Delivery Storage Food Prep Cooking Service Dish Return Cleaning If you run a fast-food or take-out food restaurant, things like dish return will not be needed. Instead, you will need extra space for packing and distribution of food. To know whether your business requires all the seven functions or not, get in touch with Nitin Tandon, one of the top kitchen consultants in India. Q3. What are the types of equipment required in a commercial kitchen? A few factors must be considered before deciding what equipment you will need. Firstly, you should understand your menu and how your meals are normally cooked and prepared. Next, you should measure your space to understand what size of machinery can fit in. As for the arrangement, you should place the larger equipment first, before smaller ones. After that, more portable appliances can be moved around as desired. Some of the must-have equipment of a commercial kitchen include: Ovens Frying vats Grills Fridges and freezers - usually walk-ins Stovetops/Hobs Dishwashers Large commercial sinks Dishwashing machines To ensure food hygiene, staff safety and comfort, a commercial kitchen should also have some electrical and plumbing features such as: Plumbing adapted to run to multiple sources Adequate ventilation and air conditioning Multiple high-voltage power outlets Pre-installed fire extinguishers (some ovens/friers will have these built-in already) Extractor fans The smaller appliances and niche equipment will vary depending on what type of food you sell. If you want to understand more about the equipment suitable for your business from the best commercial kitchen consultants in India, contact Nitin Tandon. Q4. What should be the layout in a commercial kitchen? The type of food you wish to prepare and how you like your kitchen to operate should dictate the layout of your commercial kitchen space. The layout you define for your kitchen will also depend on more factors. The amount of space, the number of staff you have, and the pre-build features of your building (where electrical sockets, emergency doors, sinks, etc., are) all impact your kitchen. Another thing to be considered is multiple cooking and preparation stations to cope with the large variety of meals being made at once. These surfaces should be made from heavy-duty and should be easy to sanitise for maximum food safety. The design of the kitchen may also be impacted by any rule of your local or government health association. For example, ensuring a certain distance between food disposal and food preparation areas. Kitchen consultants in India like Nitin Tandon can further assist you in choosing a suitable design according to the pre-existing features of your kitchen. Q5. What is the difference between commercial kitchen equipment and conventional kitchen equipment? It is a common misunderstanding that commercial and conventional kitchen equipment differs in size only. A lot of small cafes and restaurants often believe that conventional kitchen equipment is enough for their food preparation. However, there are lots of factors that make commercial kitchen equipment significantly different from conventional. A few differences between the two are: Commercial kitchen equipment is different when it comes to volume. Conventional kitchen has stovetops, ovens, refrigerators, and dishwashers to prepare, store and clean a few meals at a time. At the same time, restaurant kitchens must be able to serve dozens of diners every night. The quality of commercial kitchen equipment differs from conventional. Appliances at home are to be used for a few hours, while commercial kitchens need to use some appliances continuously for a long period. Hence, commercial equipment is often made from heavy-duty iron or stainless steel. Another differing factor is safety. Due to strict health codes, commercial kitchen equipment is designed to always cook food thoroughly to prevent food poisoning and other food-related illnesses. To learn more about the differing factors between commercial and conventional kitchen equipment, get in touch with Nitin Tandon kitchen consultant India. Q6. What are the benefits of upgrading to commercial cooking equipment? If you want to improvise your cooking equipment from conventional to commercial, the prices of commercial cooking equipment may discourage you a little. However, it can be extremely beneficial for you and your business if you invest in commercial-grade cooking equipment. Some of the benefits of upgrading to commercial cooking equipment are: Improved food quality Improved food safety Produce a larger quantity of food Increased efficiency Reduced energy costs More environmentally friendly Decreased production time with automation Produce unique menu items If you want to get your conventional kitchen upgraded to a commercial one at an affordable price, you may contact Nitin Tandon, as they are one of the best commercial kitchen consultants in India. How to design your restaurant for higher efficiency and productivity? If you are designing a new kitchen or revamping an existing one, make sure not to be influenced only by aesthetics. The kitchen is the place of meal preparation and should be designed as per the area. It should be high in terms of functionality and have an aesthetic appeal. Here are a few ways you can make your kitchen productive and spacious: Make space All the magic happens right in your restaurant's kitchen, which means that it is going to be the busiest area. So it is necessary you make some arrangements to keep it as traffic-free as possible. Make a space outside the kitchen like a mudroom. It helps in better management of the kitchen. Also, keep the entry obstruction free from the doors of the refrigerator, oven and other cooking appliances. Finally, place the stove at a reachable distance from the stove and refrigerator for more effortless movement of ingredients and other items. Maintain sufficient distance between the main fixtures The main tasks while cooking include preparing, plating, and cleaning the dishes. So make sure to keep the stove and sink at a comfortable distance and not across the room, as it can make daily tasks difficult. The refrigerator should be near the cooktop enabling an easy flow of ingredients and prepared dishes to be cooled. It also helps decrease the chances of accidents and enhances the overall efficiency of the kitchen. The kitchen island should not be too close or too far The kitchen island is the space where the food is prepared. Choose its location carefully after thorough examination and planning. It should not be in the area where it blocks the opening area of the doors of important kitchen appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers and wall ovens. There should be sufficient space for the appliance door to open and enough space for anyone to pass through without any hindrance. However, do not keep the kitchen island too far. It should be at an accessible distance for smooth use of the fixtures. Choose the location of the sink before anything else Deciding the location of the sink is an ancient tradition. To date, most kitchen designers prefer to place the sink first and continue with the design. In ancient times, washing dishes was one of the main tasks, thus giving more importance. The oven and refrigerator are important appliances used in preparing the meal. Still, the sink is a significant spot as well. So it is better to place the sink in front of the window. The sink can also be placed on the kitchen island. Place the stove on an exterior wall An exterior wall is preferred for the stove rather than an interior wall or the kitchen island. That is because access to the outer wall helps in easier ventilation system installation, thereby decreasing the costs. Storage systems but in a vertical way When it comes to making storage systems, everyone plans for horizontal drawers and cabinets. However, horizontal storage systems are inefficient as it is challenging to find the items kept. So instead of horizontal storage, try conveniently organising your ingredients in a wall storage system. The wall storage system is an excellent and practical option for storing pantry items, small kitchen appliances, baking essentials, extra crockery, etc. It can also be made into a broom closet with all the cleaning products stored within. Add open shelves, wall hangers and overhead pot racks to get the most out of the available space. By keeping the right things in it, the shelves and racks can elevate the aesthetic view and give an edge to the kitchen's existing design. Create a floor plan and imagine it in 3D It is good to have a design in mind for your kitchen, but many times the final look of the kitchen after the work of contractors is not as per your imagination. The new look can be modified a bit and used further. Use a kitchen layout tool to avoid mistakes. The kitchen layout tool would draw out the kitchen as per your imagination and show how it would look in reality. Opening a new restaurant or branching out from the existing ones is not an easy task. Several things need to go right for it to be successful. So it would be best if you took help from a restaurant consultant in Ahmedabad. So get in touch with Nitin Tandon, one of the best restaurant consultants in Ahmedabad. He has transformed multiple businesses and helped them achieve their goals with his guidance. That's why he is recognised among the top restaurant consultants in Ahmedabad? So contact Nitin Tandon for a consultation today!