15 Kitchen Layouts

N. Chellam

1. Introduction

A kitchen is an enclosed space in which the edible food materials are processed into unique dishes which are preferred by the customers. It is the hub of food production activity in any institutional food service establishment. The planning of space and allotment of equipments play crucial role in the efficient work output. As kitchen is the heart of a food service establishment the planning has to be done meticulously to avoid unnecessary work outs and energy expenditure.

2. Objectives

This chapter is intended to assist the student in learning

How to organize the kitchen layout design.
The important criterions to be considered for effective planning
Different type of kitchen.

3. Types of kitchen

Kitchen planning depends upon the size and type of establishment usually the space allotted is approximately half of the dining area. An average sized hotel the dining area must be 40-45% of the total surface. If the kitchen in a very big hotel it must be 33%. If the kitchen is in a bakery shop the space requirement will be 20%. Generally the space allotment would be calculated as 7 square feet per guest room. As per rule it is good to provide a compact arrangement to avoid unnecessary time and effort for walking, stretching and bending. Hence 2.5 x 3 m is enough for single person whereas 2.5 x 5 m is good for 2 people.

Spaces can be used for single purpose or several purposes. So it’s important to understand the need of work area that has to be allotted adequately to construct a comfortable kitchen. Hence kitchen may take several shapes according to the space available and nature of food service.

Generally it has 6 types as line with varying dimension. squares, rectangular, U shaped, L shaped, parallel single or straight Now let us see the type of different shaped kitchen in detail.

3.1. Square Kitchen

As it require more time and difficult use the center space it is not a common type
All plumping and electricity and gas connection can be done and walls and drains under floor which is not convenient.
If there is any leakage that may flood the kitchen and make it un hygienic and un safe.

3.2. Rectangular Kitchen

It is a common shape in most food service establishment.
It is generally used in a busy hotel where most of a time of the day is being engaged.
Most of the multi cuisine restaurants prefer this shape. Eg. Star hotels, airport and industrial kitchen.

3.3. U Shaped Kitchen

This type is generally preferred by small establishments where they prefer a compact but an effective modular kitchen unit.
This model is very much close to the dining area and the door will be located at one end and the counters can be affixed at either side.
Hence it occupies very less space and exhibits less confusion and free work flow.

3.4. L Shaped Kitchen

Small kiosks, tea shops and coffee shops prefer this model because of its flexible design.
Here the space consumption is very less as it is adjoined well with the wall at the right angle and if requires it can be modulated by foldable shelves for more work.

3.5. Parallel Kitchen

This shape is suitable for midday meals in schools where dining facilities are not possible. The central passages with walls at least 1.2 to 1.5 meters apart can be used for children to squat on mattresses and eat the plated food served. More often children like to eat standing or playing and so carry the food away from the area of service.
This is suitable for cafeterias and self service restaurants

3.6. Straight-line Kitchen

This is called as an I-shaped kitchen as the production area is constructed as a single straight line .
This is also best suited for kiosks, tea shops, the straight line kitchen or mobile vending units.
The extra storage is created on walls or under sinks through cabinets. For service, there is provision for a platform or extended counter outside a window.
Window spaces can be shelved and covered with wire mesh shutters to increase display space and protect from flies, while at the same time providing enough ventilation in small spaces.

3.7. Combination of Shapes

Any of the shapes discussed above can be combined to plan out a kitchen, depending on the space available in a building.
Sometimes very different shapes can emerge during the process of renovation or expansion of catering facilities.

4. DEVELOPING KITCHEN PLANS

Before a kitchen plan is developed, it is important to follow four main steps:

Formulate list of activities to be performed.
Break activities into jobs or tasks.
Work out the simplest ways of performing the tasks.
Arrange tasks into sequences for smooth operation.

Step 1:

Formulate a list of activities that are to be performed in the kitchen.
In the process of scheduling, the activities are organized into a production cycle which shows the sequence in which the listed activities are to be performed,

Step 2:

Each part if the production cycle is then broken up into jobs or tasks , which need to be performed in a particular order to achieve the objectives of a food service establishment.
For example, if the menu for a canteen consists of small cakes, hot and cold beverages, a plated meal and sandwiches, each activity can be broken down into specific tasks for every item on the menu.
Similarly, the tasks required for preparing hot and cold beverages, sandwiches and meals can be clearly defined.

Step 3:

Once the tasks have been defined, you have to think of the simplest ways in which they can be performed.

Step 4:

The tasks are then arranged in a sequence so that one cask can smoothly follow another to establish what is termed as work flow in any operation.
Similarly diagrams can be worked out for canteens, lunchrooms and restaurants. A smooth work flow not only simplifies work, but cuts down wastage of energy and time by reducing confusion and noise in the kitchen.

5. WORK SIMPLIFICATION

Work simplification is the process of reducing the tasks that are required to perform in an organization. It is a technique by which the sequence of tasks are edited and assorted according to its nature and requirements. Thereby it eliminates the unwanted steps that are to be performed in the work area and help to manage the tasks efficiently. Any responsible person of a foodservice can find that fatigue or tiredness of some workers with a resultant drop in their energy, enthusiasm and production output can be due to external factors such as home situation or a nutritionally in –adequate food intake or due to many internal sources.

Of course external sources are beyond one’s control. However, within the foodservice while the workers are on the job, there are said to be unlimited opportunities for the causes of fatigue and they are certainly detrimental for the sources of the foodservice and hence they need to be corrected at once.

Work can be simplified by viewing the kitchen and its activities from five different aspects namely:

(a) Work area

(b) Worker’s area of reach

(d) Equipment, materials and supplies. and

(e) Movements at work

5.1. Work area

This refers to the area of work surface that is height from the floor,location of equipment,
Working height while standing must be just below the waist line
So no need to bend
Surface heights also be planned
Sink top-higher than food ppn area(90-100cm)
Gas stove-80-90
Highest shelf-180cm
Top of highest unit-225
Shelf under work surface-80-85

Advantages

Avoid muscle strain
Accidents
Physical comfort
Social wellbeing
Better output

5.2. Worker’s area of reach

Limits to which a person can stretch his hand to grasp material
If the arm extended fully outward and form a circle is called normal reach
Normal rech-85-90cm
Effective reach-145cm
Maximum reach-215cm
Keep things according to the need for reach

5.3. Movements and Work

One needs to become conscious of how body movements are related to the amount of energy consumed.
For this, it is necessary to understand that the body has been designed so that its weight is evenly distributed over the legs.
When working in any position standing or seated, the centre of gravity of the body is disturbed.
This causes unequal distribution of weight on the legs resulting in extra energy consumption to maintain the body position.
If the balance is continuously disturbed in any activity, muscles get tired, and fatigue sets in.
For all positions at work therefore, one must keep the body in physical balance, i.e. maintain correct posture to enhance comfort and conserve energy.
In addition, the muscles of the body are so arranged that the large muscles occur at those points in the body which are meant to take up maximum strain. With this in mind, the largest muscle in the part of the body moved should be brought into operation whenever an action is performed.
This fact is realized when we observe that some jobs are tiring for some people and not for others, this is because some people waste their energy because of wrong postures and therefore less energy is available for the job, which consequently does not get completed as best as possible and in the shortest possible time.
Developing the art of muscle coordination to perform work with a tireless rhythm may require a conscious effort, but it is worthwhile making it till it becomes a habit—the habit of not getting tired at work.

5.4. Work Space

The amount of space available for work is important for completing tasks efficiently.
The space should be large enough to place all the materials and equipment required, as well as allow for movement at work.
In addition, extra space in necessary for placing completed parts of the work which need to be kept aside till required again.
For example, in making a salad, a number of vegetables or fruits may need to be cut and kept aside, away from the area of normal reach, which would be needed for the preparation of the salad dressing.
Finally, all the parts of the salad would have to be put together before being served.
Insufficient work space will involve extra movements in trying to go elsewhere to put away the partly or fully completed work and come back to the next activity.

5.5. Equipment materials and supplies

The energy used at work depends upon 2 factors

Location of the equipment in the working area
Manner of storage

6. FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED WHILE DESIGNING KITCHENS

Designing kitchens involves a number of steps starting with collecting information about the physical, operational and financial aspects of the space in which production of food is to be carried out.

6.1. Physical Aspects

These include location, structural details, the layout, storage spaces, services available and required, access to sources of supply, staff and customers, and other local requirements with respect to planning, environmental health, fire and other safety concerns.

6.2. Location

The exact position of the kitchen in relation to the rest of the building is called location.
As far as possible, the kitchen should be adjacent to the service area, and preferably in one corner of a building, in a North-West or South-East direction.
This provides two side walls for windows and free access to air and natural light.
A corner location also makes it accessible by road for purposes of receiving supplies and removal of kitchen wastes.
The kitchen should be situated over ground to avoid flooding, drainage backflow and unnecessary expenses on artificial lighting and ventilation.
In basement areas, the humidity and heat of kitchens also make them prone to dampness and infestation.

6.3.Structural Features

These include drainage, electricity, gas connections, and water supply systems.
These are generally provided for before the equipment is installed, although ideally,

6.4. Drainage:

The efficiency of the drainage system determines the hygiene and sanitation of the kitchen environment to a large extent.
Poor drainage further leads to contamination of food with dire consequences.
Problems can arise in drainage areas when fat gets collected in the drains and the flow through them is restricted.
All kitchens should therefore be fitted with grease traps on all drainage inlets to prevent backflow or blockage.
Taking care of this aspect of drainage during the layout planning, can prevent unnecessary expenses in clearing blocked drains during the course of operation of the catering establishment.
Drains should be t least 10-15 cm in diameter.
Electricity and gas points to be provided in a kitchen must coincide with the number of equipment in the kitchen and future plans for use.
Provision for the installation of instant water heaters connected with the normal plumbing is quite effective.
Overhead water pipes should be avoided as they collect dirt and cause water of condensation to drop on the work areas.
All pipes should preferably be concealed.
Where storage tanks are necessary, they should be covered and easy to clean periodically.
Kitchen flooring should be smooth but not slippery, hardwearing, free from joints, not easily damaged by spillage, easy to clean and preferably in dark plain colors which do not show patches easily.
Hard plaster with an emulsion finish is the most suitable as it is without joints, smooth, easy to clean, and does not harbor dirt.
Ordinary emulsion paints are not washable and removing marks or stains leave the wall smudgy. Gloss paints are washable, but tend to show faults in old plaster work.
Any finish on ceilings should be heat resistant and not affected by steam or gases.
A plaster paint finish is most suitable, though it requires frequent redoing. Gloss paints, on ceilings, however, cause condensation and affect humidity in the kitchen, making conditions of work uncomfortable, as also unhygienic.

6.5. Work Surfaces

All work surfaces should be hardwearing, smooth and impervious.
Stainless steel is by far the best among work surfaces in the kitchen, though the initial cost is much higher than that of any other surface finish.
Work surfaces can be covered with laminated plastics, hardwood or ceramic tiles, with certain sections in marble or stainless steel, to reduce the cost
Laminated plastics are quite easy to maintain and not very costly, but they need to be inspected at regular intervals and replaced if they begin to lift at places.
Hardwood work surfaces are a possibility but would need a lacquered finish to be practical in an institutional kitchen.
Marble though expensive is ideal as a work surface for food preparation work, because of its hard wearing and hygienic qualities as well as beauty.

6.6. Lighting

Kitchen lighting should be designed purely to give the best illumination. In addition to overall lighting, fittings need to be placed directly above work tables and food preparation areas.
Sometimes hoods placed above cookers may interfere with the placement of light fittings. Many types of lighting are available for use in institutional kitchens, such as fluorescent, filament and mercury lamps.
Fluorescent Lamps: Fluorescent lighting is more economical to use than filament mps, because even though the initial cost is more, its maintenance cost is lower. Fluorescent lighting lasts almost six times as much as filament lighting, and gives three to six times more illumination for the same electricity consumption.
The color effects of fluorescent lighting are correlated to the color temperature.
High efficiency fluorescent tubes reaching a temperature of 3000 to 4300 K do not give particularly good color effects, and are not recommended for use in kitchens, dining or storage areas where the color of the food could be masked.

6.6. Ventilation

Adequate ventilation through windows
Helps replace oxygen avoid fatigue, stress
Ventilators are good
Vapor extract hoods are good over kitchen equipments
Chimneys are effective
Exhaust fans near the ceiling walls are great to remove smoke and odor

7. LAYOUT OF KITCHEN SPACES

The term layout means the positioning of work centers and their arrangement with respect to equipment and necessary services like drainage, water and fuel supply in the kitchen. Planning layouts requires knowledge and expertise in four different areas.

7.1.Management and administration of kitchen

While it is not always necessary for a manager to be a food specialist he must possess the ability to view the kitchen in terms of functional efficiency, as for as meeting objectives of the catering establishment are concerned. It is also important for the administrator to be able to identify resources and restraints or limiting factors, and to make policy and other strategic decisions.

7.2. Operation

The expert in this field must be able to present essential data accurately, completely, and in an easily understandable form and therefore, has to be a food specialist because he has to approve the plan in the end on behalf of the users. The food service manager must therefore play an active role in the planning of layouts, because the direction of the food preparation and service activities within the layout are purely his responsibility. The plan in question would prove more practical if kitchen staff were involved in the decisions regarding the areas which they would finally use.

7.3. Architecture

The expertise of an architect is vital to the planning of any layout because he can translate the requirements of the food service manager into plan drawings which the structural engineers can interpret.

7.4. Construction and design engineering

Expert advice is necessary on construction features, timing of contracts and desirable building materials, in terms of providing the facility with structures and equipment which conform to standards laid down for safety of users. Very often it becomes necessary to change a fancy architectural plan because it is not feasible as far as the extension of local amenities to the building are concerned, such as the provision of extra lines for drainage, electricity load, telephones and so on.

8. POSITIONING THE WORK CENTRES IN THE KITCHEN LAYOUT

The work centers in a kitchen layout should be positioned with four basic concepts in mind smooth work flow, avoidance of congestion at work tables and sinks; comfortable work environment, and hygienic and sanitary conditions.

8.1. Smooth work flow: Smooth work flow in a kitchen can be easily managed if the sequence of activities to be performed is clearly marked out. On the basis of the work flow principles and the production cycle, work centers can be established for each production activity.

The main work centers in an institutional kitchen are:

(a) Preparation centre for meat, fish and poultry.

(b) Preparation centre for vegetables and fruits

(d) Holding, service or dishing-out centre.

(e) Washing up or sink centre.

8.2. Avoidance of Congestion at Work tables and Sinks: Congestion in kitchens may result from any one or more of the following:

(a) Faulty design or work centre planning and improper placement of major equipment. While designing kitchens, it is important to keep in mind the movement of workers in and around work centers with a view to avoid unnecessary congestion. An allowance of 3.5-4 m2 floor space per person is adequate, with a minimum of 11.25 m2 if ceiling is less than 3m.

(b)Improper scheduling of work and timings of performance. It is important that all different jobs are coordinated in a manner such the people are busy enough, yet do not get into each

other’s way.

(c) Over utilization of certain pieces of equipment resulting in congestion at that point. In such cases it is necessary to ensure a balance in the use of all equipment, through adjustment of menus or purchase or new equipment.

(d) Very often a frustrated workforce comes together informally, around a group leader at a particular centre. In such cases, supervisors have to work towards raising the morale of the work force, and creating an atmosphere where each person performs his work happily and with a sense of dedication.

(e)Congestion may also be due to overstaffing or a lot of people visiting kitchen staff from outside. A check on unnecessary traffic by restricting entry of outsiders during working hours could alleviate this problem. In addition, the risk of contamination from outside would be avoided.

8.3. Provision of comfortable work environment.

Comfort is one of the basic needs of staff in the kitchen, and involves factors which will help to produce the maximum work with the least fatigue. A number of factors contribute to comfortable working conditions:

a. Temperature and humidity of the environment:

It is not so easy to control temperature and humidity directly in the kitchen, as this area is subjected to heat production in various ways such as through production and emission of steam and fumes in cooking, radiation from visible heating elements or indirect heat from appliances.
A temperature of 18° C to 20° C and humidity of 60 per cent is recommended for comfort.

b. Structural features:

Providing comfort at work, eliminating strain fatigue and tension, imparting a feeling of safety, security and harmony among people.

c. Kitchen decor.

The decor of the kitchen should provide a feeling of spaciousness, brightness, relaxation and enjoyment at work.
The greatest contributory factor to such feelings is color.
White or light colors make the environment feel clean, bright and efficient.
Use of a single color helps to create a feeling of greater space.
White combined with natural wood or green can brighten up a dark north facing kitchen.
Blue gives a happy, fresh and clean appearance.
Too many colors should be avoided, not only because they give a congested
feeling, but also because they withdraw attention from the colorful food and ingredients handled in the kitchen.

d. Relationship of people at work:

With all the above factors taken care of a work environment may still be atmosphere in the kitchen is tense or hostile. uncomfortable if the

9. Tips for efficient planning of lay out

For successful layout planning it would be useful to remember that

The placement of equipment in centers should allow plenty of space around them for cleaning.
Units built into walls help to save space in small kitchens.
Free standing equipment rather than that placed flat on the floor is more hygienic. Sometimes in restricted spaces mobile equipment is useful not only for cleaning but to make the layout more flexible to suit the needs of the establishment at different times.
An island layout is easier to clean and work in. with the work tables placed against the walls, between sinks, ovens and stoves and machines in the centre of the kitchen, they become easily accessible to all individuals working at different centers.
Wet preparation and cooking units near external walls avoid drainage pipes passing through the kitchen.
Walls and floorings should not have sharp turns and all areas should be visible to people when they are walking.
Traffic lines used by staff should not converge, criss-cross or diverge widely.
Layouts should ensure that food is not handled repeatedly. It should flow in a single direction. It is preferable to set up separate raw and prepared food areas to prevent any backward flow of food, as this causes partly processed food to come into contact raw cut food subjecting it to the danger of cross-contamination.

Conclusion

Planning an area in a food service establishment is a challenging task. As it requires several factors and principles for consideration, a thorough knowledge with adequate experience is recommended. This module highlighted the different types of kitchen available and their applications, important criteria to be kept in mind while planning kitchen lay out and some effective techniques to cut down the duplicate tasks that could happen in production cycle activity.

you can view video on Kitchen Layouts

Bibliography:

Gregoire M.B and Spears M.C., (2006), Food Service Organizations: A Managerial and Systems Approach (6th Edition), Pearson Prentice Hall Publications.
Sethi,M and Malhan,S,M,( 2006),Catering Management an Integrated approach, IInd edition, Wiley Eastern Limited, Mumbai.
Bobby George,Sandeep Chatterjee(2012),Food and Beverage Service,(2nd Edition),JAICO publishing Company,New Delhi
Ruby P. Puckett,(2004) Food Service manual for health care institutions,(3rd Edition),AHA Publishers,USA

Web links

www.angrau.ac.in/media/9295/fden323foodplantdesign.pdf
www.kitchens.com/design/layouts/common-kitchen-layouts
www.beltram.com/design-project-management.htm
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-41263-9_