Opening a new restaurant can be a painful process. There are so many things to consider – from choosing the right location to selecting the right name. And, of course, buying the right equipment and hiring staff.
In any catering business, the kitchen is command central of the whole business, this is where the main service of your business is, a place where food gets ordered, prepared, cooked, and plated before being served to customers. Whether it's spacious or tiny, if a kitchen is carefully designed, its staff can be more productive. Continue reading to learn the basics of designing, stocking and maintaining a smooth-running kitchen.
Let's Plan Your Kitchen.
Kitchens are made up of various stations, each dedicated to a particular task. There may be a preparation station, a sauté station, a pizza station, and a salad station.
You should consult your menu when you design your kitchen to make sure you always have space. For instance, if your menu has a variety of salads, then a salad station is needed. Shisa nyama? Plan on a large grill and give it its own station.
Space is an important consideration. It takes some smart organization to deliver a large menu from a tiny kitchen, but it can be done.
Now We Stock The Kitchen.
Once you have planned your kitchen, you need to equip it with the right commercial equipment. If you're on a tight budget, look for used equipment, we've published an article on how to buy used and new catering equipment, (read the article).
You can pick up the large equipment and even restaurant dishes, serving utensils, and other small items at affordable prices on our online store (https://www.wedoall.co.za). You can buy both new and used catering equipment online and get the items delivered to your location.
You will obviously need a make a plan for keeping the kitchen clean. You'll need daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly kitchen cleaning lists that outline everything from wiping down prep stations to cleaning grease traps. The right cleaning equipment is needed to save time and energy.
Once you're open, keep a checklist handy so that those daily jobs get done.
Staffing The Kitchen.
The most important part of any restaurant kitchen is the staff that works in it. While many jobs in a restaurant kitchen are entry-level positions, such as dishwasher or prep cook, others require years of experience. When hiring restaurant cooks, chefs, and managers, look for experienced people who can work as part of a team.
Badly run restaurants suffer a lot of turnover, so you should do everything you can to make your restaurant staff feel appreciated. Model the behavior you want to see. Offer bonuses for stellar customer service.
Show your staff that you care.
The kitchen of any restaurant is where the magic happens. Keeping it stocked, cleaned, and well-staffed will help keep your restaurant running smoothly.