The significance of kitchen location and design

Are you being served?

With food service preparation on the tip of everyone’s tongues, and food at the centre of most Asian cultures, it is worth having a closer look at the significance of kitchen location and design.

As with any mission critical facility, the main and most basic criteria when looking for space to house a kitchen, canteen or food preparation area are the vital utilities: gas, water, electric supply and exhaust. Similarly, these considerations should be taken into account right from the beginning: “It is highly recommended to consult a kitchen design professional before even entering a lease, they are experts in that area and will help you decide whether the space and layout are appropriate”, says Joey Chan, Regional Director, South China, Compass Group.

In out-of-city locations and business parks, canteen and kitchen facilities are increasingly a differentiator for organisations keen to attract the best possible talent. Getting the right set-up is vital. “Different types of cuisine needs different type of equipment so deciding the style of cuisine is a priority before selecting equipment and then deciding space percentage for the corresponding equipment,” continues Chan. Getting the catering company involved from the start is a key ingredient, they can outline their requirements and help the designer provide an efficient space. There are a number of industry norms that will generally be followed, for example the ration of seating area to kitchen space is commonly 3:1.

Finding appropriate kitchen space in Asia is a significant challenge for many organisations, says Ian Robson, who has worked in the food and beverage industry for years and overseen the design, construction and ultimately management of many foodservice spaces. Currently he works for global company Sodexho responsible for the canteen areas at all of Hong Kong English Schools Foundation’s International Schools. In his experience, one of the most important elements of the location and building location that will affect the kitchen in any establishment is drainage. This is an issue that many facilities managers will identify with.

Robson says that whether the building is rented or shared, the primary reason the site has been chosen is the location — for some reason that site was considered desirable and will be taken regardless of the amenities available for the kitchen or canteen. Short of offering to redo the plumbing for the whole building, there is not much that can be done. Limited plumbing, for example, means limited number of sinks (depending on the jurisdiction) which can mean a whole host of other safety and hygiene risks.

Regardless of the purpose of the kitchen in Asia it is always cramped for space. In a school, space priority is given to classrooms and some restaurants serve 4-500 people out of something the size of a home kitchen. The biggest area that tends to be forgotten by space planners or designers is storage, especially for food. This can be a problem in areas where that don’t have the luxury of daily deliveries. Space saving steam and roasting ovens, large griddles and chefs that can cook almost anything in a wok will help.

For large corporates looking to save space in expensive downtown locations, skimping on pantry space is generally a mistake. At Office Space Asia 2008 (see page 14 for more information), John Bowden of Cisco Systems pointed out that kitchens or pantries that are always empty have not been correctly designed as they can be the most inspirational of locations for employees. A cleverly designed kitchen can be used to make staff more productive and enhance teamwork. One financial trading company specifically set up their break out area directly adjacent to their trading desks, encouraging staff to stay nearby their posts for lunch while facilitating informal team building.

safety first

Imagine you manage a busy city restaurant and bar in a cramped old building. The open drain runs through the kitchen, out into the bathroom and then down into the sewer outside. Unfortunately, the by-the-hour hotel ‘guests’ many floors above have a habit of disposing of underwear by flushing it away. This blocks the sewer pipe, backing up the bathroom drain, which backs up into the kitchen leaving your kitchen team standing in 1.5 inches of sewage. While this (true story) is an extreme case, hygiene issues cannot be overlooked when it comes to kitchen facilities.

Kitchens are highly regulated environments, as the kitchen is the room in the house where the most accidents occur, health and safety is a top priority when locating, designing and managing kitchen premises. We already know the potential problems with drainage and rodent infestations but risks to food service staff, people being served and indeed people occupying the rest of the building is also high. According to Robson fire safety standards are extremely tight in most locations and affect design most significantly. But services under the control of building owners and managers can also lead to unsavoury outcomes. For example what happens during a power cut and the freezers warm up?

“In spite of increased industry and consumer awareness around food safety in Asia, some countries are still reporting a rise in the number of food poisoning cases reported,” notes Ping Teng, SafeKey Director, APAC JohnsonDiversey Consulting. He points to a report in Malaysian paper ‘The Star’ that highlights a plague of food poising in the country which saw 11,226 cases from January till Sept 2007 (a 100 percent annual increase).

The rise is so serious that consumers are being advised to monitor food service operators and canteen managers for hygiene issues.

In recognition of the need to deliver higher quality food hygiene, and prevent mass outbreaks of food poisoning within Asia, two major global initiatives (HACCP and ISO 22000) are being introduced to drive higher standards of food safety. The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system is a comprehensive, preventative approach to food safety, commonly used throughout the food industry to identify potential food safety hazards. ISO 22000 is the international standard that defines the requirements of a food safety management system for the entire food chain from “farm to fork”. Both standards have sections that cover the location and hygiene within the kitchen or canteen. As Ping Teng concludes, “Food handling areas will face increased pressure to prove that they have taken all necessary precautions to ensure hygienic conditions and that food products are safe.” International standards and movements are having an ever increasing influence on Asia’s kitchens. Recently the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) rolled out a new “Restaurant and Food Service Facility Managers Community of Practice”. At the time Tony Garland, President, Hong Kong IFMA, pointed out that “the importance of food and beverage facilities should not be underestimated.” In California, the kitchen exhaust itself is becoming the subject of municipal regulations designed to reduce FOG (Fats, Oils and Grease): unhealthy discharges into sewer systems. For FM’s and CRE’s with responsibility for food preparation facilities, it certainly seems like the time has come to clean up the kitchen.

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