Kitchen Planning and Operation
SYNOPSIS
This assignment is about how to design in food service industry the most basic part, which is the kitchen. The main concern for any manager in planning and design kitchen is that of hygiene and is that of cross contamination. However, the construction and materials used in the preparation storage and cooking areas are important in reducing the risk of contamination.
All layouts in food service industry are made up of sections joined together either by overall processing plan or related tasks. Planning of these sections should begin with the general functions establishment to be performed. The general functions include:
General planning. They should decide for the character of the facility, policies relating to standards, budget allowances, schedule for construction and completion, bidding and contracting procedures, code requirements, traffic needs, and landscaping.
Physical plant and utilities. The next step is to arrange various utilities such as gas, electricity, plumbing, lighting, and refrigeration.
Receiving and Storage. Storage department is vital to the food services establishment. Storage areas are divided according to the needs of the goods into dry storage, refrigerated storage, and frozen storage. It is important the storage areas to have the proper temperature, and humidity. The personnel must use the FIFO (first-in, first-out) inventory system, to consume the goods that bought first. In addition to these all the storage areas must be kept clean all the time, and there should be a definite place for each item.
Food Preparation. Preliminary preparation sections must also be included in the kitchen design plan. Vegetables and fruits need some preparation of cleaning and paring so it must be a section for this part, and a different section for the preparation of meat. Furthermore, the design must include the cooking section, which is usually considered to be the heart of the kitchen. The equipment used in this section is likely to be more expensive. The workers who paid the highest rates do the work. The quality of the products tends to be more fragile and requires more rapid service to ensure excellence. Therefore, when a kitchen is designed, this section is likely to be shown preference as to location in relation to service, supervision and flow of work. The arrangement of the various equipment has been designed very carefully in order everything to be in the proper position.
Housekeeping and Sanitation. The design of the kitchen must also include the dish and pan washing section. The dishwashing has a high rate of importance in food service facilities because of its significance in protecting sanitation. It must be located near to main food service area to allow restaurant staff to be more productive. On the other hand, the pot and pan washing section should be located near areas of the food facility.
Display and Service of Food. Service occurs during the span of time between completion of production and presentation of food to the customers. There are specific requirements to be met through planning which are:
Facilities that will help to preserve quality
Fast efficient services
An atmosphere of hospitality and attractiveness
The protection of health though sanitation and accident prevention.
At the end of the study is an example is given of the design of a self-service countering system to have more understanding.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kay John, J. Kitchen Design and Equipment Selection. Sheffield Hallam University, 1995.
Kefalas, S. Menu Analysis and Kitchen Planning. University of Denver, 1984.
Keiser, James, and Kallio. Controlling and Analysing Costs in Food Service Operations. John Wiley and Sons, 1974.
Kotschevar, Lendal H., and Margaret Terrel E. Food Service Planning: Layout and Equipment. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1977.
Sprenger, Richard A., Hygiene for Management. Highfield Publications, United Kingdom, 1977.
Stefanelli, John M., Purchasing: Selection and Procurement for the Hospitality Industry, New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1981.