Three Core Concepts of Highly Successful Commercial Kitchen Design

The pressures of running a restaurant all too often force commercial kitchen operators to put out fires (sometimes literally) and sacrifice lasting solutions for temporary fixes. So, when a restaurant team has the opportunity to design or redesign a commercial kitchen space, it’s essential to get it right.

Every sensation in a restaurant, from the shine of a fork to the scent of a signature dish, tells the story of that restaurant. Each experience, whether intentional or not, communicates the kitchen’s brand to its customers. Design is a chance to think through and refine every aspect of a restaurant’s operations and how each engages patrons and staff.

This post will review the high-level concepts behind commercial kitchen design and how working with a kitchen consultant can help you fit the pieces together and succeed in your kitchen design project.

Design and Functionality Must Fit Together

Good commercial kitchen design is about more than just style. Experienced kitchen designers consider each aspect of a restaurant’s operations:

Menu – The type of food served drives the design elements and equipment selection.

Space – Even the most prominent restaurants often have confined kitchens and must utilize space efficiently.

Food Service Flow – The type of food service (sit down, carry out, commissary, ghost kitchen) drives the design of the establishment. An efficient kitchen is designed to follow the products being served which includes:

• Delivery / Receiving

• Dry Storage

• Cold Storage

• Dry Storage

• Food Preparation

• Cooking

• Passthrough Service

• Wait Staff Travel Paths

• Dish Return & Warewashing

• Cleaning

Local regulations – Municipal building codes and government food and safety regulations vary from region to region and cover topics such as fire control, vent hoods, sanitation and building permits. The best kitchen design teams are intimately acquainted with local food and building control regulations and may even have relationships with regional inspectors.

Budget – Budget is a crucial design concern as most restaurant owners don’t have unlimited resources. Great kitchen designers help you get as close to your vision as possible without breaking the bank.  

Collaboration is Key

Many collaborators and contractors are involved in a commercial kitchen design project—architects, interior designers, general contractors, and other tradespeople. Kitchen consultants fill the gaps between kitchen operators and these other collaborators.

As Mike Beck, Director of Contracts at Russell Hendrix, puts it: “Design is the backbone of these [restaurant] establishments, both from aesthetics [point of view] to the actual back of house operations. It’s the foundation of builds to ensure that we have the right equipment and the right systems in place for that restaurant to be operationally successful.”

To ensure a successful design project, the Russell Hendrix design team assigns a dedicated project manager to oversee each project from inception to completion.

Design with Murphy’s Law in Mind

As anyone who’s worked in a kitchen can tell you, Murphy’s Law, “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong,” is a fact of life. An experienced commercial kitchen design team can help plan for the worst-case scenario—fire, staff shortages, equipment failures, and other common kitchen disasters.

An example of Murphy’s Law in action is the case of Mount Pleasant Vintage restaurant. This unique gem in Vancouver incorporates a historically preserved home and vintage shop into the design of a much larger restaurant. Because of its historical status, the space had no gas lines. The owner, Cameron Bogue, envisioned solving this issue by creating a menu based on woodfired grills and ovens. However, local regulators threatened to shut down the enterprise. The RH design team navigated the dense local food regulations to ensure Mount Pleasant opened on time, on budget, and up to code. 

Cameron later said, “The Russell Hendrix experience was beyond exceptional. Behind the scenes, they worked tirelessly. Whenever a challenge arose, they promptly presented me with solutions. We never missed a beat.”

Why Choose Russell Hendrix for Kitchen Design?

Our commercial kitchen designers and consultants are the glue that binds together the many collaborators who come together for a restaurant design project. No matter the size of the kitchen, the Russell Hendrix design team has solutions for your restaurant. In 2022, we designed and executed over 400 commercial kitchen spaces – from one-location cafes to large chains and corporate cafeterias.

Other compelling reasons to work with Russell Hendrix include:

• RH is Canada’s largest foodservice equipment dealer.
• We have over 80 years of experience in design, installation, and custom fabrication.
• Dedicated project managers are assigned to each case.
• Our industry-experienced designers have worked as chefs, cooks, servers, bartenders, and restaurateurs.

Get in touch to learn more about our design process.