The document provides guidance on planning and designing various areas of a commercial food facility, including storage rooms, walk-in refrigeration, preparation areas, production areas, and warewashing areas. Some key recommendations include locating storage rooms between receiving and points of use, selecting adjustable shelving, planning one prep station per employee, allocating space for batch and à la minute cooking lines, separating soiled and clean areas in warewashing, and ensuring adequate cleaning and serving equipment storage. Flow, safety, and efficiency of operations are primary considerations in layout.

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BASICS OF FOOD FACILITY DESIGN: MODULE 3B
KITCHEN LAYOUT
BEST PRACTICES
Note: These slides do not have narration.

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STORAGE ROOM PLANNING
• Locate your storage rooms(s) between the receiving door and
the most important points of use
• Consider security, especially for meats and alcohol storage.
Put locks on the door and make these rooms visible from the
office!
• Select adjustable shelving:
– Chrome finish or wooden shelves are fine for dry storage rooms
• Provide adequate lighting, shielded in case of breakage
• Store all goods 6” off the floor at all times
• Consider high density shelving for large operations to save on
floor space

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PLANNING WALK-IN REFRIGERATION
• Walk-in refrigeration consists of insulated panels
for the walls, floor and ceiling, and the refrigeration
system itself
• Air-cooled, top-mounted compressors will be less
expensive to buy but more expensive to operate
• Make sure your space has a chilled water loop
before selected a water cooled compressor
• If possible, plan for a depressed floor in any walk-
in refrigerators
• Share walls of walk-in refrigerators whenever
possible
• Also open walk-in freezers into refrigerators rather
than directly into your kitchen

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PREPARATION AREA PLANNING
• Allow one 72” x 30” prep work area for each prep
employee
• Use space above and below the prep table surface for
storage of utensils and pans
– Drawers
– Open shelves
– Ceiling or wall mounted utensil racks
• Include table space on both sides of prep sinks to make
washing produce easier
• Don’t forget garbage cans and hand sinks!

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PRODUCTION AREA PLANNING
• Consider your processes and staff use:
– How many people will be working on the line at the
same time?
– Will you be using an expeditor? Which side of the
service counter will they be working?
– Will servers do any plating or garnishing of apps or
desserts?
– Consider making the line capable of supporting prep
functions before service begins

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PRODUCTION AREA PLANNING
Put batch cooking
equipment behind the à
la minute line, or at
either end of a single
line
The aisle between the line
and the service counter
should be 36”-42”
Combine all equipment so it
fits under a single ventilation
hood
Service counters
will need heat
lamps and plate
storage
The service wall
shown here is for all
your utilities and is
12” wide when you
have a double-sided
line like this one
Put the tallest pieces of equipment at
either end of the cooking line

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PRODUCTION AREA ISSUES
• Include point-of-use refrigeration for prepped items
(doors or drawers)
• Plan on assembly space for plating and garnishing
(consider built-in cutting boards on the service counter)
• Include space for mise-en-place at sauté or wok stations
• Plan on space for dumping fried items (typically to the
left of fryers)
• You’ll want a nearby source of water for filling pots and
maybe steam kettles as well as for cleaning

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PRODUCTION AREA ISSUES
• Space for mise-en-place at saute or wok
stations
• Space for dumping fried items (typically to
the left of fryers)
• Source of water for filling pots and kettles
as well as cleaning

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PRODUCTION AREA ISSUES
• For safety reasons:
– Fryers must be minimum
17” from an open flame
– Avoid positioning fryers
right next to high traffic
area
Too close!

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WAREWASHING AREA PLANNING
• Always keep soiled areas separate from clean areas
• Keep wet areas together if possible
• Include scrapping holes on soiled dishtables (above
garbage cans)
• Include pre-rinse facilities on your soiled dishtable
• Add overshelves for glass racks to save space/speed
racking

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WAREWASHING AREA PLANNING
• Provide at least 48” of clean dishtable space for
cooling racks after removal from dishwasher
• Provide adequate clean serviceware storage in
an area that will stay clean
• You will need either a 3-compartment sink or an
automated pot-washer

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WAREWASHING AREA PLANNING
Make sure a hand sink is
conveniently located
Have some landing
space on the soiled and
clean ends of your pot
sink
The soiled dishtable
should be accessible by
service staff and dish
staff
A pre-rinse
sink and faucet
helps your
dishmachine
work more
effectively
Leave plenty of room for
racks to cool after exiting
the machine
Use wall space next to
and above clean areas
for storage
This is a warewash area for a large
restaurant (250+ seats!) You may not need
such a big machine but the planning
principles are the same for small
operations.
Everything should flow from soiled
areas to clean areas

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