Commercial Kitchen Consultant.

First of all, what is a Commercial Kitchen Consultant?

A commercial kitchen consultant is an independent professional adviser who, for a defined scope of work and related professional fees, works in the best interest of the customer. They may also be referred to as Food Service Consultants or Professional Kitchen Consultants. They design and implement food service facilities for hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, food caterers, food commissaries and the likes. Commercial Kitchen Consultant.

Experienced Commercial Kitchen Consultants bring with them industry experience and expertise that customers do not usually have.  Or may have, like professional chefs,  but for practical reasons, do not have the time to pay full attention to the demands of kitchen project implementation due to more important business priorities. This makes the Commercial Kitchen Consultant’s role  critical to the success of commercial kitchen projects.Commercial Kitchen Consultant.

So, what can a Commercial Kitchen Consultant do for you?

Commercial Kitchen Consultants prevent costly mistakes through efficient kitchen planning & design

Most customers have the misconception that planning and designing commercial kitchen is easy. It is when project delays and consequences of bad decisions are encountered that  a kitchen consultant is called in to help put the project back on track and contain unplanned costs. At times by then, incorrect equipment specification would have been ordered and cannot be canceled, kitchen walls would have been constructed but needed to be torn down and moved causing project delays and additional cost. Ignoring these mistakes can cause long-term problems that can eventually manifest on the quality of food being served, slow down the service and impact the business. Correcting these problems during kitchen construction phase means additional labor costs, delays in business opening schedules worsened by business opportunity losses and rental costs that need to be paid without the business running.

Depending on what your kitchen facility will cater to, the Commercial Kitchen Consultant will define functional areas and space requirement to help make your kitchen operationally efficient. In addition to these, the Commercial Kitchen Consultant will define the most appropriate workflow to optimize mobility of people and resources in your kitchen. Such workflow is critical in ensuring your kitchen can maintain optimum service and food quality during its peak hours while keeping food sanitation and safety of kitchen personnel in check. Commercial Kitchen Consultant.

Typical minor mistakes in kitchen planning & design that can be costly:

• Mismatch of dining space with kitchen space
• Forgetting about waste management
• Not making good use of the aisle space
• Not utilizing overhead spaces as storage areas
• Forgetting about the mop sink!

Commercial Kitchen Consultants give you economical & practical options on kitchen equipment acquisition

The key difference between a commercial kitchen equipment supplier and commercial kitchen consultant is in the motivation. The commercial kitchen equipment supplier’s motivation is to offer and sell their exclusive brand limiting the customer’s option. Customers can also source out from different suppliers however dealing and coordinating with multiple suppliers can be time consuming.

The commercial kitchen consultant’s motivation on the other hand, being the customer’s advocate, is to acquire equipment required to operate the food facility in the most economical way with consideration to the short term and long term business plans of the customer represented. Part of the commercial kitchen consultant’s scope is to source out and liaise with different equipment suppliers to give the customer best value for his investment.

Having a commercial kitchen consultant can reduce kitchen equipment costs through alternative options:

Commercial Kitchen Consultant.

Refurbishing existing kitchen equipment 

When modernizing, standardizing , transferring locations or expanding kitchen capacity, the commercial kitchen consultant can take into consideration existing kitchen equipment, their remaining useful life and applicability in the new design. When decided to be a practical option, refurbishing costs would be significantly cheaper than purchasing brand new equipment.

Sourcing of 2^nd hand kitchen equipment 

The Commercial Kitchen Consultant, can make use of network in the industry to get information on excess equipment from other establishments that needs to be disposed. Sometimes these equipment are unused or slightly used and are sold with significant discounts.

New restaurant concepts or ventures normally start with previously-owned equipment to test the viability of potential of products with consumers before investing on brand new and more expensive items.

Expensive Equipment does not always mean it’s better

The Commercial Kitchen Consultant will always work in accordance with the customers budget, short term and long term business aspirations. Where practical, he will recommend alternative brands that will achieve the same purpose and equal capability while staying within budget.

 Commercial Kitchen Consultant.

Commercial Kitchen Consultants understand health and sanitation best practices 

Food contamination is a big no-no in a food service facility. The Commercial Kitchen Consultant can fully integrate health and sanitation best practices in designing the kitchen layout. Seemingly minor items involving the location of hand wash sink, mop sink and foot bath are essential in the cleaning and disinfection process. In addition to loading and unloading areas, they should be strategically located to separate clean and unclean areas in the kitchen to prevent spread of contaminants.

Common problems related to health & sanitation that needs to be considered in kitchen design:

• food to food contamination
• people to food contamination
• health and sanitation compliance requirements

 Commercial Kitchen Consultant.

Commercial Kitchen Consultants can help improve restaurant operations and help your business grow

For any restaurant, consistent food & service quality are major factors that make diners come back over and over again. Happy diners generate positive buzz words within a community and can exponentially drive more patrons which will help your business grow. An experienced commercial kitchen consultant can share his knowledge on the latest state of the art kitchen equipment  to help maximize success potential.

Commercial Kitchen Consultants usually have a wide network of other food service industry experts that you can tap into

An experienced Commercial Kitchen Consultant can be a reliable source of information for other food service industry experts that they have partnered in the past.

Commercial Kitchen Consultant.

Most important of all, an experienced Commercial Kitchen Consultant can free-up your time and give you peace of mind!

During actual kitchen construction, coordination between a kitchen consultant and the general contractor will be required frequently. Consultations and decisions need to be made quickly when there are conflicts between the approved kitchen design and over-all architectural design. An experienced Commercial Kitchen Consultant can give customers peace of mind that the right decisions are being made on their behalf. The Commercial Kitchen Consultant if given span of control will allow them to make design-related decisions when required by the over-all project team. Delegating this task frees the customer’s time to focus on other business priorities while ensuring that the project is progressing. 

How to find the right Commercial Kitchen Consultant that's right for you?

• Find someone who has at least 10 years of food service industry experience in food facility design. 20 years or more makes them a pro!
• They should be well-versed in food service operations particularly in kitchen design flow, kitchen space planning and kitchen equipment.
• They preferably have working experience with large food facility operations giving them opportunity to experience and solve all sorts of kitchen design challenges.
• A team player; can communicate and work well with the different members of the design team (chef, general contractors, architects/interior designers).
• Someone you are comfortable to work with, who not only understands and supports your ideas but also gives honest recommendation and advice.