When you’re dining out at one of your favourite restaurants, do you ever wonder whether your food would taste the same if it were to be prepared by the exact same chef/s, yet in a totally different kitchen?
Investing in top-notch restaurant supply and storage equipment can take your kitchen game to the next level. Imagine quicker prep times, more elegant presentation, enhanced flavour, and even some savings in the long haul. Although investing in restaurant supplies could soon add up to a considerable cost, when you consider all the potential benefits for a thriving restaurant, it becomes more of a question of whether you can afford not to make the investment.
Once your mind’s made up, don’t just place an order with the first supplier you find. Do your due diligence. Choose at least three potential suppliers to look into, carefully considering the merits and downfalls of each. Read honest customer reviews to get a feel for each supplier’s reputation, value for money and, above all, quality of products, before parting with any cash.
What to consider when upgrading restaurant storage
Keep perishable produce in the fridge or freezer
When it comes to enhancing restaurant efficiency and food quality, prioritising the correct storage of ingredients, prepped food, and leftovers plays an important role. Not only does this help to keep food fresh, but it can also speed up the food production process, minimise food waste, and ensure adherence with food hygiene best practices. If you’re looking to upgrade a restaurant kitchen, high-end commercial refrigeration storage is a good place to start.
In fact, many leading restaurants designate certain areas of their kitchens to the preparation of chilled dishes. For example, Blossoms restaurant at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa in Leicestershire has a dedicated larder for cold prep, allowing optimum storage and preparation of chilled dishes.
Store baked goods appropriately
If your restaurant bakes bread, cakes and/or pastries in-house, don’t overlook the importance of bakery storage eiehter. Just as chilled or frozen goods need to be stored in the fridge or freezer, so can the temperature and environment that baked goods are stored in have an impact on quality.
If you want satisfied customers who return again and again, consider forking out for bakery storage and/or displays. The added bonus of this is being able to show off all your irresistible baked goods in your shop window, beckoning passers-by inside!
When browsing for new food display cases, consider size, style, lighting, and temperature control. Quality cases do more than just enhance the look of your food; they also ensure its quality, and longevity.
One element of restaurant design that often goes overlooked is the culinary tools you equip your kitchen team with. However, by paying more attention to the tools your chefs are using, you could save on time and money, while also improving food quality. As Sumit Chakrabarty, Executive Chef at the aforementioned Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa puts it, “If you give a kitchen brigade the tools to succeed, they will reward you.”
Here are just a few of the commonly overlooked kitchen gadgets to consider for your restaurant kitchen.
- Sharp knives for quick, hassle-free cutting (not forgetting a knife sharpening block, too!)
- Durable cookware like non-stick pans can be easier and quicker to clean, while ensuring optimum food quality. SCANPANs are particularly popular.
- Time-saving appliances, like easy-to-clean slow juicers, food processors and blenders. Consider investing in a Magimix to save time on prepping fruit and veg, for example. A self-cleaning oven can be useful, too.
Maintain a clean workspace
Not only is maintaining a clean kitchen essential to running a restaurant that meets food hygiene standards, but it could also prolong the life of your kitchen appliances, while a clean kitchen can benefit mental health of your staff too. It’s often underestimated, but a tidy workspace works wonders for focus, efficiency, and staff morale.
Ensure your kitchen is always well-stocked with cleaning supplies; from antibacterial sprays to use on work surfaces, to disinfectant solutions to clean floors. Encourage your kitchen team to clean as they go, and allow plenty of time for them to clean up after each shift. Many restaurants employ kitchen staff solely to assist in food preparation and cleaning duties. Every now and then, however, there’s no substitute for a deep clean by a specialist cleaning company.
Equip staff with appropriate uniforms
Besides ensuring your staff have a clean, comfortable kitchen environment to work in, prioritise the appearance of your kitchen team too. This is about more than simply ensuring your employees look smart; it also goes a long way in improving efficiency, and job contentment. After all, comfort and image can have a big impact on our mood and output.
Opting for breathable fabrics like cotton or linen will help to keep staff cool when cooking in a hot, steamy kitchen for extended periods. While you probably don’t want to pay the odds for staff uniforms, it’s wise to choose reasonably high-quality clothing, in order to allow for long-term cost-savings. For a personal touch, consider arranging for staff names to be embroidered onto shirts, or aprons.
When it comes to improving restaurant standards, we often ask ourselves how we can improve upon the skills of our chefs, the visual appearance of the dining environment, and/or the customer service our waiting team offers. Simple elements of running a restaurant, like kitchen design and storage solutions, often go overlooked. As you can see, however, making small changes to our restaurants can often have a big impact. Spend some time thinking about your current kitchen set-up and ask yourself, what small changes can I make in order to allow for better storage, and improved efficiency, and how will this benefit my restaurant in the long-term? Often, the potential benefits will more than out-weight the likely costs.
What is the most under-rated element of restaurant design, in your opinion? Let me know in the comments.