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Common problems in the design and construction of commercial kitchen for hotel and restaurant

18 12 月
Common problems in the design and construction of commercial kitchen for hotel and restaurant

Common problems in the design and construction of commercial kitchen for hotel and restaurant:

The design and construction of commercial kitchens involves many professional technologies such as kitchen management, planning and layout, kitchen equipment technology, water supply and drainage, power supply and lighting, smoke exhaust and ventilation, air conditioning and heating, fire safety, environmental protection, decoration, energy supply, food safety, etc. There are also technical coordination technologies between various professional technologies. Faced with such a complex technical project, there is no “all-round” enterprise that can independently complete all the design and construction work. Now most kitchens are completed by catering industry managers, architectural design departments, kitchen designers and multiple construction units. With so many units and so many links, it is almost inevitable to have various problems under the current technical status.

Whether it is a newly built or expanded commercial kitchen, it will always be troubled by many technical problems, which not only causes a waste of investment, but also leaves insurmountable obstacles to the operation and normal operation of the kitchen. Problems such as insufficient water supply, blocked drainage, poor smoke exhaust, unbalanced fresh air, and unreasonable layout cannot be completely solved by frequent adjustments and maintenance. The main reason for such problems is improper early operation procedures and inadequate design, which will bring irreparable defects in the future and make the kitchen project a regrettable project. Analyzing the causes of the problems will help avoid them. We analyze the problems existing in the construction of commercial kitchens into the following aspects according to the design and construction sequence.Common problems in the design and construction of commercial kitchen for hotel and restaurant

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1.Business planning and commercial kitchen design requirements

Catering industry operators are the decision makers of business planning and commercial kitchen design requirements, and are also the commanders of the entire process of commercial kitchen design and construction. They play the most important role in the entire operation process and are also the link most prone to problems.

1.1 Not understanding the kitchen design process will lead to missing the best design opportunity

In the early stages of project planning, especially for large hotels, operators generally do not hire catering leaders such as catering directors and chefs to plan the kitchen in advance, but cannot provide detailed technical requirements; and the person in charge of kitchen planning and construction does not know the design requirements of the kitchen. The technical requirements for the kitchen are delayed, and the architectural design unit can only design from the architectural perspective, such as making a rough design from the aspects of structure, water supply and drainage, power supply, fire protection, smoke exhaust, air conditioning, etc. Many designs cannot meet actual needs, and the person in charge of the construction is not familiar with the specific requirements of the kitchen in detail, and mainly operates with general buildings, losing the best planning and design opportunities.

1.2 Kitchen design and construction technology is out of touch

In the planning, design and construction of kitchens, kitchen decision makers, architectural design departments, kitchen designers, and various construction units must closely coordinate according to the operating procedures. Even so, there will be omissions due to inconsiderate issues. In reality, the level of close coordination is often not achieved. The reason is that there is no coordinated operation procedure recognized by all parties, and kitchen decision makers cannot reach the level of being familiar with the coordinated operation of the kitchen. Some experienced commercial kitchen designers understand the coordination operation procedures, are in a subordinate position in the coordination link, and cannot intervene in the operation coordination in the early stage of kitchen planning. Due to the inadequate design and construction coordination procedures, poor technical exchanges in planning, design, and construction, the reversed design and construction procedures, the disconnection of technical connections, and the delay of kitchen planning and design and design and construction, there are too many problems in the project.

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1.3 Low-level planning and design operations

The level of planning and design determines the level of kitchen construction. When planning and designing a kitchen, two situations are likely to occur. The first situation is that most hotel operators rely on the free design of kitchenware sellers. Before winning the bid, kitchenware sellers only draw kitchen layout diagrams. It is impossible to design several specialties in place. Other specialties can only rely on design departments and other companies. Under normal circumstances, several specialties must be designed by several manufacturers separately, and the engineering design is not coordinated in place, and the engineering construction coordination is not in place. The second situation is that the operator himself has certain experience and hires an experienced chef to rely on the experience of kitchenware sellers. Kitchenware sellers will design drawings and select equipment based on the opinions of hotel operators and chefs. In this case, the kitchen layout often makes people feel more satisfied, but experience must have certain limitations and timeliness, various professional designs will be omitted, and other supporting systems will be difficult to satisfy. Some new concepts, new experiences, and new technologies cannot be applied in a timely manner。Common problems in the design and construction of commercial kitchen for hotel and restaurant

1.4 The original technical requirements are missing

There are many issues that need to be considered in the kitchen. The kitchen manager must consider the main cuisine, business model, business scale, and the many problems that will arise from changing the business strategy in the future. It is inevitable that the requirements are not comprehensive, detailed, and missing. In particular, the selection of kitchen location, equipment selection, workshop division, water, electricity, smoke exhaust and other major supporting facilities are not well considered, insufficiently estimated, and no certain margin is reserved. In particular, if the facilities involving long-term effects are missing, it will be much more difficult to repair them once the construction is completed.

1.5 The kitchen area does not match the scale of business.

The kitchen area should maintain a corresponding ratio with the business scale, which is also closely related to the business effect. Generally, operators want to provide more dishes and have more business projects. However, the location and area selected for the kitchen are always not as good as people want. In the limited space of the corner, due to the limitation of location and space, the necessary facilities, equipment and operation space of the kitchen must be reduced, and the kitchen design is difficult to achieve the functions that the business should have.

1.6 There is a deviation in the understanding of kitchen planning.

Designers always have to carry out design work according to the requirements of decision-makers. The degree of understanding of the kitchen by operators and kitchen managers determines the level of kitchen planning and design. If the proposed technical requirements are deficient, the reserved area is insufficient, the location is improperly selected, the technical requirements are missing, etc., the kitchen design will not be able to meet the actual business needs. In actual inspections, it was found that many kitchens have deficiencies that are difficult to make up for. Some original kitchen design plans have problems and cannot meet actual needs. The main reason is that the decision-makers have a biased understanding.Common problems in the design and construction of commercial kitchen for hotel and restaurant

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2. Managing kitchen projects as general construction projects

Especially for new and larger projects, the kitchen is only a small part of the whole project and is considered as a supporting project. In the process of project planning and construction, the commercial kitchen project is managed as a general construction project, and the planning and design of the kitchen is allocated to various professional groups according to their professions. There is no person who really understands the kitchen to be responsible for the overall planning and coordination of the kitchen, and to consider the kitchen planning and design comprehensively. In other words, people who do not understand kitchen construction are planning the kitchen construction. Especially when the catering part is contracted out after the completion of the building, the kitchen construction becomes an ownerless building, and there are no technical requirements to match the business plan, and a kitchen that meets the needs will not be built.Common problems in the design and construction of commercial kitchen for hotel and restaurant

3. No professional liability

During the planning and construction, the decision-makers thought that the chefs did not understand the construction technology, so they first completed the civil engineering and then consulted with the chef, missing the best time for kitchen planning and design. Especially for new construction projects, the architectural design mainly depends on the design of architectural designers. The design and construction are not like other professional projects that have clear professional responsibilities. The main structure has been completed and has entered the decoration stage. The kitchen structure has been formed. When problems are found, it is difficult to change them, and the only way is to change the kitchen design plan. Even after the second design and construction, it is difficult to compare with the first design effect.

4. Ignore running costs

In order to reduce investment, the necessary investment in facilities and equipment was cancelled. In particular, small and medium-sized catering enterprises do not understand the relationship between one-time investment and operating costs. In order to reduce one-time investment, necessary facilities and equipment were cancelled or simplified, but the operating costs increased several times. In order to reduce the investment in smoke exhaust projects, a kitchen selected the lowest quoted solution. The cross-sectional area of ​​the flue was too small, and the oil smoke could not be exhausted. The exhaust fan pressure and power were adjusted, and the operating costs increased greatly. The increased electricity consumption in one year is several times the reduced investment amount. If there is no improvement and the status quo is maintained, the extra electricity consumption in a few years of operation will be even greater.Common problems in the design and construction of commercial kitchen for hotel and restaurant

5. Ignore work efficiency

An optimized kitchen design can improve work efficiency. Faced with the completed kitchen structure, the area division is unreasonable, and the door position is wrong. In order to reduce investment, the operator does not want to make any more changes. However, due to the improper location of the partition wall and the door position, a kitchen will not be easily renovated for several years after it is built. Three meals a day, dozens of times per meal, 365 days a year, every day, this reduces the operating speed, and employees have to walk a lot more every day, which is bound to affect work efficiency.

6. Lack of quality supervision

Due to the particularity of the kitchen, it involves a variety of professional technologies. During the design and construction, the project quality supervision personnel do not understand the special technical requirements of the kitchen. During the design and construction, there will be mistakes such as insufficient technical coordination of various professional systems, non-construction according to specifications, irregular construction technology, and cutting corners, which will inevitably leave troubles for the project. Kitchen design and construction involves a variety of professional technologies, which requires a professional design group and quality supervision system to ensure the quality of the project.Common problems in the design and construction of commercial kitchen for hotel and restaurant

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7.Building design departments are not familiar with commercial kitchens

7.1 Architects lack experience in kitchen design

Most architectural design departments do not have professional kitchen designers, lack kitchen design experience, and do not understand the kitchen operation process. Before obtaining the kitchen design plan, it is impossible to determine the design points, positions, quantities, and flow rates. The initial drawings have problems with inadequate design, unreasonable functional area division, no flue or insufficient flue cross-sectional area, reserved water and electricity flow and capacity that do not match actual needs, and insufficient consideration of reserved space for the kitchen. Due to the inconvenience of communication with front-line users and the existing customary design process, the architectural design is out of touch with the actual needs of the kitchen. After the architectural design is completed, the kitchen faces unreasonable floor plans and structural frameworks, and can only spend a lot of money and time to adjust and modify, or face the regret that the completed structure cannot be changed.

7.2 Improper design calculation method

As a large number of new technologies and equipment enter the kitchen, the general technical standards cannot fully apply to the technical requirements of commercial kitchen design. Kitchen users and kitchen designers continue to summarize and improve kitchen design experience, while architectural designers still use general standards, and the design standards and calculation methods used in kitchen design are not consistent. In the design and construction of small and medium-sized restaurants and canteens, many are designed and constructed based on experience. Even in larger hotels, some design calculations still have inaccurate and unscientific problems. For example, there are different calculation methods for smoke exhaust and fresh air supplement. Miscalculation will lead to insufficient exhaust volume and insufficient reserved flue cross-sectional area.Common problems in the design and construction of commercial kitchen for hotel and restaurant

7.3 The architectural design department is not familiar with kitchen equipment technology.

There are many types of kitchen equipment with different functions. Most kitchen equipment requires water, electricity and plumbing technical connections. It is difficult to perform calculations and designs if you are not familiar with kitchen equipment technology.

8.1 Construction conflicts between systems

Since systematic engineering management and design cannot be achieved, the subsystems are designed in a decentralized manner, and there is no unified coordination in the overall design. The design depth and precision are insufficient, and construction conflicts cannot be eliminated during the design period. In the small space of the kitchen, engineering technology coordination, space coordination, and progress coordination are not timely, and the design plans of various systems will have many contradictions during the construction stage, forcing the design plan to be changed or the construction to be repeated.

8.2 The construction process does not meet the technical requirements of the kitchen

Due to the special operating environment of the kitchen, there are many characteristics that are different from general construction requirements. The requirements must be clearly defined during design, and the material quality and construction process must be ensured during construction to avoid future troubles. However, there will be situations that do not meet the requirements of the kitchen characteristics during design and construction. For example, there are a lot of residues and oil in the kitchen drain pipe, which can easily cause pipe blockage after condensation. Generally, hot water pipe scalding and mechanical dredging are used, and different requirements are required for the thickness of the pipe material. If the construction is not carried out according to the process, hidden dangers will be left, especially for hidden projects. Once a problem occurs, it is difficult to correct, and it may even be necessary to suspend business for maintenance or wait until it is remodeled again.

9.Commercial kitchen design technology urgently needs standardization