How do industrial kitchens in restaurants and schools differ?

The industrial kitchen is an extremely important area and is regarded as the heart of restaurants, hotels and the like; it is where delicious, nutritionally complete meals are produced to serve the dining needs of many people. Designing a perfect industrial kitchen system requires a contractor that is professional and has many years of experience in the trade.

So have you ever wondered how industrial kitchens in restaurants and schools differ? Let's explore the differences between these two kitchens with STAVI, the industrial kitchen system setup provider, in this article!

Differences between restaurant and school industrial kitchens

An industrial kitchen is commonly understood as a system of industrial kitchen equipment manufactured for the purpose of cooking and processing food to meet people's dining needs with large volumes of industrial catering meals.

Most industrial kitchens are used in restaurants, schools, or large factories and plants. Industrial kitchens process food in large quantities and must strictly comply with food safety and hygiene regulations to limit digestive illnesses; all stages of processing in an industrial kitchen form a closed cycle, from preparation until the dishes are complete.

Requirements for a restaurant industrial kitchen

The first thing a restaurant or company kitchen must ensure is compliance with food safety and hygiene regulations. The industrial kitchen area must be designed scientifically. A kitchen space should be divided into several separate zones, in order to support the operating workflow as well as hygiene.

Typically, an industrial cooking area needs the following zones: a food receiving area, a storage area, a preparation area, a main cooking area, a serving area and a washing area. Each zone is designed to meet the requirements of a different task.

Such a separated design also provides a closed operating workflow: from receiving ingredients to preparation to the cooking stage. Everything is closed off, which helps ensure hygiene and minimises bacterial contamination and dirt getting into the food.

Image: Restaurant industrial kitchen

As for the equipment used in a restaurant industrial kitchen area, owners should use stainless steel industrial cooking equipment, as it is both highly durable and brings a cleaner, more elegant and aesthetic look to the restaurant kitchen.

Another point restaurant owners should pay attention to is convenience and mobility. Easy, flexible movement also makes things more convenient for chefs during use.

Today, there are many types of industrial cooking equipment on the market that integrate both stir-frying and grilling functions. It is therefore worth considering and choosing smart industrial kitchen equipment. That way, the cost is lower while working efficiency is still guaranteed.

Design features of a school industrial kitchen

Warm design: Soft colours and an industrial kitchen layout suited to the age of the students will give them a sense of satisfaction, safety and warmth. Exterior colours should be bright and lively. For the interior colour scheme, given students' emotional variability and the influence of the environment, warm orange and yellow combined with white should be used.

Ecological design: In keeping with children's curiosity, energy and strong tendency to imitate, create a good ecological environment that plays an environmental education role and supports the healthy, harmonious development of students' physical and mental health.

Modern design: Our children today are the main force of modern society in the future. Only with modern educational ideas and modern educational methods can we nurture talents that meet the needs of modern society.

Image: Standard-compliant school industrial kitchen at STAVI

The important role of the industrial kitchen in the 4.0 era

The industrial kitchen is an area that takes on an extremely important role: it is where food is prepared. Because of the demands of the job, a restaurant kitchen, school kitchen or canteen must always deliver a very large operating capacity. Only then can it meet the needs of serving many customers, or hundreds of children, at the same time.

At the same time, the safety of the staff and chefs working in the kitchen area must be ensured. Hygiene is something every restaurant and school must pay attention to. A kitchen that meets these requirements is one where everything is tightly linked together. From the design stage to the selection of industrial kitchen equipment, care must be taken.

Only when this is achieved will the service meet diners' needs to the proper standard. All industrial kitchen equipment for restaurants and schools must be of the best quality.

What are the requirements when designing an industrial kitchen?

Kitchen design affects energy consumption, so detailed planning is needed when designing a kitchen. For example, you must not place cooking, frying or grilling stations next to the cold storage room, because they will work against each other.

Consider the size of the kitchen. The kitchen size will be proportional to the size of the restaurant or school. But depending on how customers are to be served, the restaurant or school can design it with different proportions and capacities.

The equipment used in an industrial kitchen must meet the criteria of safety, sturdiness and convenience. Of course, it must also meet the prescribed health standards.

Consult the chefs. Each head chef has a different cooking style, so their opinions should be consulted, as they are the ones with the most experience.

Pay attention to the ventilation system in the kitchen. Make sure there is a good ventilation system to ensure the safety of everyone in the kitchen. In addition, it will help remove odours better and dispel unpleasant smells.

An industrial kitchen usually comprises 6 zones: the receiving area, storage area, preparation area, cooking area, serving area and washing area. Clearly dividing the work zones avoids chaos and collisions in the kitchen.

Another important point is that you need to determine the budget you intend to spend on designing the industrial kitchen for your restaurant, so that you do not run short of funds during the design process.

Finding and choosing a reputable and professional industrial kitchen system setup provider is extremely important for every business, restaurant, school and so on. Sao Viet Nam Manufacturing Trading Service Co., Ltd. (STAVI) is one of the leading companies in food, industrial catering and industrial kitchen system setup in Vietnam. So why wait? Pick up the phone and contact us right away for advice and the best services when setting up an industrial kitchen system for your restaurant or school!