A cloud kitchen also known as ghost kitchen, dark kitchen, virtual restaurant, or restaurant-as-a-service (RAAS for short) is gradually replacing the traditional brick and mortar restaurant and reimagining the old model, expanding the brand and restaurant business without any compromises.
Running a restaurant was never easy and required the owner to excel in a wide variety of fields. Choosing the right theme, zeroing on affordable yet customized furniture, finalizing decor to impress the customers at the first sight, establishing a warm relationship with customers in person, etc can get very daunting and even if all these requirements are taken care of perfectly, you could hit a roadblock if your food does not win the heart of your customers nullifying the effort you’ve put to lure customers to your venture.
That’s why a cloud kitchen is enjoying its moment in the sun. It lessens the burden, lets food entrepreneurs concentrate solely on the quality of food with minimum investments of effort, time and money.
So, the next question is- How does one plan a cloud kitchen and what is required to set up a fully functional space? Let’s find out!
Commercial Kitchen design
- Choosing an Apt Location
You save yourselves a lot of trouble since your cloud kitchen is not customer facing and therefore you don’t have to fret over the theme, décor etc. All you need to consider is, your target audience and find a suitable place (could be as small as 150 sq ft- to as big as 2000 sq ft) depending on your business requirements. Cloud kitchens usually work on shared commissary space. So, you could have different owners operating from the same space or the same owner catering under/to different brands.
- Kitchen Layout
Most people think a cloud kitchen is similar to a normal house kitchen and does not require any decorative or elaborate planning. However, the truth is that you must plan a cloud kitchen layout depending on the menu you choose and the customers you wish to cater to because a haphazard kitchen format makes work chaotic and the result is inevitably reflected in the food served. So, taking proper advice before setting up the kitchen is one of the best decisions you can make.
- Installing Optimum Kitchen Equipments
Because, the space is often shared, you have to ensure that the layout is designed in such a way that the equipments are allocated proper places without hampering the workflow. Also, the place is usually hectic with cooking happening all day – it therefore becomes even more important to make sure that the space is designed effectively so as to avoid cramming and allow breathing space for your cooks and staff. You don’t have to go to fancy on the equipment but a functional cloud kitchen should have the following elements:
- Three Compartment Sink
- Hand Wash Sink
- Shared Dry, Cold & Frozen Storage
- Commercial Exhaust Hood
- Stainless Steel Work Benches
- Commercial Refrigeration
- Ventilation
Cloud kitchens are usually built in closed spaces, garages, and small complexes, and although this helps you save considerably on real estate costs, the venue often lacks appropriate windows or other exhaust outlets, which can inconvenience the kitchen employees considerably. Therefore, you must make sure that you consider this aspect in designing your cloud kitchen layout.
- Other Important Specifications to Consider
To make sure your kitchen functions seamlessly apart from the above considerations you must also have the following items checked
- A robust gas supply
- Fire safety equipments
- Single Phase Electricity
- Clean Walls that are easy to maintain
Make sure your infrastructure, ventilation and layout are designed professionally so that your workflow functions without a glitch.
Having a well planned kitchen design that considers speed and efficiency is a vital investment for a cloud kitchen. Sturdy racks, good quality utensils, and durable equipments along with an easy to follow and maintain workflow layout are all very real considerations to make your cloud kitchen operate efficiently. We recommend getting in touch with an expert kitchen interior designer who has the know-how of the latest trends and the expertise to customize the kitchen to suit your needs.To sum up, while cloud kitchen concepts are definitely one of the most profitable restaurant interior formats trending right now with minimum risks involved, you still need to be plugged in to make it a success. If you have any queries about setting up your cloud kitchen; contact us at www.spinteriors.com and our kitchen specialist designers will walk you through the entire cloud kitchen planning and designing process.
