Willis Jenkins can tackle all aspects of hotel kitchen design

Date added: 01/05/17

Designing a kitchen for a busy hotel restaurant isn’t a simple task, there are a number of factors to consider before you can get the design right. From the number of covers, the restaurant menu to the style of food service, designing a hotel kitchen should be planned around numerous aspects. The kitchen itself and the kitchen appliances all need to be right in order for the hotel kitchen to fully maximise its potential. A well-designed kitchen will generally be created in coherence with the existing space available, with the appliances bought to suit the style of the kitchen and the type of food on offer.

Willis Jenkins’ John Eaton said: “Preparation areas and a good ergonomic flow have become increasingly important as more and more hotel kitchens move to dealing with fresh food straight from suppliers on a daily basis. It’s not just important for the appliances and the kitchen to suit the food and the menu, they also need to adhere to the chef’s needs as they are the ones who work at the sharp end of the kitchen.”

John believes that a chef’s input is greatly valued, however, it is also extremely wise to listen to equipment professionals like the team at Willis Jenkins.

He said: “We are continuously focused on keeping up to date with all the latest technology and products from manufacturers. As a kitchen house, we feel it is highly important for us to invest our time in visiting exhibitions across the globe in order to keep up with the moving equipment market so that we can offer our clients all the latest products. It is also an invaluable asset for kitchen design firms to work with manufacturers on specification, as they all have the knowledge needed and have tried and tested their products, which means they know all of their limitations. Choosing the most suitable and advanced products is only one part of the getting hotel kitchen right” explains John.

“Having an ergonomic work flow within a hotel kitchen is imperative, but having flexibility is also vital to allow areas of the kitchen to adapt to changing trends and increased capacity,” he said. “Trends in kitchens are always changing, even in hotel restaurants, so it’s vital for hotel kitchens to keep their design flexible in order to adhere to these developing trends.”

John added: “Customer interaction is important, so having open kitchens and front of house chef’s tables involving theatre can be great at attracting customers and are now seen as part of the modern dining out experience."

“Small plate menus and bringing street food into the restaurant are big trends at the moment, however, we are always just around the corner from the next trend.”