Planning a new professional kitchen can seem complicated. There is a lot of equipment to choose from, the range is wide and prices vary. Your first instinct may be to start looking at ovens, ranges and dishwashers. In fact, it is better to start with a much simpler question: what will this kitchen be preparing and serving?
A good kitchen is created when its layout and equipment are based on the actual work of the business. A well-thought-out solution helps the kitchen run faster, more smoothly and more safely. It also helps you avoid a situation where an expensive appliance does not fit the room or the way the kitchen works day to day.
In short: planning a professional kitchen in five steps
- Define your needs – menu, type of service, portions and peak-hour load.
- Plan the workflow and zones – from goods receipt all the way to dishwashing.
- Check the technical requirements – electricity, gas, ventilation, water and drainage.
- Choose equipment according to the workload – not out of habit, from a catalogue photo or on price alone.
- Find a partner who will also help after the purchase – installation, maintenance and spare parts.
What kind of kitchen do you need? Start with the menu and volumes
Before choosing equipment, think through what your menu and service will be. Are you planning Asian, Italian or Nordic cuisine? Will you serve lunch, breakfast and dinner, or focus on just one of them? Is it a restaurant, café, hotel, school, ship’s galley or a large catering kitchen?
It is also important to estimate volumes. How many guests or portions do you need to serve on a normal day and at peak times? How many people work in the kitchen at the same time? Which dishes make up most of the menu, and which stages of work take the most time?
These answers set the direction for all further planning. For example, the menu may call for more boiling capacity, a larger oven capacity or fast and efficient dishwashing. Once your needs are clear, it is much easier to judge which equipment the kitchen really needs.
Ask several suppliers for a layout, not for prices on one drawing
If you are starting to plan a new kitchen and do not yet have a regular partner, do not send the same finished drawing to several equipment suppliers. Instead, describe your needs and your vision: what and how much you will prepare, what the room is like and how big your budget is. Then let each supplier put their own solution on paper.
This way you get several different layouts. Suppliers have different experience and expertise, and it is the layout that best reveals who really understands your kitchen. To make the solutions easier to compare, give everyone the same starting information: menu, number of portions, room dimensions and utilities, and budget. Continue working with the one whose solution convinced you most. Details can always be fine-tuned later.
How to plan the kitchen workflow and zones?
A kitchen is not simply a room where you place equipment. Work has to flow smoothly from one stage to the next: from receiving and preparing goods to cooking, serving, dishwashing and cleaning.
The layout must take into account how people move and where different activities take place. Handling raw ingredients, cooking, serving and dealing with dirty dishes must be organised so that the work is logical and the risk of cross-contamination is as low as possible. To achieve this, you need to think through which work areas and zones the kitchen needs and how people move between them.
A well-planned kitchen helps staff do their work smoothly even at the busiest moments. In a poorly planned room, however, time is lost every day squeezing past each other, searching for things or rearranging stages of work.
Check the technical requirements before construction
Many costly surprises only come to light once the equipment has been chosen and construction is under way. That is why it pays to review the technical requirements right at the start of planning:
- Electricity – whether the building’s connection capacity is sufficient for all equipment to run at the same time.
- Gas – whether there is a gas connection, or whether it makes more sense to choose an electric or induction solution.
- Ventilation – the position and capacity of the extraction hoods must match the layout of the cooking equipment.
- Water and drainage – water and drain connections, floor drains and, if necessary, a grease trap and water treatment.
Bring in a kitchen partner before the construction or renovation project is finalised, not afterwards. Then the connections and building services can be planned around the equipment, and you will not have to pay a lot to redo them later.
Choose equipment according to the workload, not out of habit
A common mistake is to start with a particular appliance and try to build the whole kitchen around it. For example, you may feel that you definitely need a combi oven of a certain size because you have used one before or it seems the most usual choice.
In reality, the right oven size depends on what and how much you prepare, when the load is highest and how many people will work with the oven. In some kitchens a four-level oven is enough, while others need a 6 × GN 1/1 or 10 × GN 1/1 solution. In a kitchen with a high production volume, a 20-level oven may be the right choice. We write about this in more detail in the article “How to choose a combi oven?”.
The same principle applies to all equipment. The size, power and functions of an appliance must match the kitchen’s actual work. If an appliance is chosen only on price, from a catalogue photo or out of habit, you may later find that it does not fit the planned space, cannot produce the required quantity at peak times or stands unused most of the time.
Bring in a professional kitchen partner
Once your needs and work organisation have been thought through, it is worth involving a professional company that will help plan the kitchen, prepare the drawings and select suitable equipment. Drawings let you review and assess the solutions before construction or ordering equipment, and change them if necessary.
Do not choose a partner on the final total of the quote alone. Also consider whether the company knows your sector, asks meaningful questions about your work and explains why it recommends one solution or another. A good partner does not stop at selling equipment, but helps find a solution that suits the kitchen as a whole.
Kitchen planning often involves a lot of work that is not visible as a separate item on the quote or final invoice. A partner may visit the site to measure the room, discuss work organisation and technical options, prepare drawings and revise the solution several times so that it suits both the room and your needs. This groundwork helps you make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes. So when comparing quotes, look not only at equipment prices but also at the groundwork and know-how behind the solution.
It is a good sign when a partner wants to know how your kitchen works, what dishes you prepare, how large the quantities are and what the room allows. They should also offer ideas and explain clearly which choices will make the work easier.
What if the price seems too high?
If the price of the planned kitchen exceeds your budget, talk to the company that developed the solution. If possible, tell them what amount the quote should work within. If you would rather not share an exact budget, simply say that the current price is too high and ask how the solution could be made more affordable.
Instead of taking the whole project to a new supplier, you can review together with your current partner where the choices could be changed. Equipment often comes in different price classes and levels of functionality. For some appliances you can choose a simpler model, some purchases can be postponed, or the solution can be changed so that the kitchen can start with a smaller investment.
An example from our practice: one of our original quotes for fitting out a complete kitchen was around 150,000 euros. The customer told us honestly that they needed the kitchen but could not invest that much. We went through the quote together again and changed the choices: instead of the top-of-the-range equipment originally offered, we chose a slightly simpler solution for several appliances. The kitchen kept the necessary number of appliances and its core functionality, and the customer was able to start their business. After several reviews, the price came to around 87,000 euros. If needed, the equipment can be upgraded step by step in the future.
This example shows that talking about budget constraints does not have to mean giving up a functioning kitchen. Working together, you can find a solution that suits both your needs and your means.
Think about what happens after the purchase, too
Ordering equipment from an international online shop may seem cheap and easy at first glance. Before deciding, however, check whether maintenance, spare parts and technical support are available for the appliance in Estonia. Also think about who will help if questions arise during installation or the appliance needs repairing later.
A professional kitchen partnership should not end with the invoice. As the kitchen is used, new needs may emerge, work organisation may change and equipment needs maintenance. A partner who knows your kitchen and its solutions can often help faster and give recommendations that already take your business’s work into account. For this, Haktek Seadmed works hand in hand with the service company Haktek OÜ – read more in the article “How to choose a maintenance partner for kitchen equipment?”.
The cheapest purchase may not turn out to be the most economical solution if maintenance or spare parts are later unavailable, or if the appliance does not suit the actual workload. Well-considered cooperation gives you not only equipment but also the knowledge and support that help your kitchen really work.
Ask yourself before planning
Before moving on to equipment and layout, answer at least the following questions:
- What food will the kitchen prepare and in what volume?
- When are the busiest periods and how many portions need to be prepared then?
- How many people work in the kitchen at the same time?
- Which work areas does the kitchen need, and how do staff and ingredients move?
- Do the room’s electricity, gas, ventilation and drainage meet the needs of the equipment?
- Have I sent my needs and vision to several suppliers to get different layouts?
- Does the proposed solution fit my budget? If not, have I told my partner?
- Who will help maintain and repair the equipment after it has been installed?
The clearer the answers, the easier it is to create a solution that supports everyday work. A professional kitchen is best planned as a whole: start from your needs, plan the workflow, choose suitable equipment and find a partner who will help after the kitchen is finished. First you need to understand what kind of kitchen your business needs. Only then can you decide which equipment and what kind of cooperation will help that kitchen work well.
Frequently asked questions
How much does professional kitchen planning cost?
At Haktek Seadmed, kitchen planning and drawings are free of charge if the equipment is later purchased from us. If you only want the design, it is charged for and the price depends on the scope of the project.
When should you bring in a kitchen partner?
As early as possible – before the construction or renovation project is finalised. Then the electricity, gas, water and ventilation connections can be planned around the equipment, and later rebuilding can be avoided.
Is it worth asking several suppliers for a layout?
Yes, if you do not yet have a regular partner. Send suppliers your needs and vision rather than the same finished drawing, and let each of them prepare their own layout. This way you can see whose experience and solution suits your kitchen best.
What do you need to prepare for kitchen planning?
It helps to know the menu, the expected number of portions on a normal day and at peak times, the number of staff, and the floor plan or dimensions of the room. Everything else can be discussed with your partner.
What if the kitchen quote exceeds your budget?
Talk about it honestly with the supplier. Often some equipment can be chosen from a simpler price class, some purchases postponed, or the solution changed so that the kitchen keeps the functionality it needs.
Ask for a quote
Haktek Seadmed plans and draws professional kitchen projects for restaurants, hotels, canteens, production kitchens and ship’s galleys. If the equipment is later purchased from us, the design is free of charge. Read more about kitchen planning and design.
Ask for a quote – we will help you plan the right kitchen and take care of installation and maintenance. All products come with a warranty of at least 2 years. Contact us.
Read also: How to choose a cooking line? · How to choose a combi oven? · How to choose a stick blender by pot size? · How to choose a maintenance partner for kitchen equipment? · How to choose a blast chiller? · How to choose a dishwasher?
Author: Gert Laineste, Haktek Seadmed. Haktek has been selling, installing and maintaining professional kitchen equipment since 1997.
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