Kitchen Management Team

The Kitchen Designer's Perspective

According to kitchen designers when restaurateur shows up with the menu and advice on any standard list of equipment. Regardless of their segment from a design standpoint, every restaurant has a prep area, a dish room, dry storage, walk-in cooler or reach-in coolers, and potentially a walk-in freezer. In addition, a main cooking line, a chef’s line. At the same time every restaurant concept is different and has different style of configuration. A classic diner has a very basic structure; you are cooking off griddles often without any pans. Whereas in a fine dining establishment you may use a utility distribution system which gives a lot of flexibility to facilitate menu changes. This system allows chefs to take pieces of equipment out that hinders productivity and exchange it for a more practical modular and flexible pieces. 

Fundamentally, they would need to understand the flow of the back of the house. Restaurant designers need to know where the receiving door, where all the products coming in, and where is the front door etc. Designers use many tools to coordinate the kitchen organization and (space word). A common tool used is the bubble diagram. This diagram conveys conceptual information about building spaces, their functionality, relationships and flow patterns. 

Kitchen design - costing guidelines 

• Basic Kitchen Equipment for 100 seats fast food restaurant ranges between $135,000-$150,000.

• Basic Kitchen Equipment for 150 seats full service restaurant ranges between $185,000 - $225,000. 

Many other exploratory questions are considered such as; is the restaurant open for lunch and dinner? If the restaurant is only open for dinner, the entire kitchen can be used as a preparation area. Other considerations include is there a private dining space or event space? A large private dining area cannot be executed of the traditional line while serving the dining room. However with proper planning small scale events up to 12-14 people can be served off the line. Proper kitchen design helps management to keep labor within budgetary guidelines. Trends in technology allow designers to make decisions based on food service safety requirement and offer process solutions that lends efficiency to the system. 

Boston Area Kitchen with Great Design – The Designers’ Pick 

According to TriMark United East experts there are many great kitchens in Boston. The best ones are probably hotel kitchens, such as the Henrietta’s table at the Charles Hotel in pg. 3 Cambridge. No other restaurant is able to serve breakfast faster than them and the quality is outstanding.

Kitchen flow patterns 

Our interviewees differentiated between two basic types of food flow patterns. 

American Line 

Typically used by high volume operations. The items are prepared and finished by the line cooks, then are handed over to the expediter. All cooking lines flow centrally through to the expediter. The expediter will check the finished product and the food will go out for service. 

European Line 

It is a slower way of production used typically in fine dining establishments. Different parts of the dish are distributed among the line chefs and prepared separately. Then each of the components of the dish are assembled and finished by expediter. 

History of the European Line

In the late 19th century, a renowned French chef Escoffier understood the value in creating a kitchen that moved efficiently and with military like precision. He effectively created a brand new kitchen system called the French Brigade. Below is the classic French break down of the brigade system. 

What is the Kitchen Hierarchy?

The Brigade de Cuisine is more commonly known as the kitchen hierarchy. There are many positions in this hierarchy, and each one holds an important role in the overall function of the kitchen. The 8 positions listed below are the most typical.

Executive Chef

The Executive chef sits at the top of the kitchen hierarchy; their role is primarily managerial. Executive chefs tend to manage kitchens at multiple outlets and are not usually directly responsible for cooking.

Chef de Cuisine (Head Chef)

‘Head Chef’ is the translation for the French term ‘Chef de Cuisine’. The Head Chef will typically focus on managerial duties relating to the whole kitchen. For example, they supervise and manage staff, control costs and make purchases, and liaise with the restaurant manager and suppliers to create new menus.

Sous Chef (Deputy Chef)

The sous chef shares a lot of the same responsibilities as the head chef, however they are much more involved in the day-to-day operations in the kitchen.

The sous chef also fills in for the head chef when they are not present.

Chef de Partie (Station Chef)

This role is a vital part of the brigade system, but it’s split into many different roles. There is more than one chef de partie and each one is responsible for a different section of the kitchen. This makes kitchen operations much more productive and helps to coordinate large quantities of meals at busy times.

Specific chef de partie roles include the following:

• Sauté Chef/Saucier (Sauce chef) – This chef is responsible for sautéing foods and creating sauces and gravies that accompany other dishes. They report directly to the head chef or sous chef.
• Boucher (Butcher Chef) – They prepare meat and poultry before they are delivered to their respective stations.
• Poissonnier (Fish Chef) – They prepare fish and seafood. In smaller kitchens, the boucher often takes on the role of the poisonnier.
• Rotisseur (Roast Chef) – They are responsible for roast meats and appropriate sauces.
• Friturier (Fry Chef) – This member of staff prepares, and specialises in, fried food items.
• Grillardin (Grill Chef) – They are the king or queen of all things grilled.
• Garde Manger (Pantry Chef) – This person is in charge of the preparation of cold dishes, such as salads.
• Pattisier (Pastry Chef) – The master of all things pastry, baked goods, and desserts.
• Chef de Tournant (Roundsman/Swing Cook/Relief Cook) – This person does not have a specific job, but rather fills in as and when needed at different stations.
• Entremetier (Vegetable Chef) – They prepare vegetables, soups, starches, and eggs. In larger kitchens, this role may split into two: Potager, who is in charge of making soups, and Legumier, who is in charge of preparing any vegetables.

Commis Chef (Junior Chef)

The commis chef works under the chef de partie to learn the ins and outs of a specific station. The junior chef has usually recently completed, or is still partaking in, formal training.

Kitchen Porter

Kitchen porters assist with basic tasks in the kitchen, and are less likely to have had formal training. Their role typically involves introductory food preparation, such as peeling potatoes, and some cleaning duties.

Escuelerie (Dishwasher)

This person is responsible for washing anything that was used in the food preparation and cooking process.

Aboyeur (Waiter/Waitress)

Waiters and waitresses work at the front of house and are customer-facing. They serve customers their dishes and anything else they order. If a customer has a problem with their food, it is the role of the waiter or waitress to report this to the kitchen.