Commercial Kitchens

Commercial Kitchens

What are Commercial Kitchens?

Unlike residential kitchens, commercial kitchens are built with one main purpose: providing quick food production. Industrial kitchens, primarily used by businesses and organizations, focus on meal preparation and making food easier to deliver to customers. Found in a variety of locations, from restaurants, hotels, and other food business that has high turnover rates for meals, commercial kitchens are essential to the service process.

Commercial vs Residential Kitchens

Commercial kitchens also come with differences when compared to residential kitchens. As these kitchens are in greater demand, commercial kitchens require safety measures, for both staff and customers. This comes in forms such as meeting health codes and regulations which are set by the local government. Required food safety certifications from local health departments for commercial kitchens. Additionally, unlike residential kitchens, the kitchen must provide a large enough space for not only staff, but also industrial equipment.

Essentials to a Commercial Kitchen

According to Kitchenall, a commercial kitchen typically contains four primary areas: preparation, cooking, cleaning, and storage.[1] The preparation area contains essentials such as washing stations and food processors. Where raw ingredients are washed, peeled, and chopped. These ingredients then move to the cooking area, where they are prepared from either a stove, grill, or oven. This area includes ventilation systems to manage smoke and odors produced. Once the food is served, dishes and kitchen tools are cleaned in the cleaning area, containing dishwashers and designated sinks. Grease Interceptors are required in most commercial kitchen settings as determined by the local health department. Additionally, there are storage areas where all ingredients are stored. With dry and cold ingredients stored under optimal conditions, organized through refrigeration units and shelving systems. This ensures food safety and quality in a commercial kitchen.

Another Type of Commercial Kitchen

Aside from traditional commercial kitchens found in restaurants, there are also ghost kitchens. These shared commercial kitchens, typically also known as virtual restaurants, focus on delivering to customers only. As stated by CloudKitchens, ghost kitchens provide “reduced rent and more flexible leasing terms,”[2] making them appealing to entrepreneurs and companies. Their sole purpose is to be able to prepare and deliver food, typically having smaller crews than usual catering kitchens. There has been a rise in this type of commercial kitchen due to technology, relying on services such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and more. These services only need a customer to order their meal online, in which it then will be delivered to them through one of these services. As a result, ghost kitchens have become widely popular for fast and convenient dining.

Commercial Kitchens are Necessary

If it were not for commercial kitchens, today’s food service industry would not have been possible. They are the backbone of various locations, from hotels, restaurants, and countless other food-based businesses. These special kitchens have been designed to keep the customer in mind, ensuring efficiency and safety while producing food at high volumes. Whether that is through large scale events, dine in meals, or just delivery only services, commercial kitchens ensure that customers receive well-prepared and satisfactory food.

Need a commercial kitchen design? We can provide the architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural design for your next commercial kitchen design plan. Restaurant design– Restaurant architecture, QSR, food court and coffee shop design

Comprehensive Architectural Services

At SCA Design, we offer a full range of architectural and design services, including:

Commercial architecture – Office buildings, retail spaces, land development, urban infill
Multi-Family architecture – Affordable housing, worker housing, apartment housing, community centers
Residential architecture – Custom luxury homes and high-end residential projects, Casita Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
Retail architecture – Ground-up, freestanding, gray shell and second generation
Casino & Hospitality design – Casinos, entertainment venues, and sports facilities
Restaurant design– Restaurant architecture, QSR, food court and coffee shop design
Warehouse architecture – Industrial, Manufacturing, and Warehouse Office
Interior Design – Thoughtful model home design, stunning interiors, space planning, blending aesthetics with functionality, inclusivity, tailored experiences, and technology.
Tenant improvements & renovations – Enhancing and repurposing existing spaces, façade, adaptive reuse
Master Planning & Entitlements – Concept design, programming, site evaluation, zoning variance, rezoning, special permitting and approvals, design review with AHJ
Self-certified Architect & Quick permit – CD Permit Set alternative to Building Department building plan review for code compliance*
Construction Services- Project management, construction management, bid and permit support.

We specialize in design-build, design-assist, and ground-up architectural design. Our firm also integrates ADA accessibility, LEED-certified sustainability, and green energy solutions to meet modern green building standards.

About the Author

My name is Gabby Bazan, I am a summer intern at SCA Design. I have had the opportunity to research and develop website blogs to inform potential clients about architecture-related topics. This process has strengthened my ability to create engaging content that resonates across generations. Throughout the summer, I also contributed to Instagram content creation and gathered quality information to deliver thorough and informative content for readers. This experience has helped me deepen my knowledge about marketing. While also providing me with valuable insight into working in a professional environment.

[1] https://www.kitchenall.com/blog/commercial-kitchen.html#:~:text=A%20commercial%20kitchen%20is%20a,and%20food%20safety%20in%20mind

[2] https://cloudkitchens.com/blog/what-is-a-commercial-kitchen/#how-do-you-choose-a-commercial-kitchen

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