7.8: Chapter Glossary and Notes

Glossary

Menu and Facility. The menu has a tremendous influence on the design and success of a food operation. An operator must constantly frame his or her thinking of the menu as the primary or sole source of revenue for the operation that will cover the expenditures of the operation on a monthly or yearly basis, and provide the profits sought by the organization.

Concept development. The successful foodservice operation combines these elements of concept development: menu market, menu, money, management, and method of execution.

Space determinants. A complex menu requires more space to prepare items than a limited, or simple, menu because separate workstations and additional equipment are necessary. Depending on the amount of space available in a prime location, 'make' or 'purchase' decisions may well become practical considerations.
Space Accommodations. Remember the following basic space recommendations by restaurant segment to address space and service concerns: Luxury or table service - 15 to 20 square feet per guest; Coffee shops and casual dining – 12 to 17 square feet per guest Cafeterias – 10 to 12 square feet per guest, Counter service – 18 to 26 inches per stool.

Even though other facets of design can be out of the ordinary, when it comes to flow patterns, the simpler the better. Customer and employee safety should be a top concern. Remember that most of us tend to walk to the right of other oncoming people. Think of the room as a neighborhood and the flow as the major streets in that neighborhood. If you avoid traffic congestion, everyone will like living there. Consider the maximum number of seats allowed in the space as well as the average time you want customers to spend at a table. Generally speaking, the faster the turnover, the greater the need for clear flow patterns that do not cross. Conversely, if dining is to be leisurely, design the flow to make the wait staff seem as unobtrusive as possible.

Banquet Space. To calculate banquet seating with standard rectangular tables, divide the square footage of the room by 8 to find out how many seats the area will accommodate. For example, a 500 square foot area will seat 62 to 63 people. When using round tables, divide by 10. You may decide it prudent to have an adjacent ‘finishing’ kitchen to the banquet dining area to ease the stress on your main kitchen. Banquets will generally occur when your restaurant patrons are dining.
Service Area. Small wait station (20 to 30 inches square or rectangle, for every 20 to 30 seats. Large wait station (8 to 10 feet long and 24 to 30 inches wide) for every 50 to 75 seats.

Customer arrivals. Restaurateurs often fail to consider how guests arrive at the restaurant. The follow figures are restaurant industry averages of guest arrivals. Forty to 50% of all table-service restaurant customers arrive in pairs, 30% of the customers come alone or in parties of 3, and 20% of the customers arrive in groups of four or more.
When one considers such arrival patterns, the need to consider 'who' your customers are and how they will arrive at your facility becomes important not only in terms of dining area and table placement, but equally in terms of the number of customers a table can accommodate. From the data on ‘customer arrival’ it would be clear that most restaurants should provide an equal balance of two-top and 4- top tables, and appropriately configured booths or banquette areas to allow as many customers into the dining area at any given time. Operators must remember that customers typically patronize restaurants during lunch

Entrance space. The space allocated to an entryway is a function of the type of restaurant and the owner's overall feeling about the need for this space. For fast food, the entrance space is large for guests lining up, placing and paying for orders, and picking up food.

Exterior of the facility. This area included the parking lot, any public area that surrounds the business, patio seating, and sidewalk tables. The exterior of the facility is where initial customer experience impressions form. Restaurants located in malls or large office buildings will typically have to account for food-court-style seating will generally have to account for any seating or public area surrounding the facility.

Front of the house interior. This area includes the entryway into the facility, the dining area, wait stations, beverage service area, and restrooms. The customers' comfort should be very high on your list of space-priorities.

Back of the house interior. This space includes the hot-food preparation area, the cold-food preparation area, a serving and plating area, a bakery if one is included, and ware-washing area(s).

Kitchen auxiliary space. This space includes the receiving area, dry storage area(s), cold (refrigerated) storage, freezer, employee staging or break room, and office space.

American Disabilities Act. All spacing configurations and elevations must accommodate those patrons with disabilities. The act generally concerns, but is not limited to, the facility's entrance and exit areas and walkways, restroom accommodations, and aisle spacing for patrons with disabilities.
Dishwashing area. Complex menus require multiple plates, dishes, and utensils, so the dishwashing area and machine capacity will need to be greater than in the case of simple menus. A well-planned ware-washing arrangement could reduce the amount of plates, glasses and flatware necessary to the flow of service.

Location. The restaurant and the location must complimentary to each other. The physical restaurant represents a concept that threads throughout the furnishings, atmosphere, menu price, seat arrangement and spacing, and the type of service scheme offered. As a location changes its character, parts or all of the conceptual elements in place at that location change as well.

Location worth. This value derives from the worth of the surrounding properties or ‘comparable’ prices. Other factors that would add to the real estate worth of a property include improvements or upgrades to the building or grounds, ease of access, and so forth. The real estate value may be greater than the operational value. On the other hand, the lack of such amenities might reduce the worth of a location despite higher comparative prices.

Stage one Development. Involves no more than the selection of a major piece of equipment or the replacement of a small area of a foodservice facility. Typically, the completion of this stage comes to completion out under the direction of the owner, or a manager, with the help of an equipment dealer.

Stage two Development. Involves the renovation of a significant portion of an existing foodservice facility. A full complement of professionals is necessary at stage 2 because such projects are complex and require expertise in construction, engineering, and foodservice equipment layout and design.

Stage three Development. Projects involve the complete renovation of an existing foodservice facility or the design and construction of a new foodservice facility.

Stage four Development. Projects that involve the development of a chain or franchise prototype.

Building permit/local permit. A building or local permit is normally needed for any new construction. You will need a permit to modify a building if a certain percentage of an existing building will change. A construction permit might require approval by the city planning and zoning commission. Building with historical value and those registered as historic buildings may be very limited as to what modifications are possible. Permits cover construction and additions, plumbing, electrical, and structural changes. Any local, reputable builder should be familiar with local codes and the requirements of the building.

Certificate of Occupancy (CO). The building inspector issues this certificate, which allows for public assembly in a building. After all inspections are completed, this certificate the overseeing agency issues the certificate. These inspection agencies re usually inclusive of electrical, plumbing, structural, fire, and health. In smaller communities, one person may inspect all of the building work.

Health permit. The overseeing health department at the local, regional, or state-level, depending on state regulations, issues a health permit. A thorough inspection of the facility usually occurs ‘prior’ to the issuance of this permit. A follow-up, working visit may also occur at some point after opening.

Liquor license. Laws and procedures for obtaining a liquor license vary from state to state. In some states, restaurant operators own the licenses as the licensing agency views them as business assets. In other states, the state issues the license and the restaurant must complete an application and send it to a state agency known as the state liquor authority, alcohol license control board, or a similarly name agency.

Notes

Birchfield, John C. (2008). Design and layout of Foodservice facilities. Third Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

‘Delivering a Dining Experience” (2006). Hotels 40(4), 76-80.

Frable, Foster Jr. (2003). Well-executed Commercial Kitchen Design Requires Step-by-Step Planning, Patience. Nation’s Restaurant News 38(7), 18-60.

Catinella Orrell, Rita F. (2006). Tasteful Kitchen Design. Architectural Record 194(10), 61-64.

Clarke, John. (2006). Kitchen design. Grill, 1(6), 176-179.

Kooser, Ron. (2003). Design for the customers, not the designer. Food Management 38(9), 9-22.

McLaurin, Donald. (2004). Wise design. Foodservice & Hospitality 37(5), 22.

McPherson, John, Adrian Mitchell, and Andrew Ross. (2004). Every penny counts: Operators who design concepts for value get biggest bang for the buck. Nation’s Restaurant News, 38(33), 42-44.

Katsigris, Costas, and Chris Thomas. (2006). Design and equipment for restaurants and foodservice: A management view. Second Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Robson, Stephani K.A. (2004). Designing for dollars. Restaurant Hospitality, 88(10), 72-74