Orígenes del Derecho al Trabajo:

As long as we’re on the subject of doors, what is a “good” restaurant kitchen door? First, it should be lightweight. It should open easily, since it will be opened often by people who have their hands full, carrying trays of food, bus tubs, and other heavy items. Prolong every door’s useful life by making sure it has a metal kickplate or scuff plate over the bottom area on both sides—the spot most likely to be kicked open by scurrying feet. Finally, kitchen

ILLUSTRATION 3-19 _{Dish room configurations.}

Source: Robert A. Modlin, ed., Commercial Kitchens, 7th ed.

doors should always contain eye-level windows, so employees don’t barrel through and hit each other accidentally.

These kinds of doors come in standard sizes, with a variety of “looks,” depending on the size of the kickplate, the color, and whether you want guards for the door jambs.

Every kitchen needs work surfaces, which you know are often referred to as landing spaces. These surfaces may be mobile or permanent. They are usually made from stainless steel (see Illustration 3-20), and can be ordered with shelves, sinks, slots for sheet pans, drawers, and even overhead pot racks for additional storage. As you study your options, think about safety. Can anyone catch a pocket or button on drawers? Make sure they have recessed handles. If you’ll be doing cooking classes or demonstrations, worktables can be purchased with removable, adjustable overhead mirrors or chalkboards. There’s a lot to choose from!

Another decision to make is what type of edges your worktables will have. Edges can be rounded (called a rolled edge), curved upward (a marine edge), raised, straight, and so on. If your employees must slide heavy containers from one table to the other, you’ll need different kinds of table edges than if your goal is simply to prevent spills.

In Chapter 8, you will learn more about the correct heights for work surfaces, to ensure the comfort of your kitchen staff. Worktables also come in standard widths (usually 30 inches) and lengths (from 24 inches up, in one-foot increments). Tables longer than 72 inches require underbracing for additional support. As you design your kitchen space, remember that long tables are often more inefficient because of all the steps it takes to walk around them. If you can do the same job with two shorter tables and a bit of space between them, do it. Better yet, use tables with casters that allow them to roll. Locking casters act as brakes, so you can keep them from rolling if you wish. Casters are capable of carrying heavy loads without squeaking, rusting, or corroding in the intense heat and humidity of a kitchen envi- ronment. The heavier the load, the larger the wheels you will need as casters. The bearings in each wheel allow them to roll with ease under weight; roller bearings carry more weight than ball bearings, but ball bearings roll more easily.

Placement of sinks, water supply, and electrical outlets should be priorities in designing any kitchen. We’ll focus more on specific utility needs in Chapters 5 to 7.

Floor and wall materials should be damage resistant, with easy-to-clean surfaces. Ceramic glazed tile on walls will withstand both heat and grease. For floors, quarry tile that

ILLUSTRATION 3-20 _{Stainless steel worktables}

are important in any kitchen.

Courtesy of InterMetro Industries, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

contains carborundum chips is an excellent option that provides natural slip resistance. There should be a floor drain in front of every sink in the preparation area and a floor drain for every six linear feet of your hot line. One smart alternative to individual drains is to cut a 4-inch-deep trough along the hot line floor containing several drains, covered by a metal grate.

Finally, you may not think of it as equipment, but you’ll need plenty of trash recepta- cles—and places to put them—throughout the kitchen. Trash cans should be lightweight plas- tic, covered, and on dollies so they can roll around. Always use trash can liners to make them easier to empty.

3-7

SERVICE OR BANQUET KITCHENS

If your restaurant plans include space for private dining—meeting rooms or separate catering areas—you may also need a banquet kitchen to service these areas properly. This kitchen probably will not see daily use, but when it is needed, it is a labor-intensive, production-oriented place that requires powerful, reliable, and multifunctional equipment. If your banquet and special events business becomes successful, you will stretch your main kitchen resources awfully thin without an extra banquet kitchen, and you’ll run your waitstaff ragged if the meeting rooms are located far from the main kitchen. Banquet kitchens are sometimes called service kitchens.

Think of your service kitchen as an extension of your main kitchen. The purpose of the banquet kitchen is to make only the final food preparation before serving to the ban- quet or meeting crowd. Only modest, one-day storage is needed here, and since most foods will be delivered partly or completely prepared, directly from the main kitchen, there is

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