The Basic Principles of Catering Planning

Delivery

The first thing we need to consider is deliveries into the catering facility: what type of food, fresh, frozen, chilled...? All have different needs.

Do we check weigh the products being brought in? What happens to the waste? How much can we recycle before we get to the storage areas?

We also have to consider all the other items that will be delivered, cleaning materials, paper goods etc.

And don’t forget we need somewhere to wash our hands.

And all this happens just as we need to get into service. A well planned delivery area cuts down the time required for receiving goods, ensures that refrigerated items are moved to storage in the shortest possible time, enabling us to keep products in the best condition and cutting the risks.

Storage

From a baby carrot to the largest piece of meet, cleaning chemicals to disposables we need somewhere to store it.

How much is delivered and how frequently. Fresh food, frozen, chilled, vegetables all have differing requirements. All need different areas to store in.
Do we need upright refrigeration or would we better with a cold room. How much frozen food capacity, are we decanting at the delivery area, do we store in Gastronorm containers or straight on to the shelf. Have we got the correct temperature controls?
All questions we need to ask and we haven’t sold anything yet. Do we need separate facilities for disposables, and oh what about a Coshh store.

Preparation

The most fundamental part of any kitchen, a good well organised and planned preparation area will save money.

What type of food are we preparing, do we do some butchery work, perhaps a separate pastry area. How is veg delivered, pre prepared, or in its raw form.

Do we need work out refrigeration, perhaps using refrigerated drawers as apposed to cupboards? Butchers block, mixer, food blender, Slicer. All need a place in the kitchen.

And when we have finished all this prep, where does the food go next, back into storage, are we cooking straight away. Are we going to chill or freeze it? All questions that need to be answered to enable us to plan a well organised preparation area. And remember a well ventilated preparation area helps kitchen staff, reduces energy costs and prolongs the life of refrigeration.

Cooking

Brat pans, boiling pans, fryers, steamers, cooking ranges:  all items we have to consider....

What size of equipment? Will it manage the capacities we need to cook?  Should we buy two small or one large unit..?

What is important is that we consider the whole life span of equipment, what is the capital cost, how much are the running costs, servicing and spare parts costs, to give us a whole lie cycle cost. Buying a cheap fryer that takes 20 min to recover is not necessarily the best answer to a problem; questions should be: how long before it pays for itself? How much is it going to cost to run overall? Do we use electricity or gas, can we reduce the carbon footprint?

Good planning is a fundamental discipline that needs careful consideration. With so much equipment available, it is vital that we make the correct choice. We at CHR are an independent supplier of equipment, we are not tied to any one manufacturer, and we can choose the correct equipment for the job it has to do.

Serving

From á la Carte to self service, every meal needs to be served in a pleasant and appealing way. Hot food MUST be hot, cold food, cold- and all presented cleanly and with a smile!

Food temperature is vital, not only for client satisfaction but for health issues. As a result, the relay station between the cooking and serving of food is one of the most important pieces of equipment in the kitchen: whether it be the hot pass in an á la carte kitchen, or the servery in a staff restaurant, good planning and design is fundamental.

Fundamental is space, to ensure that guests are served within a reasonable time, be it in a fine dine restaurant or a staff restaurant where demand is sudden and high. Nothing annoys the diner more than having to wait, and then having is food served cold when it should be hot, or warm when it should be cold. The meal will be returned, and the diner will leave dissatisfied- losing you business and therefore profit!

Cook and serve is the best method in any establishment to ensure food is not ‘held’ for to long, delivering the food to the customer on time and in peak condition. They leave with a smile on there face and telling their friends what a great experience they have just had- what better form of advertising?

Clearing

Is there anything worse than walking into a restaurant looking for a table then finding dirty crockery from the last diner? Even one dirty cup on a table and a customer does not want to sit down. How many customers are lost because of this? The answer should be none!

From fine dine to self clear we must ensure that there are areas for the staff to clear to- maybe a dumb waiter in a restaurant, or sufficient, clearly identified or signed surfaces or equipment for the self-serve diner to place their tray on when leaving. Whether it be a trolley or mechanically aided clearing operation, enough space is crucial: insufficient space means either customers leave their trays on the table deterring subsequent visitors, or the trays get put on the floor creating a hazard for staff and customers alike- and a potential lawsuit should someone trip...!