The kitchen is a production line, not a storeroom with burners in the middle. If the cook or barista has to zig-zag to close an order, you are paying for those steps in seconds of ticket time and in errors under pressure. This guide is operational: how to orient flow, size equipment on real volume and find the bottleneck before the queue finds it. No theory: thresholds, sequences and numbers you can put on a drawing tomorrow.
Linear flow and dirty/clean separation
There is one principle: product moves in one direction, from receiving to service, without going back and without crossing dirty flow. The canonical sequence is receiving -> storage -> prep -> cooking -> pass/assembly -> service, with dish return/washing kept outside this line.
- Forward motion: raw and dirty must never cross the path of cooked/ready food. This is a core HACCP principle under Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on food hygiene. If the floor plan cannot physically allow it, you separate by time (staggered work on the same surface with documented sanitation between one task and the next) and write it into the self-control plan.
- Dirty vs clean: the dishwashing area must sit at the end of the line, with its own access, never next to the pass. Dirty enters from one side, clean exits from the other. Never place a dirty basket over the surface where you plate.
- Dedicated handwash sink: one per area, with non-manual control (pedal/photo-cell/elbow lever), separate from processing sinks, with soap and disposable towels. It is one of the first things ASL checks.
- Distances: the cooking-pass-under-counter refrigerated storage triangle should stay within 1.5-2 m of walking distance. Every extra meter is dead time multiplied by every cover in service.
Workstations and mise en place
The workstation is the unit of productivity. A well-designed station lets the operator close their part of the ticket without moving their feet: everything within arm's reach (about 60 cm), cold ingredients in the refrigerated well in front, tools above, backup below.
- Mise en place sized for the rush: prep enough to cover peak hour without refills. If the station empties halfway through service, mise was undersized and the operator stops producing to refill.
- Gastronorm as dimensional standard: design wells, fridges and blast chiller in GN multiples (1/1, 1/3, 1/6) so containers are interchangeable between prep, fridge and line. No orphan tubs.
- Real FIFO: labeling with opening date and secondary expiry; storage must physically allow the oldest item to be taken first, otherwise FIFO stays on paper.
- One station, one task: during rush, every handoff is an error point. Three specialized stations are better than three all-rounders stepping on the same path.
Sizing equipment on real volume
You do not buy equipment from the catalog. You buy it for the peak. Count real covers/receipts in the busiest hour, not the daily average.
- Cooking: start from the highest-rotation dish. Declared output (g/h for a flat top, trays/cycle for an oven) must be compared with units/hour at peak, not across the day.
- Cold storage: size the cold room/cabinet on the least frequent delivery (for example twice-weekly load) plus a 20-30% margin. Undersized cold storage costs you in waste and cold-chain breaks.
- Blast chiller: effectively necessary if you cook-and-store; size it on the largest cooking batch. HACCP reference parameter: from +90 C to +3 C at core in <=90 minutes for positive chilling.
- Electric/gas: verify contracted load BEFORE buying equipment. Three-phase ovens and induction can easily saturate systems sized for the previous operator; power upgrades have real timelines and costs.
- +20% rule: size the bottleneck station with 20% more capacity than expected peak. It is the cushion that saves you on an outlier Friday night.
Station table: equipment and target time
Example for a fast food / sandwich shop with about 60-80 covers in the evening peak. Times are orders of magnitude and must be tuned to your menu.
| Station | Key equipment | Target time |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving/storage | Scale, probe thermometer, stainless shelves, +4 C / -18 C cold room | 8-12 min/delivery (check + recording) |
| Cold prep | GN refrigerated table, color-coded cutting boards, slicer | 25-35 s/portion of mise en place |
| Cooking (flat top/grill) | 2-zone flat top, double-tank fryer, salamander | 90-180 s/burger; 3-4 min/fry |
| Pass/assembly | Refrigerated well, heat lamp, stainless top | 20-40 s/assembled sandwich |
| Drinks/coffee | 2-group espresso, soft-drink dispenser, ice machine | 25-35 s/coffee; about 15 s/drink |
| Till/service | RT fiscal cash register, KDS monitor, display | 30-45 s/receipt |
| Dishwashing | Hood dishwasher, double sink, handwash sink | 90-120 s cycle |
Reducing ticket time and finding bottlenecks
Ticket time is the time from order send to "ready". It is measured, not guessed: with a KDS (kitchen display system) or, if unavailable, by timing at least 20 tickets during rush.
- Identify the bottleneck: it is the station where tickets accumulate. Almost always cooking or pass. Add capacity or people there, not elsewhere: reinforcing a station that is already fast does not move total time.
- Smart batching: group homogeneous cooking tasks, for example all pending fries, without making the pass wait. Batching reduces equipment dead time; over-batching cools dishes.
- Decouple with wells: ready semi-finished items in hot/cold wells turn 3-minute cooking into 30-second assembly. You move work out of the rush.
- Monitor threshold: color tickets red beyond threshold, for example >6 min. What you measure improves.
- Anti-collision layout: if two operators bump into each other on the same step, you have a flow collision. Redesign the path, do not scold the person.
Ergonomics and safety
- Worktop height 90-95 cm, useful depth about 70 cm; above-counter items reachable without raising shoulders.
- Work corridors >=90 cm (>=120 cm if a trolley passes or two people work back to back).
- Anti-slip floor R10-R11, sloped toward floor drains; safety shoes according to CCNL and DVR.
- Hood with make-up air sized on equipment output; lighting >=300-500 lux on worktops.
- Safety under D.Lgs. 81/08: DVR (Documento di Valutazione dei Rischi) mandatory, training and PPE. Knives, fryers and slicers are the three main injury sources: fixed placement and visible guards.
Typical layouts
- Fast-food line (assembly line): stations in sequence, product flowing toward the customer. Maximum throughput, minimum menu flexibility. Indicatively useful above 60 covers/peak.
- Cafe island: central bar counter with espresso facing the customer, back counter for stock and washing. The barista never leaves the station; till is separate or integrated at the counter end.
- U-shaped kitchen (small venues): one operator reaches everything by rotating; excellent for takeaway pizzerias or gelato shops with compact lab.
Key numbers
- Fast-food ticket time target: 4-7 minutes from send to ready at peak.
- Espresso: 25-35 seconds per cup, including on-demand grinding.
- Equipment margin: critical station at +20% on real peak.
- Work corridor: 90 cm for one operator, 120 cm for double passage.
- Positive blast chilling: from +90 C to +3 C at core in <=90 minutes (HACCP).
- Storage: refrigerated 0-4 C, frozen/deep-frozen -18 C; core cooking typically >=75 C for minced meats/poultry.
- Food-service VAT: 10% - include it in pricing (menu price is VAT-included).
- Reference food cost: indicatively 28-35% in food service, lower on drinks and higher on premium meats.
- Labor cost: indicative target 28-35% of revenue, based on CCNL Pubblici Esercizi.
- Delivery commissions: indicatively 25-35% per order on marketplaces such as Glovo/Deliveroo/Just Eat. Weigh them before putting a dish in app.
Operating checklist
- Linear flow verified: no backtracking and no dirty/clean crossing
- Dedicated non-manual handwash sink for each area, separate from processing sinks
- Mise en place sized on real peak, not daily average
- Equipment sized on peak volume + 20% margin on the critical station
- Electrical/gas load checked before buying equipment
- Ticket time measured (KDS or stopwatch) and bottleneck identified
- Hot/cold wells used to decouple cooking and assembly
- HACCP/self-control plan updated to actual layout and separations
- SCIA through municipal SUAP and health notification/registration under Regulation (EC) 852/2004 filed with ASL before opening
- Fiscal cash register (RT) compliant and telematic takings transmission active
- Allergen information under Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 available in writing for every recipe
- DVR under D.Lgs. 81/08, PPE and staff training verified
- Corridors >=90 cm, worktops 90-95 cm, anti-slip floor and hood with make-up air