April Fools is no time to make fun of some of the most important aspects of food

service design! There are five basic elements that must be included in any plan to
guarantee the cohesiveness and comprehensive nature of the design. These are : the
MENU, the MARKET, the MONEY needed, competent MANAGEMENT and a METHOD
of execution. Fail to implement any of these and you leave a gap open in the design
for problems.
The MENU is the heart of the design. The menu dictates just about all other areas in
both front-of-house and in the kitchen. Equipment, spacing, flow, decor and tabletop
items will all be effected by the decisions of the menu. Even seating and the size of
freezers and refrigeration are determined by the menu.
Research is pivotal in obtaining the right knowledge to understand the MARKET. Who
will be the prime customer? What are their particular preferences? How does the
marketing message best reach them? Is the market even large enough to sustain a
restaurant? All of these questions must be answered for success to be in the future.
The restaurant business has an exceedingly high rate of failure, and one of the main
reasons is lack of MONEY. The actual reason is lack of preparation and money
designated for operation of the restaurant. Paying to get-off-the-ground is the first
step. Next you have to run the restaurant. Too many acquire funding for the facility
itself and give no thought to the day-to-day operations that require a significant
amount of money.
Who will run the restaurant? What will they be paid? How large is the management
team? How will they communicate? These questions revolve around the
MANAGEMENT of your restaurant, and they revolve around the success of your
endeavor. Systems and policies set in place by management will determine what your
restaurant will eventually become.
All of the plans in the world are worth nothing until the are executed and EXECUTION
centers around, production, control systems and personnel. Are you using prepared
foods or cooking from scratch? How is the flow of cash controlled? How will sales
be analyzed? What kind of forecasting will you implement? What controls are in
place concerning receiving and purchasing? Portion Control? This area gets to the
nitty-gritty of concept development and must be looked at and re-analyzed often.

Utilize these 5 Ms and you will have more of an understanding of your restaurant
than a majority of people in the business. Really control these 5 Ms and you will be
able to count yourself among the few elite AND successful restaurant owners.

5 M's
Menu, Money, Market, Management, Method of Execution

Menu
Influences amount of floor space needed, type and size of seating, design and
size of service areas, dishwashing area size and dish machine capacity, types
of cooking equipment, production methods- convenience vs. scratch, size of
refrigerated and storage areas, number of employees, selling price of menu
items, amount of investment required.

Market
Do a market study at the beginning. Who are we marketing to? Is the market
large enough to generate sales and produce a profit? What method will be
used to communicate to this market? Will the potential customer want or need
the food product? Will a quality assurance plan be developed that will
encourage the customer to return?

Money
"Proper Capitalizatoin" is another expression for "Do you have enough
money?" Planning costs, building construction or renovation, equipment,
china/glassware/utensils, furniture and fixtures, Decor,

Management

Who will operate the facility? What kind of experience is needed? What is the
pay range for positions? Hours of operation (Number of shifts).

Method of Execution
How to keep up with what you have...
Control systems-Cash control, sales analysis
Guest check control, food production forecasting, storeroom and refrigeration
control, back door security, labor control, purchasing and receiving control,
quality control and portion control.

Functions
General functions common to most food service operations are receiving,
storage, preparation, production, service, warewashing, and waste disposal.

Function Planning
Visualize all the necessary functions to be performed. Each function consists
of a number of tasks (preparation- weighing, cutting, mixing, blending,
panning, moving, quality judging).

Concepts of Flow
Flow is identified as the movement of materials, workers, guests, equipment,
forms, or any other element involved in the operation of the food facility.
MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF MOVEMENT REQUIRED FOR EFFICIENT
OPERATION!* Flow Diagram*

Design
Encompasses the entire facility including concept development

Layout
Focuses on each unit of work space in the facility

The Principle of Flexibility and Modularity

Flexibility allows components to be rearranged to meet changing conditions.
Modularity in design provides standardized sizes and functions of space and
equipment.

The principle of Simplicity

Discourages clutter and inefficiency. Ex- simple wall hung tables, service
stations near service areas.

The Principle of Flow of Materials and

Personnel
The movement of food through a foodservice facility should follow a logical
sequence beginning with receiving and ending with waste disposal.
--Movement of employees from one section of the kitchen to another, flow of
dishes through the dishwashing system back to service, flow of customers
from host area, waiting, bar, to table.

The Principle of Ease of Sanitation

In almost every facility, more employee labor hours are spent cleaning the
operation than are spent preparing the food.
-Surface finishes that are durable and easy to clean,

The Principle of Ease of Supervision

Design layout to maximize open space (Eliminate full walls, keep all
preparation on one floor). Partial walls allow communication and supervision
while allowing utility connections and attachment for wall hung equipment.

The Principle of Space Efficiency

Efficiency means having what you need where it is needed.

A proper work environment will address:

Proper levels of temperature and humidity, sufficient work space, properly
designed equipment, availability of materials and tools, control of noise levels,
proper lighting levels, proper equipment height.

When designing always keep in mind:

The type of food service facility
The type of service being offered
The complexity of the menu
The volume of product that is being served.

Kitchen Sizing Guidelines

Kitchen is approx 1/2 the size of the dining room
Food prep is approx 50 % of the BOH
Storage is approx 20% of BOH
Warewashing is approx 15% of BOH
Waitstaff circulation is approx 15% of BOH

ADA Restroom Facilities

Must be: 5 foot min. width between side wall of toilet and sink
60 inch min. turning space for wheelchair
36' x 48' clear maneuvering space for out-swinging entry door.