Any business that involves a commercial kitchen is going to be hands-on. Whether you’re running a restaurant, a catering business, or anything in between, it’s best to make sure that your kitchen is fully equipped and ready to go.
The consequences of having a poorly stocked or set-up kitchen can be significant, and may even result in illness if you sell food that’s gone bad or contaminated with an allergen. So, here are a few things to be on top of before you start serving food.
The Correct Licenses
The first step you need to take before you can sell food is to make sure that your kitchen is properly licensed. The different licenses may change depending on where you live, but generally, you will need to get a license to sell food. If you also sell alcohol, that might require another license and, if you have a restaurant and want to play music, that may require yet another license.
As you can imagine, it pays to do your research so you have everything you need to legally start running your business. In addition to these licenses that you will need before you sell food, your business will be inspected and you will get a health and safety certification. As you can imagine, a high score is ideal, while a poor score could have consequences.
Your Kitchen Equipment
It pays to have the right equipment for your kitchen. As you can imagine, kitchen equipment can get very expensive, but this doesn’t mean you should only go for the most basic options. You also shouldn’t get every piece of equipment that catches your eye, as you might not need everything for the food you sell.
For example, your refrigeration and freezing equipment are very important for pretty much any culinary business because you need to keep your food fresh. When getting this equipment, don’t just get the first and cheapest thing on the market, but do your research. For example, if you’re investing in a fridge that uses an R290 refrigerant, you should check that the gas used in the refrigerator is pure enough to be considered refrigerant grade.
Think about the recipes you use and what they involve, and balance the cost of the equipment with how useful it will be for your employees. You also need to factor in employee training, as some equipment might need certain training to use properly.
Menu and Ingredients
Another cost that is often involved in running a commercial kitchen is the cost of ingredients. High quality ingredients can lead to better food, but these costs can run high over time. When putting your menu together, think about what will work best for your business theme and what is more efficient when it comes to your ingredients.
Try not to have a massively varied amount of ingredients, but use similar ingredients and processes for multiple dishes. This will allow you to be more efficient in time and cost, so you can rise to high demand.
The Right Staff
Finally, you should think about who is working in your kitchen. While you don’t necessarily have to hire people from culinary school as a chef, it’s best to find people with skills and experience in the field. This allows you to run a more efficient kitchen.
