Things to Consider When Running a Hotel Kitchen

1. Things to consider when choosing the right hotel kitchen design

Kitchen ergonomics are key for any restaurant or commercial kitchen, but particularly for hotels. Your chef and staff need to be able to move around freely while creating your menu items in an efficient and timely fashion. The most important thing you need to figure out when trying to configure your kitchen design is how much space you have. Once you’ve determined that, your layout should take into account how many guests you plan on serving as well as how diverse your menu is. Having different stations to prepare different types of dishes, whether they are paired together or not, is important to consider when trying to design your kitchen layout.​ A design that suits your kitchen best will help it operate more efficiently and help better serve your guests.​​

3. How to properly construct your hotel menu when it comes to what food and beverage you will serve

Constructing your hotel kitchen menu and your food preparation process might just be the most crucial part of the entire operation. Hotels are unique in that they often offer three meals a day, plus room service and other grab-n-go food at bars or other leisure areas within the hotel depending on its size. Figuring out how many if not all three of breakfast, lunch and dinner you will offer and how much of those menu items are premade versus made to order is key to both your process and organizing your inventory management.​

How expansive will your room service menu be? How much different will your dine-in lunch and dinner menus be? There are all important things to consider when constructing your menu. Hotel kitchens are unique in that they often serve a wider variety of food than typical restaurants because the majority of their customers are presumably staying at the establishment as well. Carefully crafting your menu in the efficient fashion will save you a headache in the long run.​

​4. How to manage waste in your hotel kitchen

Hotels are a large undertaking all together and waste management is a large part of that. How to handle your food-related waste, including used cooking oil recycling and kitchen grease, is a crucial part part of your hotel kitchen’s operations. Is your restaurant on the first floor? If it isn’t and a longer trip to an outdoor grease storage bin is required to dispose of your spent cooking oil, you’ll need a reputable provider with proper equipment to help you accomplish that. The last thing you want is an employee haphazardly carrying a hot pot of oil across your restaurant or hotel lobby and spilling it, potentially leading a spill, slip fall or burn. While it may not seem like a top-of-mind concern, having a plan to handle your used cooking oil will save you time and money in the long run.​

The same goes for your grease trap. A potential clog or back up stemming for your kitchen operations could lead to a mess not only in our kitchen but potentially elsewhere in the hotel, as well as create an unpleasant odor in your kitchen. Not to mention, you could be subject to potential fines stemming from improper management of your trap. Waste is a natural byproduct of any kitchen’s operations, and it is important to have a plan and a firm handle on how to manage, especially with hotel kitchens due to it being a joint operation with a hospitality establishment.​

Hotel kitchens are unique in a variety of ways from your traditional restaurant. Keeping these things in mind when opening and running your hotel kitchen will keep your business running smoothly and efficiently while serving your guests.