As a restaurant architect, I have spent many years studying restaurant architecture and the various restaurant ideas that resonate with the public. Success with customers is determined by many factors big and small, and these factors interact with one another multiplying their affect. I want to focus here on just one element that often goes overlooked, the service yard. This is without a doubt the least glamorous architectural element of any establishment, and that is why it is often over looked. If you are looking at your business from a marketing perspective, no one goes there because of the service yard so why devote anytime talking about it. It is true that know one goes to a restaurant because Check Valve of the service yard, but it may keep people away if executed poorly.
Below I will be sharing my observations as a restaurant architect on what makes a good restaurant service yard. There are many kinds of restaurant concepts from the full-service restaurant down through fast casual to bare-bones restaurants like a carryout only pizza shops but the principals of good architectural design apply to all restaurants equally. All restaurants share the same architectural principals but not the same design. Good design always starts with universal architectural principals combined with the needs of the diners and the intent of the owner. No matter how talented a restaurateur is no one person can do everything, this article is designed clarify ideas about architecture for the food service professionals and help them work with their restaurant architect. A this is just a utilitarian space but it must be done correctly for the restaurant to run smoothly.
What is a service yard anyway? Before you begin any design work lets define what we are designing. A service yard is the area where a restaurant receives goods and takes out the trash. A restaurant has to take in deliveries all the time. They receive food and supplies like paper products and cleaners. This can go on at any time during the day so space to park a truck and unload that is out of the way and doesn't interfere with potential patrons is necessary. The other function beside receiving that is part of a service yard is trash. All the trash a restaurant generates will go out of the service yard to be stored until trash pickup. A restaurant might also have some pipes coming out to receive carbon dioxide for the drink fountains or a grease valve for a cooking grease recover service to turn old cooking oil into trendy bio-diesel. One more thing is a service yard might be access to the underground grease interceptor. This rarely has to be opened up but when it does it is best not to look.
Where should I put my service yard? Since one of the main functions of a service yard is to receive goods the service yard should have a door that connects directly with the storage area in the kitchen. The other main function of the service yard is to take out trash so it should be carefully located to minimize contact with the restaurant public. Restaurants will produce food waste and it will smell, deal with it. I have been to a few restaurants where I have gotten a good smell of the dumpsters on the way in. This happens because the trash enclosures were located to make the garbage man's job easy and no consideration was give to where the smell could drift. Focus on the patrons first and let the people paid to be there adapt. If the smarter diner smells the service yard they may not go in. It is a good restaurant design idea to keep the service yard as far from the front door as possible away from all potential patrons.
What features should my service yard have? Space wise it should have a place for the deliver truck to park; a place for the trash and recycling dumpsters; and room for any other outdoor storage. The service yard should be enclosed by sturdy walls of masonry or heavy wood not just a fence. The walls enclosing it will take a beating over time and fences won't hold up. Dumpsters will role against the walls and deliver trucks bump them, make them solid. A hose bid for wash down should also be provide, dumpsters will leak and you want to wash that away fast. Lastly, provide heavy duty metal gates with easy to operate hardware for truck access and a man door to allow people through without messing with the big gates. The service yard is an exterior space but it must be shielded from the public.
Of course this is only one part the the entire restaurant design and not just a stand alone element. This article if highly reductionist in nature by its very narrow focus on only the restaurant service yard and it ignores the site plan, floor plan and building exterior. That being said, this is very important and deserves this focus because it can ruin the restaurant customers experience if done wrong. It is not my intent to endorse any product but to discuss basic design principals and be a professionals guide to this one key design element. The design ideas discussed here work for any type of restaurant whether it is existing or you are going to start a restaurant from an idea. Good design will improve any business. I hope all restaurant professionals finds these ideas useful and helps them design smarter in their future restaurant design projects. If you have an existing restaurant and find your service yard lacking please take action based on what you have read hear.
Below I will be sharing my observations as a restaurant architect on what makes a good restaurant service yard. There are many kinds of restaurant concepts from the full-service restaurant down through fast casual to bare-bones restaurants like a carryout only pizza shops but the principals of good architectural design apply to all restaurants equally. All restaurants share the same architectural principals but not the same design. Good design always starts with universal architectural principals combined with the needs of the diners and the intent of the owner. No matter how talented a restaurateur is no one person can do everything, this article is designed clarify ideas about architecture for the food service professionals and help them work with their restaurant architect. A this is just a utilitarian space but it must be done correctly for the restaurant to run smoothly.
What is a service yard anyway? Before you begin any design work lets define what we are designing. A service yard is the area where a restaurant receives goods and takes out the trash. A restaurant has to take in deliveries all the time. They receive food and supplies like paper products and cleaners. This can go on at any time during the day so space to park a truck and unload that is out of the way and doesn't interfere with potential patrons is necessary. The other function beside receiving that is part of a service yard is trash. All the trash a restaurant generates will go out of the service yard to be stored until trash pickup. A restaurant might also have some pipes coming out to receive carbon dioxide for the drink fountains or a grease valve for a cooking grease recover service to turn old cooking oil into trendy bio-diesel. One more thing is a service yard might be access to the underground grease interceptor. This rarely has to be opened up but when it does it is best not to look.
Where should I put my service yard? Since one of the main functions of a service yard is to receive goods the service yard should have a door that connects directly with the storage area in the kitchen. The other main function of the service yard is to take out trash so it should be carefully located to minimize contact with the restaurant public. Restaurants will produce food waste and it will smell, deal with it. I have been to a few restaurants where I have gotten a good smell of the dumpsters on the way in. This happens because the trash enclosures were located to make the garbage man's job easy and no consideration was give to where the smell could drift. Focus on the patrons first and let the people paid to be there adapt. If the smarter diner smells the service yard they may not go in. It is a good restaurant design idea to keep the service yard as far from the front door as possible away from all potential patrons.
What features should my service yard have? Space wise it should have a place for the deliver truck to park; a place for the trash and recycling dumpsters; and room for any other outdoor storage. The service yard should be enclosed by sturdy walls of masonry or heavy wood not just a fence. The walls enclosing it will take a beating over time and fences won't hold up. Dumpsters will role against the walls and deliver trucks bump them, make them solid. A hose bid for wash down should also be provide, dumpsters will leak and you want to wash that away fast. Lastly, provide heavy duty metal gates with easy to operate hardware for truck access and a man door to allow people through without messing with the big gates. The service yard is an exterior space but it must be shielded from the public.
Of course this is only one part the the entire restaurant design and not just a stand alone element. This article if highly reductionist in nature by its very narrow focus on only the restaurant service yard and it ignores the site plan, floor plan and building exterior. That being said, this is very important and deserves this focus because it can ruin the restaurant customers experience if done wrong. It is not my intent to endorse any product but to discuss basic design principals and be a professionals guide to this one key design element. The design ideas discussed here work for any type of restaurant whether it is existing or you are going to start a restaurant from an idea. Good design will improve any business. I hope all restaurant professionals finds these ideas useful and helps them design smarter in their future restaurant design projects. If you have an existing restaurant and find your service yard lacking please take action based on what you have read hear.
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