Exceptional kitchen design. It helps everything run smoothly and puts you in a much better position to succeed in a competitive space. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. A poorly laid-out kitchen can cause endless frustration for workers by keeping them from doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. And you simply can’t afford to let that happen. Step one is making sure none of these major kitchen design “no-nos” are standing between you and a winning operation.

Don’t slow the flow

Congestion. Bottlenecks. Unnecessary slowdowns. They’re as counterproductive on a highway as they are in the kitchen, especially when it comes to preparing your most popular menu items. To ensure your layout never creates extra steps and wasted effort, pay close attention to the size and specifications of counters, cabinets, shelving, and equipment. You’ll also want to talk to the chef and other staff who have spent most of their careers in the kitchen to solicit frank, honest feedback about what kind of layouts have worked well in the past. It’s a great way to avoid a host of unpleasant, flow-slowing surprises.

Don’t cut corners

While taking the occasional shortcut is tempting, it’s incredibly important to avoid them in your kitchen design. To do that, always use trusted, qualified architects and other partners — highly trained professionals who can assure you that the kitchen is being built to withstand the rigors of daily use and the test of time. Are they carefully following local code? Will all electrical connections match the immediate and ultimate voltage needs of your equipment? Answering “yes” to these questions can give you the confidence you need that your kitchen (and everything in it) will be able to deliver in the heat of any moment.

Don’t over-complicate

Even the best-designed kitchen can’t help you succeed if the equipment inside it makes things more difficult and complicated. The oven you choose, for example, should make life easier for your staff and help them do what they do best — quickly and efficiently. How simple is it to use? Does it provide maximum cooking control that’s up to the challenges of your high-volume, fast-paced kitchen? How about independent blower speeds and temperature settings that allow your staff to flex when it matters most? It’s details like these that can make the difference between equipment that’s good enough and equipment you can count on to come through for you.

It is possible to avoid the most common kitchen design no-nos. To learn how Ovention’s Matchbox® 1718 can be part of the solution, check out this handy product overview today.