An ergonomic kitchen is crucial for the survival of any commercial food preparation area. Simple obstructions can chop hours out of your day in the form of dropped dishes, colliding cooks, and lost time. The Kitchen 3 rule might help you with your layout.
What is the Basic Rule?
The 3 rules in commercial kitchen design dictate that you should be able to draw a triangle between your fridge, sink, and stove. This should reduce unnecessary steps and prevent accidents. There should be no obstructions between these points. Permanent kitchen islands obstruct the path, so they can reduce efficiency.
The Spaces In-Between
Experts in commercial kitchen design advise that your work areas should be no less than 13 feet and no more than 26 feet from one another. This is a powerful way to speed up your preparation.
Moving Beyond a Single Cook
The kitchen 3 rule was invented for a room with only one cook. A commercial enterprise has several workstations scattered throughout the kitchen, so it’s more practical to look at every space with new eyes. Everyone uses their kitchens in a different way, so while the rule can clarify your perspective, never let it dictate your workflows unquestioningly. An L-shaped layout might serve you better.
The kitchen 3 rule emerged in the 1920s when an industrial engineer developed a route around the kitchen that reduced the steps required to cook. The rule has been in use for over a century for excellent reasons, but it can no longer be used prescriptively.