Do’s and Dont’s for Today’s Design Projects

For some noncommercial foodservice operators, a renovation or new build comes along once in a career. To start things off right, Eric Goodrich, principal at foodservice design and consulting firm Rippe Associates and faculty member of the Foodservice Design BootCamp, which took place in October, shares his best advice.

FER: What are some design trends to keep in mind when planning a new foodservice facility?

Eric Goodrich: There are a lot of things that drive design trends that operators might not necessarily think about. Changing regulations is one of them. We’re seeing more all-electric kitchens in response to initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonize commercial buildings by eliminating fossil fuel use. Going all-electric is a change for a lot of people, especially chefs. But all in all, manufacturers are responding and equipment options are expanding. There also is a big push for employee comfort. One area of focus is the dishroom and finding ways to capture all that heat and humidity. ASHRAE put out a report (ASHRAE Research Project 1778) that made recommendations. They’re not adopted mechanical code yet but we’re conscious of them because it’s the right thing to do. In the past, we would have a conveyor dishmachine with a pant leg duct but now we’re moving to having an exhaust hood completely covering the dishmachine area, including where a staff member is scrapping and using a spray rinse and where the clean items come out.

FER: What are a few pitfalls for operators to avoid on a project?

EG: One pitfall is not being involved early enough. An operator needs to get involved right away because when we’re in predesign or programming, oftentimes that is when the decision is made about how much space they’re going to get. If they’re not involved from Day 1, it could be an architect or administrator coming up with that number and they might not get the space they need.

Another pitfall is not taking ownership over the design. It needs to be a collaborative effort. An operator shouldn’t be told, “You get what you get.” That’s one reason BootCamp exists. Our goal is to help empower operators so they can have a voice during the design process. We teach them who’s who on a project and even the terminology, like the difference between a distributor and a dealer. A distributor is like a manufacturers’ rep group but they stock product, acting as a mini warehouse for manufacturers. We categorize dealers as either foodservice equipment contractors, when they’re bidding on projects designed by an independent consultant, or simply as a dealer, when they’re doing the design-build.

FER: How can an operator be sure to design and equip a foodservice space for now and the future?

EG: There are some things we can do in design, like with exhaust hoods. We can make sure the mechanical engineers build in about 25% extra capacity so if the operator was to change out equipment, like add a churrasco grill or something else with a high Btu, they would have that ability. In the serving area, operators can specify flexible wells, so they can switch between hot and cold. They should make sure they have adjustable protector shelves, or sneeze guards, that switch between full-service and self-service. They also can specify counters that let them change the color of the exterior laminate.

Operators should spec quality equipment and well-constructed custom fabrication. They might be building something that’s not going to get updated for the next 30 years. Quality matters. It’s important for future-proofing an operation.

Editor’s note: FER is the media sponsor for Foodservice Design BootCamp. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.