The Back of the House

Everyone knows the back of the house has a kitchen, but in many restaurants it is also several rooms or areas. In the usual part of the kitchen, hot food is prepared; in the service area, orders are placed and picked up; in the pantry, cold food such as salads and sandwiches are made.

There is a space for washing utensils and a space for storing equipment and supplies. There also may be kitchen offices, locker rooms, and washrooms.

The boss of the back of the house is the chef who is always the head cook and may sometimes take charge of menu planning and purchasing. In larger establishments there may be one or more assistant chefs or specialty chefs — a sauce chef, a vegetable chef, a dessert chef, a baker.

Below the chefs are the cooks, they often work in the service area where waiters pick up orders. Cooks get orders ready for the waiters and prepare dishes. Most restaurants also employ one or more kitchen helpers whose duties include cutting vegetables, stirring, cleaning, and other such chores.

Another job that must be performed continually in a kitchen is washing dishes and pots.

Larger restaurants will also employ a storekeeper who is in charge of storing and issuing equipment and food supplies. Some restaurants may employ a butcher to cut meat.

Regardless of the restaurant and its staff all these different jobs must be done by the personnel available.

Restaurant kitchens even with modern air conditioning are usually very hot and they present many hazards that result in industrial accidents.

To prevent confusion, a good back-of-the-house plan includes a service area with a counter where they can hand in and receive orders, it is located between the dining room and the food preparation areas. In many restaurants the pantry is equipped with hot and cold tables for food that has already been prepared; it also has grills and other equipment for warming or preparation.

The dish and pot-washing area is located to be accessible from both the dining room and the kitchen. The dishwashing area also contains sinks for soaking pots that have to be washed by hand.

The size, arrangement, and equipment in the food preparation area depend on the number of meals the restaurant handles and the kind of food it serves. There are many different kinds of equipment on the market including machines for slicing, peeling, grinding, and shaping, as well as ranges and ovens for baking, grilling, frying, and broiling. Refrigerators and freezers come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Portable equipment is preferable because it provides easier cleaning. Kitchen employees usually wear white uniforms including the famous chefs cap intended to keep hairs out of food.

Among the most important things in the design of restaurant kitchens are sanitation and safety. Cleanliness is a vital factor in the operation of any restaurant. Both sanitation and safety require frequent cleaning of the equipment and washing down of the entire area.

Another factor in a well-planned kitchen is good ventilation.

The best way to prevent accidents is by means of an industrial safety training program for the employees. Restaurant kitchens function outside the vision of those in the dining room but it is the heart of the entire restaurant operation.

Дата добавления: 2017-01-14