Quick service restaurants are eateries that specialize in offering fast food items to their customers. The most popular QSR’s offer burgers, pizzas, and many more food items that are ‘ready to cook’ and ‘ready to serve’. That is why Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) are also known as ‘Fast Food Restaurants.’
These eating places offer dine-in, takeouts, drive-through, and home delivery services. Competitive prices, speed in service, and convenient locations mark the characteristics of a typical QSR.
QSRs are a lucrative and low-risk form of investment for anyone venturing into the food business with a promise of high returns in the long run.
According to a report, “The Quick Service Restaurant market size was valued at USD 257.19 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1% from 2020 to 2027.”
Over the years with the changing market trends and behavioral patterns of the consumers, QSRs have evolved to adapt to this changing need and have taken initiatives to reinvent their business model.
So what makes a QSR click?
A standardized kitchen design is what makes a QSR kitchen click. This means a proven usage of the right equipment and appliances that can help the kitchen staff cook and prepare the food quickly and consistently. Also, tools should be present in the QSR kitchen to minimize food waste.
Not a single second should be wasted between the customer placing their order and receiving their goods. It’s a production line approach that requires access to unbreakable equipment and seamless flow. According to research, “A seven-second drop in the average waiting time can increase a chain’s market share by 1%.” This little difference occurs based solely on how efficiently a kitchen is designed.
Every inch of space needs to be maximized and the flow from food assembly to counter minimized as much as possible. Customers visit QSRs with the expectation that they’ll have their hunger pang sorted in a short period because of the quick service in a QSR.
For a QSR to function at its optimum level, hiring the right people and assembling a team that is the perfect fit for the work environment is of paramount importance. The chef, kitchen staff, service staff, and behind the counter staff are the biggest pillars of holding the fort at a QSR.
Undoubtedly, the chef in a Quick Service Restaurant is the most important person behind the success of the food being prepared in the kitchens and being served to the final consumer. From setting up and designing the kitchen menu, to leading and guiding the kitchen staff.
Contributing to the success of the chef, kitchen staff, and other staff in the QSR is a high-functioning, well-planned kitchen.
In short, two main components for a brilliant QSR set-up are:
1) Employees: Hiring the right people.
- Head Chefs
- Cooking Staff
- Kitchen Staff
- Behind the counter Staff
2) Kitchen Equipment: Using up to date and necessary equipment and appliances.
- Working Table
- Refrigerator
- Store racks
- Shelves
- Cooking Ranges and Gas pipelines
- Mixer
- Frying Pans
- Knives and Cutting Boards
- Cooking utensils
- Microwaves and Ovens
- Cleaning and sanitation equipment
- Disposable bins
Since the kitchen in a QSR is a commercial kitchen, planning it requires a 360-degree perspective. Commercial kitchen planning involves designing a systematic workflow to support and optimize the operations in a commercial kitchen.
Here is a brief guide in points related to commercial kitchen planning in a QSR set-up:
1) Space Design
- The layout of the kitchen space
- Arrangement of appliances
- Set up spaces and implement procedures
- Devising health and safety standards for the operations in the kitchen
- Sanitation protocols need to be in place
For this to happen smoothly, in-depth knowledge of kitchen appliances and of the processes that involve people and materials is required.
2) Performance-oriented approach
- Plan all actions workers need to do
- Reduce unnecessary foot traffic and straining
- Avoid surface contamination
- Placing kitchen appliances in a friendly flow
3) Appliances design: part of the solution
Connected appliances, that are specifically designed to enhance food safety and ergonomics can save time, space, and issues.
In conclusion, a commercial kitchen plan is successful for a QSR when it is easy to use, meets the restaurant’s needs, and enables your service staff to deliver an amazing restaurant experience.
Commercial Kitchen Planning can be a stressful task, so hiring a consultancy that can:
- Design
- Conceptualize
- Strategize
- Manage
- Implement
- Provide Budget-friendly services
- Deliver in a timeframe
One such consultancy that is behind the success of many food and beverage start-ups and new businesses is Kilowa.
Who and what is Kilowa?
Kilowa is a passionate and dedicated consultancy in the Food and Beverage business brought to life by the think tank at HPG Consulting, a world leader in Kitchen and Facility Design, Strategy, and Management. Their team comprises of the most creative and experienced professionals, combining decades of industrial experience and knowledge and translating it into effective strategies at affordable prices. The team can help new and smaller ventures in the F&B space conceptualize, plan, design, strategize, and implement their projects.
The ideology of Kilowa is to provide efficient, economical, affordable services with an exceptional turnaround time guaranteeing the quality of the service delivered. Kilowa prides itself in delivering excellence in a short period due to its efficient team of professionals and the usage of cutting edge technology in their methods.
Kilowa is an online service to provide seamless and productive services to its clients at an economical cost.
Need an extra pair of hands for your QSR project? Get in touch with the team at Kilowa today.
