When you open a restaurant, you have to ask all manner of stylistic questions. Every restaurant owner knows that things like table layout can make or break eating experiences. You’ll also be aware of how external appearance dictates whether people choose to eat with you. But, have you ever considered that the way you display your kitchen could have an impact?
Traditionally, a restaurant kitchen is out of sight and out of mind. Now, though, a new kitchen trend is coming to the fore. Many restaurant owners are choosing to keep their kitchens open for every customer to see. Of course, whether or not you do this is entirely down to how you work when you’re cooking. A passionate chef may find it distracting to have customers up front. You may also find that your restaurant set up doesn’t suit a kitchen like this. But, if you do feel like you could work with an audience, you could soon enjoy the following open-kitchen benefits.
A chance to create a show
More than anything, an open kitchen is an impressive restaurant feature. By thinking hard about kitchen layout, you could ensure a fantastic show for every guest. If you put your hotplates next to the pass, you could give explosive cooking performances. Why not get your pizza chefs to toss their dough where customers can see? You could even complete the performance by putting finishing touches on at the pass. This is, of course, all theatrics. But, these simple flourishes could make yours the most exciting food joint in town.
An opportunity to show off your kitchen
When people eat in a closed-kitchen restaurant, they take a leap of faith. They won’t have any way of being able to see the standard of equipment used or the cleanliness levels you keep. That’s not always a good thing, and one negative rumor about this could see you suffering. By comparison, an open kitchen is there for everyone to see. This way, you’ll be able to show off all that high-quality commercial kitchen equipment you spent a fortune on. Everyone who walks through those doors will also be able to see your cleanliness levels. That can put their minds at ease, and ensure that your hard work doesn’t go to waste.
An undeniable sign that your food is fresh
Speaking of putting customer minds at ease, we’ve saved the best open-kitchen benefit until last. By prepping food where customers can see, you make sure they know that all your food is fresh. There won’t be any nasty whispers about frozen offerings out of your kitchen. Instead, customers will see you cutting up their steaks. With a bit of luck, that promise of freshness will help your food taste even better.
While an open kitchen isn’t for every chef, it is a feature worth considering. This could be the thing which takes your business to the next level. Over time, the extra pressure this brings could even end up making you a better chef.
