Kitchen projects go wrong in a specific order: the layout is fixed before the menu is settled, the utilities are marked after the tiling, and the equipment is ordered before the access route is checked.
This guide sets out the sequence that avoids that, and what has to be decided at each stage before the next can start.
Stage 1 — Brief
Nothing can be sized until these are known.
- The menu, at least in category terms
- Peak covers per hour and total covers per day
- Service format — dine-in, delivery, banquet, counter
- Operating hours and shift pattern
- Whether the business expects to grow, and by how much
Stage 2 — Site survey
Measure the room as built rather than trusting the architect’s drawing. Record columns, beam soffit heights, existing drainage positions, the electrical supply available and — critically — the access route from the street to the room.
- Clear internal dimensions at floor and at 2 m height
- Beam and soffit clearances
- Existing drainage, water, gas and electrical positions
- Door, corridor and lift apertures on the delivery route
- Floor level variance across the room
Stage 3 — Zoning and workflow
Zone the room so material flows one way: receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, plating, service, dish return, wash-up, waste. The two rules that matter most are that soiled routes never cross clean routes, and that waste leaves without passing through production.
Stage 4 — Equipment schedule
Size each function against the throughput from Stage 1. Produce a schedule listing every item with its dimensions, utility requirement and connected load. This schedule, not the floor area, is what gets priced.
Stage 5 — Utility drawings
Mark every gas point with its load, every electrical point with its rating and phase, every water inlet, every drain with its fall, and the exhaust route with its duct sizes. Issue this to the MEP contractor before civil work begins.
Stage 6 — Fabrication and delivery
Fabricate to the approved drawing. Sequence the delivery so items are installed in the order the room can accept them, and check every module against the access route recorded in Stage 2.
Stage 7 — Commissioning and handover
Run and verify every unit — burner performance, refrigeration pull-down, extraction airflow, drainage falls. Train the team on operation and daily cleaning. Raise and close a joint snag list.
