INNOVATION


These sensors monitor


CO2 and volatile organic compound (VOC) levels, temperature, pressure and particulates. Halton has also rethought its ventilation systems in light of the pandemic and the need to combat airborne infection in indoor spaces. “We are looking at overall


restaurant design and using thermal displacement, air- quality sensors and design to reduce airborne pathogens,” Livchak explains. “For


existing construction, we can take air from the restaurant, filter it, disinfect it with ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) and return it.” “We also have a live project running


“AN INEFFICIENT KITCHEN DRIVES UP STRESS LEVELS, AND A POOR LAYOUT WILL DRIVE STAFF AWAY. THEY WILL LEAVE FOR BETTER MANAGED AND BETTER DESIGNED WORKPLACES”


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to optimize the design of the whole restaurant, not just the kitchen,” adds Kamal Moumen, Halton’s head of R&D in France. “Air from the dining room can go to the kitchen because of the difference in air pressure, so there is a risk to the health of employees in the kitchen. To protect employees, especially in the time of Covid, we can separate the dining room into smaller areas with local air supply and exhaust to keep infection in one place rather than spreading to the whole dining room or kitchen.”


Kitchens fit for the future With productivity and staff retention both burning issues for the foodservice industry, the wellbeing of employees will only become more important. “We need to make kitchens as efficient


as possible to retain staff and one of the first things to come up is poor workflow,” says Doyals. “More people need to be on staff if things are not well laid out, an inefficient kitchen drives up stress levels, and a poor layout will drive staff away. They will leave for better managed and better designed workplaces.” As well as designers, equipment manufacturers are also looking to improve hot-side working conditions. “At Vulcan, our range line is modular so it can be put together in any way, so designers can think about a person moving down the line as they work,” says Ricciuti. “We even think about where the hinges should be put to make the oven more comfortable to open. We can help to make the kitchen a place you want to be and where you feel more productive. If operators want to succeed, they should be thinking about that. It doesn’t have to be like being in the trenches or going to war.” Designers, owners and equipment manufacturers all need to work together to create more hospitable kitchen environments that maximize comfort, wellbeing and productivity. Wagner, however, believes there is one other crucial ingredient. “We were recently in a high-end


restaurant in Berlin with a very nice kitchen environment where the chefs produced amazing quality food in a relaxed and calm environment,” he says. “I asked the owner how he achieved it and he said all he did was ‘not hire idiots anymore’. I’ve done this for 30 years and no one has said that to me before. A toxic environment does not create good quality and people will not stay.”


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