Where a restaurant fit-out starts: the sala and kitchen script
A restaurant is designed from the path of the dish and the guest, not from the interior: kitchen, pass, dining room, till, toilets and entrance intersect so that at peak hour nobody is in anyone's way. A beautiful room with an awkward kitchen loses money every night.
What is drawn first. The menu and format: covers, cuisine type, bar and private rooms. They drive equipment, kitchen area and power. Then the routes: goods in, storage, prep, hot line, pass, dining room, dishwashing, waste out. Dirty and clean flows do not cross. The guest should not see or hear the service corridor.
Only then are finishes, furniture and lighting chosen. A typical mistake is to buy furniture first and discover later that the hood and the sink have no room. The decision belongs to the team: chef, manager, designer and engineer.
How kitchen extraction is calculated
Extraction is calculated from the equipment, not the kitchen area: type of ranges, hood dimensions, power and duty. Then the make-up air that compensates for extraction is calculated; otherwise the hood does not pull and doors slam.
What the system consists of. A hood over ranges and fryers, grease filters, stainless steel ductwork with a fall and access hatches, a fan with spare capacity, a silencer and the discharge. A make-up air unit with heating in winter and cooling in summer, or the cooks work in heat. Fire protection of the duct and controls that shut off the gas and raise an alarm if a fire starts under the hood.
The discharge is the touchiest point: smoke and smell are taken above roof level, not into a courtyard where neighbours' windows are. In Barcelona this often means forming a shaft through the whole building, which cannot be done without the community's agreement. It is considered before the lease is signed, not after. The calculation is done by an engineer, not by the equipment salesman.
How to make a restaurant quiet
A quiet restaurant comes from soft surfaces, not from silence as such: voices and crockery bounce off hard walls and the hum builds up in the room. Acoustics are built into the finishes from the first sketch.
Methods. A ceiling of acoustic material: perforated panels with mineral wool, absorbent plaster, suspended elements above tables. Walls with textile, perforated timber and soft panels. Floors that do not ring under heels and furniture with soft feet. Rugs and curtains. Tables are laid out so noise does not build up in corners. In practice the reverberation time in the room is kept below one second.
Noise to neighbours is dealt with separately: insulating the ceiling and walls from flats above and beside, anti-vibration mounts for fans and refrigeration plant, and a silencer on the extraction. The town hall and the community look at precisely these things. DB-HR of the CTE offers a reference for regulation.
Sanitary requirements for the kitchen
A restaurant kitchen is subject to food hygiene rules: smooth washable surfaces, separate flows, hands-free wash basins and a HACCP self-control plan (APPCC). They are built into the design because afterwards they cannot be checked without rework.
What it means on site. Walls and floor in materials that do not absorb water and can be washed: tile with epoxy grout, stainless steel, resin. A coved skirting at the floor. A non-slip floor falling to drains. Separate zones for raw and cooked, for meat, fish and vegetables. Hand-wash basins next to work stations. A grease trap on the waste. Cold rooms and storage, ventilation and lighting protected against glass breakage.
The basis is the European Regulation 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs. Specific requirements are inspected by the health service at opening. We advise showing the kitchen design to a food safety consultant before works start.
How guest and staff flows are planned
Guest and staff flows are separated: the guest comes in by the main door, the waiter takes a short loop between kitchen and dining room, and suppliers and waste do not cross the guest. This is the basis of service rhythm.
Principles. The entrance and cloakroom do not block the way to the dining room. Toilets are placed so the route does not pass the kitchen. Service stations sit in the room so the waiter does not run across the whole space. Kitchen doors open in different directions and do not collide. The bar does not obstruct the aisle. The private room has its own entrance or a quiet corridor.
Finishes for guests and staff differ: timber, stone and fabric in the dining room, stainless steel and tile in service areas. The line is at the kitchen door, and it is handled so sound and smell do not escape. Doors with closers and thresholds, floors without level changes for trolleys.
Permits and how BCN YARD helps
A restaurant in Barcelona goes through the activity and works procedure: a project signed by a technician, certificates for extraction, acoustics and fire safety, and health approval. The exact route depends on area, the unit and whether you change the type of activity.
We described the route in our guides to the activity licence for commercial premises. The main practical rule: a unit with a current catering licence goes through more easily than one that used to be a shop. Worth checking before signing the lease.
BCN YARD runs commercial projects in Russian and Spanish, with one person responsible: site visit, measurements, a staged estimate, our own crew and vetted subcontractors, payment under contract. We have comparable experience in a 250 m2 children's psychology centre in Eixample, with climate control and air heat recovery and legalisation of the activity. A commercial project's price is set in the estimate after measurements.
Frequently asked questions
How is extraction calculated for a restaurant kitchen?
By equipment: type of ranges, hood dimensions, power and duty. Then make-up air that offsets the extraction is calculated. An engineer does it, not the equipment seller; the discharge goes above the roof and this is settled before the lease.
How do I make a restaurant quiet?
Soft absorbent surfaces: an acoustic ceiling, textile and perforated timber on walls, rugs, soft furniture feet. A target is reverberation below one second. Neighbour noise is insulated separately and fans get anti-vibration mounts. Small things help too: tablecloths, curtains, upholstered furniture and rugs in the lounge area.
What are the sanitary requirements for a restaurant kitchen?
Smooth washable surfaces, separate raw and cooked flows, hands-free wash basins, a grease trap, a non-slip floor with drains and a HACCP plan. The basis is European Regulation 852/2004; inspection is by the health service. The health service inspects at opening, so it is better to show the kitchen design to a consultant beforehand.
How are guest and staff flows planned in a restaurant?
They are separated: the guest goes from the entrance to the dining room, the waiter takes a short kitchen-to-room loop, and suppliers and waste do not cross the guest. Service stations sit in the room and kitchen doors are kept apart. Toilets are placed so the route does not pass the kitchen.