Many clients still seek a traditional solution for kitchen designs in food production spaces. A deeper understanding of market trends and opportunities will better inform designers to create spaces that can provide value beyond the core services.

1. Lack of Skilled Labour – Kitchens will run with less staff and skilled labour. Except for premium dining venues, most businesses will continue to grow their reliance on pre-prepared menu items. State-of-the-art speed ovens, larger cool rooms, and freezers will be required to create efficient service kitchens.

2. Energy Efficient – more automation across kitchen equipment will enable more efficient use of power. Extraction fans that only turn when there is an activity in the kitchen and dishwashers that heat water more efficiently and reuse water are just a few examples.

3. Creating Great Places – Gone are the days of creating windowless kitchens in the basement; consideration is now being given to the well-being of kitchen staff and teams. There is a movement to design kitchens and workspaces to make staff feel good; office workers have experienced these spaces for many years. It’s time to make cooking sexy again and bring people back to the industry by providing inspiring kitchens.

4. Remove the Divide – Physical and visual barriers between food production and front-of-house areas are increasingly being removed. Whilst show kitchens have been around for years, removing the obstacles is commonplace, and this integration breaks down work silos and often enhances the working environment for kitchen teams.

5. Look Good Feel Good – More consideration is being given to internal finishes of the kitchen to enhance the working environment for kitchen teams. Traditionally architectural finishes would only be considered for customer-facing areas; a more contemporary approach redefines who the customer is as employees become more valued.

Reach out to the Alto team if you wish to create a place where people want to be! www.altocibum.com