Running a well-oiled kitchen is like orchestrating a dance, making sure the stage is set, the music’s ready, and everyone knows their steps. When your space is properly prepped, things move smoothly, less food gets wasted, safety is improved, and your staff—and profit margins—are confident and safe.
What better time than the start of a new year to reset your team for success? Here are the top essentials every foodservice business needs to boost daily workflow and kick things into high gear this year.
MAP IT OUT
When it comes to game time, your staff need a lot of tools. If they can’t find the right ingredient, a specific pan, or a backup cutting board quickly, the entire process will come off the rails and everything becomes frustrating, slow, and disheveled. Having a strategic storage system in place will help you cut down on the chaos.
- Shelving: Sleek, sturdy shelving systems keep ingredients, tools, and other equipment handy, allowing for easier access and smoother operations. Modular designs in a variety of sizes make it easy to stay organized no matter how big or small your space is.
- Racking: For large sacks of flour, cases of produce, and heavy pots and pans, bulky items can be safely stored on heavy-duty racks. Modular designs can be stacked high and rolling racks transport large items quickly across the kitchen.
- Labelling: Help staff find things in half the time with easy-to-read labels on all of your bins and containers. Being able to scan each container’s contents without having to open a lid improves inventory systems, reduces search time, and decreases frustration during the workday.
LOAD ‘EM UP
Having the right tools at the ready will keep your kitchen moving, helping to prevent bottlenecks, reduce mistakes, and improve food safety as your staff prep each dish.
- Knives: Nothing slows down prep like a dull knife. Having sharpened knives in a variety of sizes readily available improves consistency, cooking times, and overall comfort.
- Cutting boards: Keeping a lineup of functional, colour-coded cutting boards in peak condition helps keep bacteria at bay, reduces cross-contamination risks, and makes it easy for staff to quickly and safely switch up the food they’re prepping.
- Tongs, ladles, & whisks: Proper mixing, measuring, portioning, and plating call for clean, high-quality utensils that are within reach at all times, allowing operations to continue smoothly.
STOCK THE TOOLS FOR TEAM SUCCESS
Serving cuisine that’ll keep your guests coming back requires precision, consistency, and the ability to handle multiple tasks at once—that’s where cookline essentials come in, to help successfully carry your foods from pan to plate.
- Pans & sheet trays: An ample supply of durable, appropriately sized pans and sheet trays significantly reduce downtime, making it easy for staff to prep multiple ingredients at once and seamlessly jump between dishes without waiting for equipment to be cleaned.
- Thermometers: Getting quick, precise temperature readings help prevent over- or undercooking, ensuring food safety standards have been met, and ensure that a dish has been accurately prepared before it’s served.
