Is a back to back arrangement of cooking equipment an efficient arrangement when considering human engineering?

Answer 1

yes, it is.

Where there is not enough space to arrange food preparation in a straight line, a popular and efficient choice is the parallel flow. There are four variations of the parallel design:

1. Back to back. Equipment is arranged in a long, central counter or island in two straight lines that run parallel to each other (see Illustration 3-6). Sometimes a four- or five-foot room divider or low wall is placed between the two lines. It's primarily a safety precaution, which keeps noise and clutter to a minimum and prevents liquids spilled on one side from spreading onto the other. However, placement of a wall here also makes cleaning and sanitation more difficult.

ILLUSTRATION 3-6 In a parallel-flow configuration, equipment and work centers are arranged to save space and allow efficient movement of product and workers.

The back-to-back arrangement centralizes Plumbing and utilities; you may not have to install as many drains, sinks, or outlets, as both sides of the counter can share the same ones. A back-to-back arrangement in which the pass window is parallel to (and behind one of) the production areas is sometimes known as a California-style kitchen.

When the pass window is located perpendicular to the production line, it may be referred to as a European-style kitchen design. The advantage of the European design is that each cook on the line can see the progression of multiple dishes that make up one table's order.

2. Face to face. In this kitchen configuration, a central aisle separates two straight lines of equipment on either side of the room. Sometimes the aisle is wide enough to add a straight line of worktables between the two rows of equipment. This setup works well for highvolume feeding facilities like schools and hospitals, but it does not take advantage of singlesource utilities. Although it is a good layout for supervision of workers, it forces people to work with their backs to one another, in effect, separating the cooking of the food from the rest of the distribution process. Therefore, it's probably not the best design for a restaurant.

3. L-shape. Where space is not sufficient for a straight-line or parallel arrangement, the L-shape kitchen design is well suited to access several groups of equipment, and is adaptable for table service restaurants (see Illustration 3-7). It gives you the ability to place more equipment in a smaller space. You'll often find an L-shape design in dishwashing areas, with the dish machine placed at the center corner of the L.