Balancing food quality and operational efficiency is always a challenge. Many hotel restaurants manage their own raw food supplies directly from vendors, requiring more senior chefs and a highly disciplined team. However, with the high staff turnover in the hospitality industry, maintaining consistent food quality across multiple outlets becomes increasingly difficult.
When designing hotels with multiple food and beverage outlets, we have always incorporated a centralized Raw & Cooked Food Production (RCFP) unit.
The Everly Putrajaya: Centralized Kitchen Layout (m2)
a) Refuse Compost Area 66.7
b) Loading Bay Area 69.8
c) Raw & Cooked Food Production (RCFP) 179.8
d) Pastry 63.8
e) Hot Kitchen 64.8
f) RCFP Chiller (Fruits) 13.2
g) Freezer for Pastry 13.2
h) RCFP Chiller (MEP) 13.2
i) Dishwasher Area Store 25.5
j) Walkway 110.4
Total 620.4
The RCFP unit handles all food from the moment it is received, processed into final or semi-final cooked products, and stored in chillers and freezers. The prepared food is then dispatched to the banquet kitchen, Fuze kitchen, Neuvo kitchen, and Executive Lounge.
Each of these kitchens maintains its own chiller and freezer space, allowing for one day’s inventory to ensure hot and fresh food service.
This strategy enables zero leftover inventory at the end of the day or after a banquet event, allowing for instant food cost tracking and improved cost control.
With RCFP, we are also able to prepare cooked food in advance for major functions, catering to anywhere between 5,000 to 10,000 guests.
Centralized Kitchens in Standalone Restaurants
Recently, I had the opportunity to advise friends who own multiple restaurants under one brand and were considering investing in a central kitchen. The challenge for standalone restaurants is achieving a critical mass —a certain number of outlets with consistent sales volume—otherwise, profitability becomes difficult.
On the other hand, I evaluated a fast-food chain with enough outlets to justify a central kitchen, yet they chose not to implement one. The result? Severe food quality issues that are now damaging the brand.
Final Thoughts
Whether centralization is the right approach depends on the business model, scale, and operational strategy. For hotels, it enhances efficiency and cost control. For restaurant chains, it requires careful planning to ensure scalability and profitability.
What are your thoughts on centralized vs. decentralized kitchens? Have you faced similar challenges in your operations? Let’s discuss!
