L O C { ;q

-.&'

J{at

ffiw

I

Art o f the Business P.37. . . Concept Makeover P.41. . . Equipment P.40

i . ;

Art of the Business

Ir[0r( il]l|l0[tnll0Pilr lflTtl|ill$

fr*ek *f h*ats* m{tv{:$ *"p **n{ f'*r, . ' J ' , \ ' \ o 1

" r i t l r ' t j i l i i r . ' . 1 ; " , i i i , 1 l : l l - ' : l '

mffi r€THE FrRST GO-ROUND at open kitchens treated guestslike Peeping Toms, offering only a peek behind the scenesthrough windows on the floor. The barrier is disintegrating,with kitchens now moving into the dining room. "Thanks toshows like Top Chef, people are fascinated by food and theidea of watching food be prepared," says Kevin Stewart,designer of Dai Due in Austin. While not for all, the designcan help build connections and provide entertainment-extra incentive to get guests in the door. -=Sam Rush

I A N U A R y 2 o 1 5 R E s T A U R A N T B U s r N E s s 3 7

r illkfi"&*r -'

Br ing inE a l l t he ac t i onfront and center

At this small neighborhoodrestaurant and butcher shop,everything from cold prep tocooking to butchery is doneout fnont (the cooler is the onlyequipment back of house). Dinersat the counter sit six feet awayfrom the wood-burning gril l , solarge A/C units were installedto blow cold air off the line.Dimmers, rope lights and tasklights create an intimate butworkable environment, withoutadditional overhead lighting.

Designed for t ransparency

In a place l ike Austin, wheretransparency is a sell ing point,Stewart didn't want to hide anyportion ofthe process. At anypoint in service, whole animalsmay be wheeled from the coolerthrough the restaurant to thebutchery station along a meat railhe designed into the aesthetic. -)

rlqil

{*t.l

II

J A N U A R Y 2 O 1 53 8 R E S T A U R A N T B U s r N E s s

A bi rd 's-eye v iew

Whether looking down intothe wood-fired pizza kitchen

or straight on, the view at thismultilevel unit on 14th Street, says

director of architecture JenniferJaffke, allows diners to "hear,

see and smell food instead of itcoming out from behind.a door."

4 0 R E S T A U R A N T B U s r N E s s J A N U A R v 2 o t s

Considerat ion for whatgues ts see and hea r

One of the biggest challengesof the open kitchen is "keepingit looking goodr" says Jaffke.While she spent a bit more onlight fixtures, surfaces andother smaller elements than ina traditional kitchen, the costdifference isn't significant, shesays. To help keep noises down inanother busy area of the kitchen,Jaffke also designed a lowerceil ing to contain the sound.