Ok, so I bit the bullet and am adding a dining room. Table area will be about 1650 sq. ft. with an additional 800 sq. feet for storage/bathrooms/office. I am planning on seating for 60 -70. My kitchen is 1200 sq. ft. and I have a Lincoln 1450 double stack. I only cook what I can run through the oven. My question is will my oven be able to keep up on a Friday/Saturday night?
I am keeping my take out/delivery separate from the dining room, and the dining room will be full service. I am adding beer/wine and most likely a hot bar for lunch buffet. I am also going to make the dining room a little more on the upscale side as there are no other upscale dining rooms in town. I also plan to use part of the dining space for parties/banquets as those do not exist in town either. Can my oven keep up with the demand, or am I in for some issues?
To go “upscale” I would think you need to get into some sauteed chicken/veal dishes eventually to make some plated meals. This will add some perception changes to allow for a different price point than just pizza on a tablecloth. There are very simple, traditional American/Italian dishes that can help establish a different market position (higher class); things like chicken parmesan, ravioli dishes, and more involved pasta dishes. I would think that you could work towards adding those into the mix.
Yeah, chicken parmesean is on my list of added items as is ravioli. I am also thinking of doing baked ziti. I listed what I currently offer, but there are other items to be added that I don’t wish to deliver. Pasta is not my favorite for delivery. Gets cold too quickly.
You said it. Special packaging can help, but that’s expense on top of challenge. That baked pasta thing can be great. casserole items stay hotter longer, too. Pastitsio, the greek baked pasta, is something I may try soon since I have a cream sauce now.
[quote=“haarvik”]
Ok, I have a Lincoln 1450 double stack. I only cook what I can run through the oven. My question is will my oven be able to keep up on a Friday/Saturday night?
Hi Haarvik:
In our clients’ opinion the double 1450 is not large enough to attain the potential of the average carry out shop much less with the additional burden of a dining area.
If you find yourself short on production you can put a triple deck XLT 3240 in the same foot print and probably under the same hood. and add 35% or more production capacity.