Case facts
- Client type
- Restaurant
- Assignment
- Kitchen optimisation, expansion, recipes and workflows
- Gastroplan time commitment
- Ten hours plus ongoing assistance during peak periods
- Services
- Kitchen review, recipe optimisation and operational support
The challenge
The restaurant was preparing to expand and needed to ensure that the kitchen's capacity, workflows and recipes could keep pace.
Production bottlenecks made it harder to use the kitchen's time and resources effectively. The recipes also needed to be reviewed so that they supported a more efficient flow and more consistent production.
What we found
The review showed that many smaller improvements could combine to create significant financial potential.
The main opportunities were to:
- Reduce bottlenecks between kitchen stations.
- Adapt workflows to the expansion.
- Review recipes with production and capacity in mind.
- Remove unnecessary preparation steps.
- Improve the allocation of tasks during the busiest periods.
What we implemented
Gastroplan reviewed the kitchen's layout, capacity and workflows and advised on how the expansion could support day-to-day operations.
All relevant recipes were reviewed with a focus on removing unnecessary steps and minimising production bottlenecks.
The head chef invested considerable energy in the project and was responsible for much of the implementation. Gastroplan's role was therefore focused and practical: ten hours of targeted consultancy followed by ongoing assistance and advice when demand was highest during peak periods.
Target for the project
The target and expected potential
The restaurant has set a target of saving DKK 1 million a year and is well under way with the changes required to realise those savings.
The work has delivered:
- Fewer kitchen bottlenecks.
- More efficient workflows.
- Recipes better suited to production.
- Better use of kitchen capacity.
- Strong internal ownership from the head chef.
- A clear plan for reaching the target of DKK 1 million in annual savings.
This case shows that a consultancy engagement does not have to be lengthy to create value. When the internal management team takes ownership, a few focused hours and ongoing support can initiate substantial improvements.