Open Kitchen in Restaurant
Converting a pet shop into a full service restaurant. This executive chef’s passion was to open a boutique restaurant in Albuquerque NM with an open kitchen in the dining room to showcase his creative cuisines.
Framework of Success Criteria for Design:
After more than twenty years working as an executive chef for many high-end hotels, Chef Salim observed kitchens designed by architects which were not efficient and functional, although aesthetically appealing.
Chef Salim was introduced to me to help him bring his vision of a boutique restaurant to reality. With a budget of $130,000, I was tasked to create a space where he could serve his creative and intricate cuisines to his community in-and-around Albuquerque, at a reasonable price.
Issues to be resolved:
The existing space where Chef Salim intended to open his boutique restaurant was once a pet shop. The location was on N.E. Montgomery corner of Eubank Blvd in Albuquerque NM.
Like most retail shop plazas, the store had a basic HVAC system which is inadequate to accommodate a full commercial kitchen. This has always been one of the major issues for restaurant tenants, as commercial kitchen ventilation systems account for nearly 75% of the HVAC load. Additionally, Chef Salim mandated that he had to have an open kitchen in the dining room to showcase his cooking creativity that he learned while working at renowned hotels such as Sheraton and Double Tree.
Adding an additional HVAC unit to provide adequate indoor air quality for the restaurant dining space was out of consideration due to budget constraint. To resolve this issue, we worked with a special design team, including mechanical engineer, to install the commercial kitchen ventilation CKV system with MAU make-up air unit and demand ventilation control technology. This system modulates the speed of the exhaust and MAU fan motors with variable frequency drives. The solution saves both the landlord and the restaurant owner the hefty costs of installing another HVAC system to the building.
Additional value that we incorporated into the design which reduced construction costs are: utilizing existing plumbing lines that reduced the concrete cutting cost for new plumbing and minimal demolition to the existing partition walls for food prep, storage and dish wash room areas.
With substantial savings on the construction costs mentioned above, we were able to deliver Chef Salim some of the high-end equipment brands he requested and good quality furniture, which harmonize with the ambience of his boutique restaurant.
Framework of Success Criteria for Design:
