Customer-facing cooking and finishing stations are designed to enhance dining experiences while providing meal customization opportunities.

By appealing to customers’ senses, including sight, smell and sound, front-facing cooking and finishing stations can take the dining experience to the next level. “These stations engage the senses of customers, whether with the sizzle of items cooking, appealing smells from food or the overall visual appeal,” says Brad LaBel, president, LaBel Foodservice Equipment & Design, headquartered in New York City.

Operators add these stations with a specific vision. “The goal of a finishing or customer-facing action and cooking station is bringing the excitement and transparency of food and what is being prepared as close to customers as you can get it and as quickly as possible,” says Laura Lentz, design principal, Culinary Advisors, Ellicott City, Md. What’s more, front-facing stations continue to find homes in a variety of foodservice operations. “We see it in a lot of operations from B&I to healthcare to higher education — even K-12 schools are utilizing these setups,” she adds.

Like so many other foodservice components, the concept drives the design of customer-facing stations, says Michael P. Salvatore, senior director, consulting and customer engagement, Ruck-Shockey Associates, Truckee, Calif. “The most important thing with action station designs is that they are 100% customer facing,” he notes. “If staff need to turn around and grab something at any point, it’s a fail.”

Presentation and finishes are key components in more upscale front-of-the-house cooking and finishing stations. Photo courtesy of Camacho

Critical Elements

Similar to the back of the house, the menu will determine the design and makeup of front-of-the-house stations. Flexibility is key as these stations often produce menus that vary greatly throughout the day. A flexible design also provides an opportunity to add limited time offers, seasonal items and other special menu items. “It is the first station customers should see when walking into the establishment,” Lentz says. “This is often the first station that I will place in a servery because it will be a driver for the rest of the design.” 

Flexibility is key when it comes to customer-facing cooking stations. Photo courtesy of Culinary AdvisorsIn order to drive participation in these stations, it’s important to be thoughtful with the location as well as the design. Because the majority of prep typically happens in the back of the house, placing these stations close to the kitchen enables quicker restocking. 

Along with placement, self-sufficiency is another priority so staff won’t have to constantly leave the area. “Staff should be able to access everything needed in the station within two to three steps,” says Brett Daniel, vice president and senior project manager, Camacho Associates. 

Along with kitchen accessibility, guest proximity to staff is a main consideration for both interactions and handing off food. When communication between staff and customers is necessary, an acoustic element can help reduce noise to hear orders clearly. Also, the station’s equipment must fit in the space between the staff and customers. “There may need to be a partition or food guard that leaves space for delivering meals to customers,” Salvatore says.

Utility accessibility and ventilation requirements should factor into equipment positioning. “Equipment placement depends on the concept, but cooking equipment is typically centered and counter heights are lowered to 36 inches high so customers can see what’s happening,” LaBel says. “Counters that are higher than this are more difficult to cook on. Plus, it’s important to keep a line of vision so customers can see what chefs are doing.”

Because these stations often take up prime real estate, the designs and equipment choices should be as space-efficient as possible. “If I can get away from countertop-mounted items like a steam table, I would have a floor model 34-inch steam table rather than putting one on top of a counter,” Salvatore says. “It saves space but is more costly.” Ergonomically, Salvatore prefers lowboy refrigeration units with drawers for hot and cold holding rather than reach-ins where users must bend over for access.

Design Do’s

Prior to settling on the design of a customer-facing cooking and finishing station, it’s important to gauge the operator’s needs to determine the amount of space this area will require. “These designs are not universal; we can’t go into any property and design a cooking station that has been used over and over again,” Lentz explains. “This is a defined design that adapts and is customized for each client.”

Some operators may require a bigger area that sits front and center; for others, a simpler action station may do the trick. “Forward-facing stations are designed with the same level of detail as the most complicated a la carte chef’s counter you can come up with,” Lentz says. “It’s also important to note that next to a grill, these stations are the most complicated to work. We don’t want to build an elaborate attraction and have the operator not know how to deal with it because it’s not the answer for them.”

For both self- and full-serve options, key considerations to weigh include counter spacing and depth, wells and food guard placement, and overall proximity of equipment. “Codes require specific food guard sizes, so the design should take space and queuing into account,” Daniel says. “This will help with figuring out the logistics of plating and passing meals.”

Although there is no cookie-cutter design for these stations, Lentz says most foodservice designers have a favorite layout that will serve as a starting point when producing a station flexible enough to meet the operator’s needs. “One of my favorites with a plug-and-play is providing different cooking options,” she says. “I typically like to have six preparation options in these areas, with two of those not involving cooking.”

An example is the ability to roll in a prep table for making sushi or including a heat lamp with a carving station. With additional temporary equipment in this area, there needs to be consideration of where these units will be stored when not on the line. “It depends on the application; corporate dining may have a grill and other equipment that are set components of the cafeteria, while a catering facility has less of a set equipment lineup, so more flexibility is needed,” LaBel notes. “Schools also will require more versatility with front-of-house cooking since menus and concepts can change.”

Understanding staff capabilities plays a key role in properly designing these spaces. “I would limit what comes off each worker’s station so they don’t have sandwiches, soup, noodles and fried food coming from the same space,” Salvatore says. No matter how the station is designed, “one person can’t maintain it all.” 

Key Equipment 

Front-facing stations may incorporate induction warmers and ranges. In some instances, a pasta station with refrigeration may be appropriate. Here, the design should not be sloppy. “Any time equipment that rolls into counters is incorporated, whether it’s a slide-in prep table and especially if it’s cooking equipment, what the customer is seeing on the other side of the counter should be considered,” Lentz says. “Also, we look at storage space for equipment that’s not in use and, if hot and cold options are offered, if there are wells and heat lamps to accommodate
all items.”

The menu will determine what support equipment is needed at and adjacent to the customer-facing station. Photo courtesy of LaBel FoodserviceThe design plan may entail concealing utility plugs and cords and considering food debris. “In looking at cooking equipment, I see whether it is one piece or multiple pieces and whether the utilities and infrastructure that’s needed are in place,” Lentz says. Infrastructure demands may mean some cooking equipment may not work well in front-of-house applications. “There are issues with codes and hoods,” she says. 

Electric and ventless equipment can help address such infrastructure challenges. The same can be said for built-in fire suppression systems, which can eliminate the need for a ventilation hood, adding to the station’s aesthetic. “With electric and ventless systems, operators don’t have to run gas or ductwork,” LaBel says. “This way, the station can be somewhat mobile and move if needed.” He recommends multiple focal points around the station, including on the sides, to allow people to see the action from different angles, and making sure there is space for interaction between chefs and guests. 

“Accelerated ovens and cooking equipment that combine different methods are great for these stations,” Salvatore says. When front-facing with customers, in addition to speed and efficiency, it’s the overall experience that should be the focus.