Country club banquet kitchens need to be organized and equipped with certain pieces of equipment to help optimize performance and efficiency.
Adequate space for prep work and to hold large equipment is crucial for a successful banquet kitchen. Ideally, a club’s kitchen should have a specific area dedicated only to banquets. It is even better for banquets to have their very own kitchen for prepping, cooking and plating as to not interfere with a la carte service. A banquet kitchen space should be designed to allow multiple cooks to cook and plate simultaneously. There should also be dedicated spaces for items such as cold hors d’oeuvres, cheese displays, garde manger, and hot prep.
One of the many items critical for a successful is big-batch cookery equipment such as tilt skillets, combi ovens, and steam kettles. Banquet kitchens also need ample cold storage space. A walk-in refrigerated unit used only for banquets that can accommodate roll-ins is a necessity, or even making an investment in a blast-chiller to safely and quickly chill items. Lastly, there needs to be a finishing area. A finishing area should include ample room for plating, retractable heat lamps, and both hot and cold plate holding.
Having a space that is more conducive to banquet preparation allows for the staff to handle large events with greater ease as well as maximize production. When a club is well-equipped for serving banquets, it puts the club at the top of people’s minds when looking for a place to handle large events.