Opening a Brewpub

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chef Joel M Ingegno on April 4, 2009 at 3:19am

Tammy,

My name is Joel Ingegno; I am a partner/corporate chef of a foodservice consulting firm in Chicago, Creative Hospitality Associates. Our company has vast experience in restaurant design and in particular, brewpubs, in fact we use to own one, for 10 years, Flatlander’s Restaurant & Brewery in Lincolnshire, Illinois, which was approximately 16,000 sq. ft. Now with all that said and done I/we are not aware of a “book” that is brewpub specific and deals with brewpubs special needs. There are however, a number of books and periodicals out there that deal with restaurant design but predominately address interior ambience/”trade-dress” and not with the “nuts and bolts” of operational needs. Here are a couple of suggestions:

 Design and Equipment for Restaurants and Foodservice by Costas Katsigris
 American Restaurant Design by T. Sato
 Hospitality and Restaurant Design by Stanley Abercrombie

So on that note here is a down and dirty of space allocation requirements which your business/operational plan should ne based upon:

ASSUMPTIONS/PROJECTIONS:
Total Space 7400 sq. ft.
Kitchen 1998 sq. ft. 27% of total
Brewery 1628 sq. ft. 22% of total
Storage/Receiving/Office/Common area 1850 sq. ft. 25% of total
Dining Room 1924 sq. ft.
Projected Seating 137 14 sq. ft./seat

Allow for one small wait station per 20 diners.

Required square footage @ 200 covers/day

Receiving 25-45
Dry Storage 150-250
Refrigerated Storage 25-35
Main Kitchen 400-500
Dishwashing 50-75
Trash Storage 35-50
Employee RR 45-60

We use these basic thumbnails now keep in mind this does not include the following:

The brewery configuration/equipment,
Specialized cooking equipment i.e. stone hearth/wood-burning pizza oven
ADA requirements in your state nor does it include
Fire code requirements which are typically all over the map from state to state, excuse the pun

I hope this is helpful... Have a great day and good luck on your new venture!

Chef Joel M. Ingegno

Permalink Reply by Dave&Tammy on April 8, 2009 at 5:59pm

Hello Chef:

Thank you so very much for your information. I have a very good friend who was a Chef at his own restaurant and was also the GM at another very popular restaurant in our area. He is assisting us as well, and I will bring your info to the table. Again, it is very much appreciated. Tammy

Permalink Reply by Dave&Tammy on April 8, 2009 at 6:07pm

Hello Chef Ingegno:

Our area is a laid back beach town and we are planning on having a nice counter where our guests will come up and place their orders, and then we will call their name and/or number to pick up their food. We will have servers for the beer and bus personnel, and of course kitchen staff.

I wanted to clarify this a bit, and maybe you can offer further suggestions? I really appreciate you advice, it is very kind.

Tammy

Permalink Reply by Matthew Tager on June 25, 2009 at 4:20pm

I highly recommend you reconsider this decision. Restaurant design is not just about decor, in fact that is the smallest percentage. Good design is mainly about flow and function as well as end-user health, safety and welfare. At the very least your equipment supply company should have a planning department that can offer services as part of their fees. Spend a little more now to create an efficient and comfortable environment for both your customers and employees. you will be thankful in the long run.
Remember the old adage- he who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for an attorney. This translates to many professions.
That being said talk to colleagues in your area and get a recommendation. You will find more help from their war stories than you can imagine.