Small kitchens in taproom

[einhorn]

I was wondering in anyone has any good info about installing a small kitchen in the taproom. I realize the perils and potential of doing food in general, but what was your experience with costs of equipment & installation? Pitfalls?

Just for the record, I am looking at doing a very limited fare with 5-10 things on the menu and would require a grill, deep fryer and convection oven.

Any input appreciated....

Cheers!

[wildcrafter]

Used industrial restaurant equipment is cleanable and repairable for far less than new,,depends on what equipment. Auctions can be good.

Deli type places often avoid fryers due to the aroma of frying grease,,,and the fryer.

Exhaust hoods and fire suppression can be costly.

Permits, requirements and approvals seem to differ from city to city and inspector to inspector.

Real food sells.

Location and the consumer experience matter.

Difference is good. Change it up,,,leave folks looking forward to what's next.

Pitfalls?--

Used walkin coolers can be big PIA's as well as gross, the panel joints and floors can get nasty and rotted.

More staff in the taproom zone, space.

[gitchegumee]

I've seen a great model work where you offer menus from other nearby local restaurants that agree to deliver. You avoid all food preparation, have lots of variety, concentrate on selling beer, and give the local businesses something to rally around. A nice alternative. Good luck.

[Vendetta]

The carryout food model has always interested me, but I have to wonder if the "gulf of execution" will cause extreme drunkenness in people for whom the convenience of simply drinking more outweighs the relative complication of calling to order food. The simplicity is unbeatable, but I've also heard that many outfits make a killing with little more than a pizza oven.

[beauxman]

Talk to a food vendor, there are many options that can be done well with about 1/3 rd of the equipment you suggested. I can suggest more than 5-10 items done on one piece of equipment.

By the way, we have no kitchen and made nice, nice with a great pizza place (mom and pop, local, independant just like all of us) that delivers to our taproom and we cross promote. They put us on tap, we put their menus on our table. You want beer, go to the bar. You want pizza, call these guys.

Their business boomed and so did ours. It doesn't get much better than that.

-Beaux

[nick79brew]

The most expensive, and permit intensive, item in a kitchen is a commercial hood. Depending on your local laws, you can get around installing a hood by using electric appliances. I frequent a botlle shop that has a kick ass menu of salads, appetizers, soup, and hot sandwiches without the hood. You would be amazed at the type of unique and easy menu you could do with a few hot plates, an oven, microwave, and Panini grill. You can also throw a small smoker outside. By offering a small, unique, and satisfying menu, you are inviting your guest to stay a bit longer, have another of your brews, and get more personal with you. Also, a food menu is another creative outlet to draw people to your business. The used equipment market is good right now, though every piece of used equipment I have bought ends up costing me more $ within the first year or two. I buy only new now. bigtray.com has very competitive prices and free shipping on large orders.

Nick

[einhorn]

Thanks for the input - really appreciate it.

Sounds a bit odd, but installing a kitchen is part of a zoning issue. I don't want to be in an industrial park, and I also didn't want to be a restaurant per se, but I have found an excellent location in CN zoning (read: restaurant location at industrial lease rate) and would technically make us a restaurant and not a brewery. Therefore I probably couldn't work with neighbors who are restaurants, although I find the idea spot-on.

[Frankentrostjim]

Fresh and Local sells. Good deli meats, artisan bread and rolls, well made cheese. Sandwiches, salads, and soups. Minimal equipment, no deep fryer. Fryers need hoods, fire suppression, make up air, etc..Leave the wings for the sports bars. I lost my bar to a deep fryer fire 5 years ago and still have the scars to show for it.

[Vendetta]

Wow, that's an awful and compelling story, but the unfortunate issue is that people who are drinking often want and expect fried foods, and the profitability of these items is hard to ignore. "Goodbye, burger" if you can't sell fries, too.

[Brew Chef]

Our brewpub has a kitchen about 10 feet wide. 24" grill, standard fryer, 4-burner range with an oven, and a reach-in over/under fridge freezer. The gas equipment all fits under a 7' hood exhaust. We keep cold quick-grab items like burger toppings and salad dressings on ice in an insulated buffet bar atop a 7' kitchen worktable. It works great and we've done over 400 dinners with it on a busy night.

Another nearby brewery utilizes panini-makers and makes hot and cold sandwiches and some appetizers like chesse plates, crackers, sausages etc. . No hood, no fryer, but they aren't a "restaurant" either...more like a brewpub with a kitchen. They steam tamales too.

If you serve burgers you don't have to make fries....just serve potato chips and a pickle and sell for a fair price.

[Scott M]

I visited a bar, granted, not a brew pub; that had crock pots with shredded beef and ground beef for taco's. They would bring in the diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and cheese and heated the shells in a toaster oven. They charged $.50ea for ground beef and $1.00 for the shredded beef. They also did pizza in the toaster oven, one big enough to do two pizza's at once.

Let us know what you decide to do!!

[Brew Chef]

THe crock pot idea is great...you can do pulled pork sandwiches, pot roast, corned beef, chili, soup, and stews. Many of these products you can buy pre-fab and just reheat. I know because I use them.

[BonedaleBeer]

By far the most expensive thing is going to be the exhaust hood / make-up air / ansul system. I have been looking at putting in a small kitchen and it just keeps adding up - floor sinks with an air gap, hand washing sink, veg prep sink, 3 comp sink - on and on!

Unfortunately for us (in CO) we have to serve food and have a minimum sales % in order to get a "brewpub" license. The only reason to do that vs. a manufactures license is the ability to serve liquor and wine, as well as beer made on-site (and others).

I have been researching the self-vented options, but they are pricey as well. Best bet is to just check with the local authority about what type of equipment you can use.

JD

[South County]

For folks looking for used restaurant equipment, my family outfitted the restaurant that leases one of our space at http://www.doubletakeauctions.com/

We saved a ton of money. Had to go after the equipment and all, but had a good experience. They auction off everything from restaurants to bars.

[Brew Chef]

Outfitting a brewpub with a kitchen can be expensive and discouraging but it's amazing what it does for sales. That $4000 hood exhaust is a big expense but you can recuperate it very quickly on a couple of good nights of food sales. I can guarantee that with food you will see many more people come walking through your door. Our brewpub kitchen is in the open and only about 10 feet wide and 6 feet deep. We do as many as 400 meals out of it per night during peak season and as few as 15 off-peak. We have a pub side and a dining room side, each with about 35 seats per side.

Here is a link to the menu we started with in 2008. http://www.greenedining.com/clients/...al-7_20_09.gif It's easy to execute and has a good profit margin. Many of the ingredients are pre-fabricated such fish n' chips, veggie burgers, bacon, pretzels etc. There is something for everyone here and we get no complaints about it. You can keep it interesting and do specials too, changing up the ingredients you have to come up with new items or order new ingredients and make different items.
All you need for equipment is a fryer, a 24" grill, a 4-burner stove with oven, a 7' hood system, a reach-in freezer and cooler, chest fridgerators and chest freezers. We have a walk-in cooler for our kegs and we also keep buckets of dressings, shredded cheeses, and marinating wings and chicken breasts in there but you can just use more chest refridgeration. Use disposables like paper-lined baskets and eco-friendly plates and bowls. Ours are made out of sugarcane and are sustainable for "green-conscious" types. You will need a 3-compartment deep sink to wash your stuff at night. We don't use a dishwasher.

Here is a link with some pictures of our place for more ideas......

http://www.greenedining.com/listingdetail.cfm?id=38&ref=3#Photos