In his presentation that provided tips for efficient and cost-effective kitchen design at the inaugural C&RB Chef to Chef Conference, held February 22-24 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Jeremy Critchfield, Executive Chef/Director of F&B Operations for the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, Pa., provided these insights—based on his experience with over 25 different new and remodeling kitchen projects during his career—for important considerations during the buildout and installation phases:
•    Bringing power through the floor should be avoided when at all possible; conduits will get hit and broken with the amount of activity in the kitchen, they will corrode from the sanitation chemicals used to keep the floors clean, and they will only commit power to that location.
•    Power should be dropped from the ceiling when possible. This leaves flexibility for future changes, and reduces cost when changes occur.
•    Gas line connections should be “flex” connections that allow equipment to be slid out for cleaning purposes; this also reduces cost when changes are made.
•    Any kitchen built above-grade needs to have a water-tight construction method used on the floor. If tile is the floor of choice, a rubber membrane needs to be installed under the floor, fastened at every drain, and wrapped up the wall to the base height.
•    Epoxy kitchen floors are a good choice for waterproofing.  If this is the floor of choice, it is recommended to wrap the epoxy up the wall at least 4 inches.
•    Epoxy floors with a rubber membrane are the first recommendation for kitchens built above ground level in multiple-level buildings.
•    Floor drains are recommended at one per every 20 square feet; also, ensure the floor is properly sloped to those drains by pouring excess water into them and observing the speed and effectiveness of drainage.