Black Ink Company

Proper fire rating is a must for every commercial kitchen, and 4 things must be considered: (1)commercial cooking equipment specifications (2)building architecture (3)provincial & local regulations (4)local Fire Authority.

Fire rated insulated metal cladding is a part of any engineered commercial cooking hood system legal requirements. This applies to any combustible or semi-combustible cook line back or side walls. The thickness and fire rating of the panels depends on the wall materials construction and proximity to the appliances. The exhaust ducting also requires fire clearances and protective measures.

Exhaust duct fire rating is a little more tricky. Because black iron commercial kitchen exhaust ducting often passes through ceiling trusses, maintaining clearances can be challenging. Metal cladding still requires minimal air space clearances, so when things get cozy zero clearance fire rated wrap can be used.

If you do not require a commercial ventilation system for your foodservice business, be aware that fire rating still applies to demising walls in the building. A demising wall is any separating wall between your foodservice business and another business in the same building. Local authorities determine the ratings for their regions, but a good rule of thumb is to plan for 1-2 hours of fire rating protection. So, you are asking, “how do I fire rate my demising walls?”

First of all, if your walls are constructed with non-combustible materials (i.e. brick or concrete) then you are already fire rated. More typically however, they will be studs and drywall construction. In this case…use type x fire rated drywall taped and mudded floor to ceiling. Each sheet is rated by time it takes to burn through, so you add what you need to get the fire rating time desired. For example, if you require 1 ½ hours fire rating, and one 5/8 sheet of drywall is rated for 45 minutes, then you use 2 sheets to get the protection needed (i.e. 2sheets x 45min = 1 ½ hours).

Proper fire rated wall cladding and zero clearance fire wrap, paired with a commercial kitchen fire suppression system, will get your city permits approved and protect your foodservice business investment into the future.

All commercial kitchen hood systems require Make-Up Air units to deliver outside air near to the exhaust hood. Make-Up Air units must deliver a roughly equivalent amount of air to that removed by the exhaust hood fan; this is referred to as a balanced system. So how do you decide between Gas Fired Make-Up Air and Electric Make-Up Air unit for your situation?

Part of the answer is in the up-front cost. If you need to save $3000 - $5000 today, then you may choose electric. Electric Make-Up Air heaters are always less initial cost, but they are less efficient than gas. A good analogy is to think of your standard home electric base board heaters…they are cheap to purchase and install, but are inefficient and costly to operate…same pros and cons with Electric Make-Up Air. If you experience temperatures below -15C for extended periods of the year, then this may not be the option for you.

If it is efficiency and long-run operating cost savings you want, then Gas Fired Make-Up Air is for you. Yes, they cost more just like a gas furnace in a house; however, they are very efficient and will last long enough for you to recover your added investment in operating cost savings. In freezing climates Gas Fired Make-Up Air units generate instant reliable heat and make the most comfortable working environment. If you experience temperature below -15C for extended periods of the year, then this gas option is right for you.

The wild card is the building services where the Make-Up Air unit is going. You will need a dedicated 100Amp circuit for an Electric Make-Up Air, so always check your power source. Conversely, you will need hundreds of thousands of BTU’s for a Gas fired Make-Up Air, so check your gas meter. It is good to know that electrical panel and service upgrades can cost big bucks, but gas meter upgrades are fast and generally free from your regional gas company. In other words if you are considering Electric Make-Up Air, CHECK YOUR BUILDING SERVICES can support it before you buy. If the building itself is short on power, you may not even be able to add a larger panel without a transformer upgrade that could cost you $15000 - $20000!

Foodservice & Beverage establishments in BC have to meet a litany of code requirements at the Municipal and Public Health level. This is where established professional designers and build contractors like Black Ink Co. can expedite your launch, by helping you develop intelligent and complete plans for your new or growing business. Foodservice projects have many industry specific requirements that only exist in food & beverage establishments so specialized expertise is critical.

Start with a scaled Layout Plan. This is a big job and must consider everything from customer flow, functionality, appearance, commercial cooking equipment, refrigeration, storage, food prep, seating plans, washrooms, finishings, menu displays, existing building services, sanitation, POS, HVAC systems, commercial cooking hood systems, fire suppression, etc. Associated costs should be generated as the Layout Plan is shaping up, so that budget limits are adhered to. The Layout Plan should be the roadmap for your project, and will act as a primary tool to communicate with permit authorities when applying for permits and approvals.

A complete Layout Plan will be your budgeting template, and all costs will reflect in your financial projections as ‘sunk costs’ (i.e. dollars spent before you open for business). This Layout Plan will also act as a framework for your Electrical and Mechanical plans for trades. Services Rough-in Plans are generated to provide service connections to for all plumbing, gas fitting, and electrical; and your Layout Plan acts as the master framework.

Beware of Layout designers without direct trades and construction experience! It is easy to draw a CAD picture that looks professional, but designers with knowledge of construction have the ability to design smart; so that trades and custom metals costs are kept to a minimum. Black Ink Co. are Building Contractor Professionals who serve you with Business Consulting, Designs, Cooking Equipment, Hood Systems, and Permitting…and then go out and build the whole thing turn-key for you, all in one place.

If you are working in a hot commercial kitchen you should ask yourself, “is this kitchen filled with burned gas fumes or just hot air?”

Effluent from gas fired commercial cooking equipment is invisible to the human eye. Gas stoves emit nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and formaldehyde (HCHO). All of these can worsen respiratory ailments and inflame lung tissue.

Professional kitchen contractors and mechanical engineers still use the classic smoke test as a low tech visual tool, and anybody can interpret the results. Smoke is either exhausted out through the vent hood, or it spills into the kitchen…it is that simple.

Do not make the mistake of thinking the smoke that escapes into the kitchen is the only breathing hazard. If you have “spillage” with the smoke test, it is invisible burned gas emissions that are pushing the smoke into your kitchen. Think of the smoke as a surf board, and the gas emissions as the surf flowing from gas appliances.

Now you can determine if your kitchen has hidden dangers in the breathing air, or if it is just hot and uncomfortable. Hot air can be dealt with in several ways including air-conditioning and swamp coolers. However, burned gases must be vented out with adequate exhaust hood air volume and balanced Make-up Air volume to protect the living air in your kitchen.

IT’S ALL ABOUT SERVICEABILITY – (1) Parts, (2) Technical Service, and (3)Local Support.

Price is one thing; it is the unplanned event that costs owners when a fryer stops working.  You have to have a plan for if/when your fryer stops working.  Only manufacturers with proven support networks and parts domestic inventories can ensure parts availabilty, and the help you need when you need it most.  What you can lose in operating revenue may easily exceed your cost savings if you buy economy generic brand commercial deep fryers.   Remember…fryers are big money makers, and they will be your top priority if one stops working. So be smart and buy major brands with domestic service networks and parts inventories.

We all know that commercial kitchens are working environments with lots of food particles and grease deposits making their way onto wall surfaces during the course of daily operations. It is easy to overlook wall finishes when designing your commercial kitchen, as so many big decisions are being made. Here is what you need to know…

There are 3 main options for finishing walls in commercial kitchens:

1. Kitchen & Washroom Grade Paint - This product is designed to be resistant to moisture and constant wiping down. Standard paints can wear away excessively under rigorous daily cleaning needed in a foodservice setting. This choice is your bargain option, but will stand up to some wear and tear.

2. Fiberglass Reinforced Panel (FRP) - The waterproof nature of this material makes it great for fast wall finishing that holds up to tough commercial kitchen conditions. Installation is tricky and needs to be done by an experienced installer like Black Ink Co. so that proper adhesive, connecting strips, and fastening screws with caps are used appropriately. Improper cutting and installation can result in the FRP delaminating from the walls and moisture penetrating through seems. One big added benefit of this product is that white color panels they will brighten up your kitchen and give it a more spacious feel…a bonus especially where you have no windows to allow natural light. Another is that you can scrub FRP walls down without removing the paint.

3. Stainless Steel Cladding - Stainless makes kitchens shine like nothing else, giving them a distinctly commercial look. If you plan to show off your kitchen (i.e. open concept) then this option really stands out! Just remember, Stainless is expensive but you get what you pay for. Nothing matches the long term durability or sustainable appearance of Stainless Steel, and it is one way to tell your customers that you are a high end place. Customers expect the environment to match the food, so if you are going 5 star then this is the kitchen wall covering choice for you…lots of “bling”.

Plumbing fixtures are often overlooked when it comes to commercial kitchen planning, when they are really important for a commercial kitchen. Commercial heavy duty ¼ turn faucets are easy to use and hold up to high use and abuse. Ultimately, buying economy fixtures for your commercial kitchen is like running a marathon in flip-flops…they will not work well OR last very long. Plumbing fixtures are a small part of a restaurant budget, but are one of the investments where you get the greatest return for your investment dollar. Go for it, spend on quality commercial fixtures and thank yourself later.

Running a restaurant in BC’s interior can mean sweltering hot summer days in your commercial kitchen. There are two ways to tackle the heat (1) traditional air conditioning (2) water-cooled swamp coolers.

Traditional air conditioning works great when it is sized and installed correctly with proper air distribution. The challenge is keeping up with the electrical bills in a tight margin business, and finding enough available power from your electrical panel. Operating costs are high with this technology; and if you don’t have room on your panel, then you could pay thousands of dollars to bring that into your space.

Swamp Coolers use very little power to run a small pump and fan system, and use your city water for cooling. There is no better way to cool large spaces in dry hot climates than swamp coolers. These units can pump huge volumes of cooled air at very low operating costs, and typically outlast the make-up air unit. Black Ink Company professionals (1) can fit a modular system swamp cooler to make up air units that are made for retrofitting, or (2) they can supply and install an independent swamp cooler unit with its own supply fan.

Please note that swamp cooler technology relies on dry climates, so humid climates mitigate their usefulness…in other words, do not use swamp cooler technology in coastal or very wet regions because this will not be effective. If you do choose to use a swamp (i.e. evaporative cooler) in your dry hot region, be sure you have a maintenance program in place to stop and drain the units before freeze up.

If you are in the BC interior planning your restaurant, make sure that you plan for a swamp cooler in the beginning; even if you are not adding one right away due to budget limits. This way Black Ink Company designers can select the proper modular type make up air unit that has a swamp cooler add-on feature. Also, have our construction manager add a “future” water line to the make-up air when you are building your restaurant, so that you have the option to add a swamp cooler whenever you want…because YOU WILL once the heat of the summer hits! This way if your budget says no today, then later you will be prepared; plus it is more economical to get the water line installed during initial construction. This way when you choose to add the swamp cooler later, then you can without interrupting your kitchen operations.

Now you know not to cut corners with your make-up air design, and have the foresight to avoid hassles later on when you will need cooling. Be aware what you are being quoted for your make-up air package, because leaving out cooling will cost you more later on.

Be sure to consider airflow volumes and design options when choosing a Commercial Cooking Hood System for your restaurant.

If air quality is important to you, then you may choose to set your cubic feet per minute (cfm) airflow above minimum levels under code.  Consider this example:  a pub kitchen cookline generally produces a lot more grease laden vapour than say a sub sandwich shop.  Black Ink Co. designers suggest you increase airflow volume in the pub, but minimize the hood system cfm’s in the sub shop.

The need to remove higher levels of contaminants from the space is accomplished by moving more air volume (i.e. using a stronger exhaust fan).  We are guided (under the Commercial Cooking Ventilation Code NFPA96 & the BC Building Code) to balance exhaust cfm volumes with make up air cfm volumes; so if we increase the exhaust, then we must increase the make up air proportionally.

Your restaurant hood system will not grease up and require as much cleaning when the airflow is set right for the situation, and grease deposits on your kitchen ceiling will not become a problem.  The faster the airflow speed, or higher the cfm’s keeps the grease from depositing on surfaces and liberates it into the outdoors where you want it.

Make sure you design your Commercial Kitchen Vent Hood System right, and specify the correct make up air heater/blower and exhaust fan for the job.  You need to know what you are doing under the hood, and then design your system to accommodate your demands. Remember, moving air costs money especially in the cold months when the make up air heater is engaged.  Talk with our designers at Black Ink Co. about your electric and gas fired options and what system is right for you.

Commercial Restaurant Kitchen Designs have 8 distinct elements to consider: (1)Cook Line (2)Prep Line (3)Dry Storage (4)Delivery Receiving (5)Refrigeration (6)Dish Wash (7)Veggie Prep (8)Mop Sink

“Flow” is a term that refers to how these elements interact in an operating kitchen with cooking and serving staff working in a coordinated way.

Black Ink Company restaurant designers know how to use all types of spaces in the most efficient way for your restaurant design layout.  Because Black Ink Company is a Commercial Food Equipment & Stainless Steel Fabrication provider, we can advise you on every detail. 

It really depends on what your business concept is.  Here are some helpful consumer tips:

1.  If you are planning a long term investment, then you will get your value out of new foodservice equipment.  Warranty coverage is nice too.

2.  If you are planning a test period for a new restaurant concept, then go used until you are sure.  The cost savings are huge and restaurant equipment depreciates fast…just like a car, only worse.

3.  Match your investment setting.  A high end swanky joint deserves the best new equipment, and it tells your high paying customers that you are investing in them.  This is especially critical for open concept kitchens.

4.  If you are building the low-cost menu or have a small start-up budget, then initial cost and function may become your primary goals.  Used equipment can make sense in this case, just make sure the commercial appliances are tested by a certified tech before you buy.

note:  old used equipment most often brings too many problems breaking down during operating hours and finding parts can be difficult or impossible.  For this reason “new-used" are the only used restaurant appliances you should ever consider.

Always consider your building services when choosing new restaurant equipment for your new or existing business.  Power availability is often limited in restaurant electrical panels, because there are so many electrical appliances in your average commercial kitchen.  Hasty restaurant equipment choices can lead to “shocking” electrical upgrade charges that can easily double your investment.  Similar cautions should be taken when selecting gas cooking equipment.

There are smart business tools available for new restaurant owners to use when planning to build.  A good feasibility study puts ideas and expenses in perspective, so you can match your plans to your budget early in the business planning process.