Restaurants

Dishwashing Small Space Design for Restaurants

Keep one clear route and make infrequent activities share a footprint. Measure what happens when the room is occupied.

Explore the ideas
Kitchen with pale green base cabinets and a continuous tiled backsplash
Service inspiration: choose surfaces that can be wiped along work areas.

Plan in this order

  1. Remove items used elsewhere and list what still needs to fit in the room.
  2. Put frequent-use storage against a fixed edge and test whether shallow storage works there.
  3. Tape the occupied footprint of the largest movable item, including the user and the space needed to operate it.
Worked example

A compact guest washroom has no room for a floor cabinet, but visitors need a place for hand towels and supplies.

Use a shallow wall cabinet above the clear floor area and a small towel hook within reach of the basin. Confirm the door opens fully and stored items do not crowd the mirror.

How to test it

Rehearse the busiest moment with everything open or pulled out. If the route disappears, change the furniture size or position.

Apply it to this space
Layout
Create a one-way dirty-to-clean sequence with a drop-off point separate from outgoing service.
Detail
Choose slip-resistant flooring and moisture-tolerant wall finishes; keep racks close to clean storage.
Trade-off
A generous wash area helps peak flow but uses valuable back-of-house floor area.
  • Follow a used plate through the full cycle
  • Check splash and drainage around the machine
Parallel kitchen with teal cabinets and a continuous counter run
Service inspiration: organize equipment along opposing work runs.

The Elixir portfolio

Details worth a closer look

Photographs for design inspiration
Straight kitchen cabinets with a long counter and under-cabinet lighting
Service inspiration: keep task surfaces and storage easy to reach.

Related design guides

Talk to a Designer