Restaurant Operations
How to Design a Chinese Restaurant Kitchen Workflow
Chinese restaurant workflow should be designed around bottlenecks. The menu can only perform if the kitchen stations can execute it repeatedly.
Station map
| Station | Typical work | Common bottleneck |
|---|---|---|
| Wok | Stir-fries, noodles, fried rice, sauced proteins. | Too many items requiring last-minute wok time. |
| Steamer | Dim sum, buns, fish, rice rolls. | Timing and steamer space. |
| Fryer | Fried appetizers, coated proteins, salt-and-pepper dishes. | Shared fryer risk and timing. |
| Prep | Vegetable cutting, marinating, sauce setup, dumplings. | Prep volume and cross-contact control. |
| Noodle and soup | Broth, noodles, toppings, bowls. | Assembly and noodle texture. |
| Takeout packing | Containers, sauces, labels, delivery staging. | Order accuracy and food texture. |
Workflow principles
- Design the menu around station capacity.
- Standardize sauces and prep without making every dish taste the same.
- Separate fast dishes from slow dishes in ordering guidance and expectations.
- Use labeling and staging to reduce takeout errors.
- Identify which dishes fail when held for delivery and treat them differently.