Restaurant capacity?

[Skkyhawke2]

Is it remotely feasible to consider using 1 or 2 larger KK's for food production in a restaurant?

I read where someone said figure on about 60 lbs of meat for 120 people.

120 people is a fair amount of folks served in an average restaurant's day. If that many.

I can only guess there are probably more affordable routes to take for commercial food production.

If one offers ribs, chicken and pork that's a bunch of grill space needed for that kind of output.

Trying to offer something unique and different than the typical BBQ place offers other than the giant black metal

cooker parked out front burning tons of wood.

Which brings us to second point. Would charcoal cooking make food production cost prohibitive?

Unless they come up with a really huge KK this may be all up in smoke, excuse pun.

Problem is if you had a KK big enough for commercial cooking you probably couldn't lift the lid.

ANy ideas or any experience with commercial food production on the KK?

Many thanks.

[Firemonkey]

Re: Restaurant capacity?

Charcoal cooking would not be cost prohibitive. You can get lump charcoal in bulk much cheaper than retail. I know local restaurants that buy it for under 25 cents a pound.

Now, serving enough food to be profitable is another story. Sure, you can cook enough low and slow que for an army in a KK or two, but it's all going to be sitting around in a steam table waiting to be served. You would need a whole line of KKs to do the various tasks needed to offer anything beyond standard BBQ stand fare. The main grill area of a kk is about equal to a weber in grill surface. The upper grill adds about 50% capacity for finishing things, but 1-2 grills just won't cut it for a restaurant. A roadside stand - maybe, if it's a limited menu.

[fcnich]

Re: Restaurant capacity?

I agree with Firemonkey, a KK not pratical for restaurant setting. Could be practical in a catering situation, i do some of that myself, i can only do the meat, usually turkey or pulled pork on the KK, still have to have a kitchen for the appropriate sides. I would like to find an mechanical engineer to devise some kind of a mover for a KK, just so i could show it off at some events!!

[Firemonkey]

Re: Restaurant capacity?

I would like to find an mechanical engineer to devise some kind of a mover for a KK' date=' just so i could show it off at some events!![/quote']

With the end of the Space Shuttle program, NASA has this big crawler-type thing that is not seeing much use ...might be able to get a deal

Maybe a small flatbed with some appropriate anchor points to secure the wheels from rolling, then a pair of custom brackets attached to the side table bolts on each side of the grill where you could attach strapping to keep it from tipping? If the trailer had a pair of retractable wheels near the front (something bigger than the tongue jacks) then you could use the whole assembly as a push cart over level grass.

[mguerra]

Re: Restaurant capacity?

I don't think the NASA crawler is heavy duty enough for a KK... A Saturn 5 maybe, but not a KK!