Summary
Planning a commercial kitchen for an American Legion, VFW hall, community center, church, banquet hall, or event venue? Learn what equipment you may need, what infrastructure to verify, and how to plan the project before purchasing equipment.
American Legion posts, VFW halls, community centers, fraternal organizations, churches, banquet halls, and other gathering spaces often have something increasingly valuable: an event space with an existing commercial kitchen—or the potential to create one.
With the right improvements, these facilities can continue serving their members and communities while also supporting weddings, banquets, fundraisers, meetings, celebrations, catered functions, and other events.
But updating an event venue kitchen is about more than replacing an old range or buying a new refrigerator.
Before investing in equipment, it is important to determine how food will be handled, how many guests the facility needs to support, who will use the kitchen, what equipment is actually necessary, and whether the building can support it.
Planning an event venue kitchen?
Use Aldevra’s Event Venue Commercial Kitchen Planner to identify likely equipment needs, infrastructure considerations, and the potential complexity of your project based on your venue and foodservice plans.
[Build My Preliminary Kitchen Plan →]
1. Start With the Events You Want to Host
Before selecting equipment, define what you want the facility to be able to do.
There is a significant difference between a kitchen that occasionally reheats food for a 50-person meeting and one expected to prepare and serve dinner for a 250-person wedding.
Consider:
- How many guests can the event space accommodate?
- Will food be prepared onsite or brought in by caterers?
- Will you host weddings and banquets?
- Will your organization prepare meals for members?
- Will you offer buffets, plated meals, or both?
- Will outside caterers regularly use the kitchen?
- Will you operate a bar or beverage service?
- How frequently will events occur?
- Will you host community breakfasts, fish fries, fundraising dinners, or similar events?
These answers help establish the menu, production volume, refrigeration, cooking capacity, warewashing, storage, and serving requirements of the kitchen.
Avoid buying equipment simply because it is what the facility had before. An older kitchen may have been designed around an operating model that no longer makes sense.
2. What Type of Event Venue Kitchen Do You Actually Need?
Not every event venue needs a restaurant-style commercial kitchen.
Before developing an equipment list, determine what type of foodservice operation you want.
Catering / Staging Kitchen
This type of kitchen primarily receives food prepared by outside caterers.
The emphasis may be on:
- Refrigeration
- Stainless steel work and staging space
- Handwashing
- Warewashing
- Hot holding
- Ice
- Mobile racks and carts
- Convenient electrical access
- Loading and unloading access
A catering-oriented venue may not need a complete cooking line.
Reheat / Finish Kitchen
Food may arrive partially or fully prepared and then be refrigerated, reheated, finished, held, plated, and served onsite.
This type of kitchen might require ovens or other reheating equipment, refrigeration, heated holding equipment, preparation surfaces, and warewashing.
Depending on the equipment selected, additional ventilation and utility requirements may also apply.
Full Production Kitchen
A full production kitchen prepares meals onsite.
Depending on the menu, equipment could include:
- Commercial ranges
- Convection or combi ovens
- Fryers
- Griddles
- Charbroilers
- Steam equipment
- Preparation equipment
- Larger refrigeration capacity
- Warewashing systems
- Ventilation and fire-suppression systems
Hybrid Kitchen
A hybrid kitchen supports both outside caterers and onsite food preparation.
For many community and event venues, this can provide significant flexibility. It also makes careful planning particularly important because the facility needs to accommodate different users and operating scenarios.
3. Evaluate What You Already Have
Many American Legion halls, VFW posts, churches, and community facilities have commercial kitchens that have been operating for decades.
Some existing equipment may still have years of useful life. Other pieces may consume excessive energy, be difficult to repair, lack replacement parts, or simply no longer meet the facility’s needs.
Inventory existing:
Cooking Equipment
Ranges, ovens, fryers, griddles, charbroilers, steamers, kettles, microwaves, and other cooking equipment.
Refrigeration
Reach-in refrigerators and freezers, walk-in coolers and freezers, undercounter refrigeration, refrigerated prep tables, bar refrigeration, and ice machines.
Food Preparation
Worktables, sinks, shelving, mixers, slicers, food processors, and other preparation equipment.
Warewashing
Dishmachines, three-compartment sinks, pre-rinse stations, disposers, dish tables, and drying/storage areas.
Holding and Serving
Hot food tables, cold food tables, heated holding cabinets, insulated carriers, mobile serving equipment, and buffet equipment.
Rather than automatically replacing everything, consider classifying each major piece of equipment as:
Keep | Repair | Relocate | Replace Now | Replace Later
That can help prioritize limited renovation dollars.
4. Build the Kitchen Around the Menu
There is no universal equipment package for an event venue.
A facility serving breakfasts, fish fries, burgers, and community dinners has different requirements from a banquet venue primarily hosting catered weddings.
That is why menu planning should come before equipment selection.
Cooking
A commercial range can provide burners and an oven in a relatively compact footprint.
Convection ovens can be useful for roasting, baking, reheating, and producing larger quantities of food.
Combi ovens may provide additional flexibility by supporting multiple cooking processes in a single piece of equipment.
Griddles, fryers, charbroilers, steamers, and other specialized equipment should be selected based on what the kitchen will actually prepare.
Refrigeration
Cold storage is easy to underestimate.
Depending on the operation, consider:
- Reach-in refrigerators
- Reach-in freezers
- Walk-in refrigeration
- Undercounter refrigeration
- Refrigerated prep tables
- Bar refrigeration
Think beyond an average day. A venue may suddenly need significantly more refrigerated space when preparing for a large event.
Preparation
Do not overlook workspace.
Stainless steel worktables, shelving, prep sinks, mixers, food processors, and mobile workstations can make a significant difference in how efficiently the kitchen operates.
Filling every available space with equipment while leaving inadequate preparation and staging space can create operational problems.
5. Size Equipment for Peak Event Demand
Event venues operate differently from many traditional restaurants.
A facility may be relatively quiet during the week and suddenly serve hundreds of guests on Saturday.
That means equipment should often be evaluated around peak event demand, particularly:
- Refrigeration
- Ice
- Warewashing
- Hot holding
- Food staging
- Beverage service
An ice machine, for example, might produce enough ice over 24 hours but still be unable to meet concentrated demand during a large reception.
The same principle applies to dishwashing and refrigeration.
6. Plan for Outside Caterers
If outside caterers will use the facility, design the kitchen with them in mind.
Caterers may arrive with prepared food that needs refrigeration, reheating, holding, plating, or temporary storage.
Useful features may include:
- Open stainless steel worktables
- Accessible refrigeration
- Adequate electrical receptacles
- Mobile racks and carts
- Heated holding equipment
- Ice
- Clearly designated staging areas
- Convenient loading access
Ask local caterers what they want to see in an event venue kitchen. Their feedback can be valuable before finalizing the design.
A flexible, catering-friendly kitchen can also make the venue more attractive to prospective renters.
7. Don’t Underestimate Warewashing
Think about what happens after a 200-person wedding or banquet.
There may be hundreds of plates, glasses, utensils, serving pieces, pans, and kitchen tools that need to be processed efficiently and safely.
A properly planned warewashing area may include:
- Commercial dishmachine
- Pre-rinse station
- Soiled dish table
- Clean dish table
- Three-compartment sink
- Hand sinks
- Pot and pan washing space
- Drying and storage areas
Also consider how dirty dishes return from the event space. Ideally, dirty ware should not continually cross through food preparation and plating areas.
8. Consider Hot Holding and Banquet Service
Cooking the food is only part of event service.
Food may need to remain at appropriate temperatures while the dining room is prepared, guests arrive, speeches occur, or multiple tables are served.
Depending on the operation, consider:
- Heated holding cabinets
- Insulated food carriers
- Mobile heated cabinets
- Utility carts
- Sheet pan racks
- Mobile serving equipment
- Hot and cold buffet equipment
These items become particularly important when the kitchen and event room are not immediately adjacent.
9. Think About the Bar Separately
If the venue has or plans to add a bar, treat it as its own foodservice workspace.
Depending on the operation, it may require:
- Underbar refrigeration
- Ice storage
- Glasswashing
- Hand sinks
- Dump sinks
- Workboards
- Beverage dispensing equipment
- Bottle and can storage
Consider bartender workflow when the venue is at full capacity—not just how the bar operates during normal member activities.
10. Storage Matters More Than You Think
Events require storage for much more than food.
You may need room for:
- Plates and glassware
- Flatware
- Serving equipment
- Chafers
- Linens
- Banquet supplies
- Disposable products
- Smallwares
- Cleaning supplies
- Extra tables and chairs
Commercial shelving, dunnage racks, wall shelving, mobile racks, and dedicated storage areas can help keep the kitchen functional.
Avoid gaining a few extra feet of rentable event space at the expense of inadequate back-of-house storage.
11. Think About Kitchen Flow
A commercial kitchen should support a logical progression:
Receiving → Storage → Preparation → Cooking/Reheating → Holding → Service → Dirty Dish Return → Warewashing → Clean Storage
Also consider how the kitchen connects to:
- Event room
- Bar
- Buffet
- Loading entrance
- Storage
- Dish return
- Trash removal
Sometimes relatively inexpensive changes—such as adding mobile equipment, relocating a worktable, or creating a dedicated staging area—can improve operations more than purchasing another major appliance.
12. Don’t Order Equipment Until the Infrastructure Is Verified
This is particularly important in older facilities.
A new piece of equipment can affect:
- Electrical service
- Voltage and phase
- Amperage
- Gas type and capacity
- Water supply
- Water treatment
- Drainage
- Ventilation
- Hood capacity
- Fire suppression
- Grease management
- Required clearances
- Delivery access
A replacement appliance having approximately the same dimensions as the old appliance does not necessarily mean it has the same utility or ventilation requirements.
Before ordering equipment, compare the manufacturer’s requirements with the actual conditions at the facility.
13. Check Health, Building, Fire, and Accessibility Requirements Early
Requirements vary by jurisdiction and project scope.
A renovation may involve requirements related to:
- Health department approval
- Foodservice licensing
- Building permits
- Electrical permits
- Plumbing permits
- Mechanical permits
- Exhaust ventilation
- Fire suppression
- Grease management
- Handwashing
- Food-safe surfaces
- Accessibility
- Occupancy
- Emergency egress
Involve the appropriate local authorities and qualified design or trade professionals early.
Discovering a major code or infrastructure problem after equipment has been purchased can be expensive.
14. Don’t Budget Only for the Equipment
If a new refrigerator costs $8,000, that does not necessarily mean the project costs $8,000.
A more realistic way to think about the project is:
Equipment + Freight + Delivery + Installation + Utilities + Construction + Permits + Startup
Potential costs may include:
- Freight
- Liftgate or inside delivery
- Removal and disposal of existing equipment
- Electrical work
- Plumbing
- Gas piping
- Refrigeration work
- HVAC and ventilation
- Hood modifications
- Fire suppression
- Flooring or wall repairs
- Installation labor
- Permits and inspections
- Equipment startup
Be Careful With Online Cost-Per-Square-Foot Estimates
Commercial kitchen renovation costs vary enormously.
Updating an existing VFW or American Legion kitchen that already has suitable electrical service, plumbing, drainage, ventilation, and fire suppression can be very different from converting a room that was never designed for commercial foodservice.
For early budgeting, existing conditions, equipment requirements, and infrastructure needs are generally more useful than a generic cost-per-square-foot figure.
15. Consider a Phased Renovation
Not every organization needs—or can fund—a complete renovation at once.
A phased approach might look like:
Phase 1: Safety concerns, failed equipment, and critical refrigeration
Phase 2: Cooking and warewashing improvements
Phase 3: Serving, bar, storage, and operational improvements
Phase 4: Equipment that expands menu or event capabilities
The important part is to develop the overall kitchen plan before starting Phase 1.
Otherwise, equipment purchased today may interfere with improvements planned for later.
16. Consider Equipment That Can Do More Than One Job
Space is often limited in older community facilities.
Multipurpose equipment can therefore be valuable.
Depending on the menu, a combi oven, for example, may support several cooking processes within one footprint.
Mobile equipment can provide similar flexibility. Worktables, racks, heated cabinets, and serving equipment on casters can allow a kitchen to operate differently depending on whether the facility is hosting a wedding, fish fry, breakfast, fundraiser, meeting, or catered event.
The goal is not necessarily to have the most equipment.
It is to have the right equipment for the greatest number of realistic uses.
17. Plan for Maintenance
A renovated kitchen represents a significant investment.
Protect it.
Develop an appropriate preventive maintenance plan for major equipment such as:
- Refrigeration
- Ice machines
- Dishmachines
- Combi ovens
- Convection ovens
- Fryers
- Exhaust and ventilation systems
Also establish responsibility for routine cleaning and maintenance.
Keep equipment manuals, model and serial numbers, warranty information, service records, and preventive maintenance schedules organized and accessible.
18. Look at the Kitchen as an Investment in the Venue
A commercial kitchen renovation should not be evaluated only as an expense.
Ask what an improved facility could allow the organization to do that it cannot do today.
Could it support:
- Larger weddings?
- More banquet rentals?
- Community breakfasts?
- Fish fries?
- Fundraising dinners?
- Corporate meetings?
- Graduation parties?
- Celebration-of-life events?
- Holiday events?
- Outside catering?
- Community meal programs?
If kitchen improvements allow the organization to accommodate additional events, attract caterers, improve the customer experience, or command a higher rental rate, those improvements may contribute to the long-term sustainability of the facility.
Before You Request Equipment Quotes
Before contacting an equipment dealer or requesting pricing, try to identify:
- Maximum guest capacity
- Types of events you want to host
- Whether food will be cooked onsite
- Whether outside caterers will use the kitchen
- Representative menus
- Existing equipment you want to keep
- Available electric, gas, water, and drainage
- Existing hood and fire suppression
- Refrigeration requirements
- Warewashing requirements
- Approximate project budget
- Desired project timeline
Don’t know all of those answers yet?
That’s normal.
Build Your Preliminary Kitchen Equipment Plan
Aldevra’s Event Venue Commercial Kitchen Planner walks you through the major questions and generates preliminary equipment recommendations, infrastructure items to verify, and a project-complexity assessment.
[Start the Free Kitchen Planner →]
Frequently Asked Questions About Event Venue Commercial Kitchens
Does an event venue need a full commercial kitchen?
Not necessarily.
A venue primarily receiving prepared food from outside caterers may need refrigeration, staging space, sinks, warewashing, hot holding, and other support equipment without requiring the same cooking line as a restaurant.
A venue preparing meals onsite will generally have more extensive cooking, preparation, ventilation, utility, and equipment requirements.
Start by determining whether the facility will cook, reheat, hold, plate, or simply receive food.
What equipment does an event venue commercial kitchen need?
It depends on guest capacity, menu, service style, and whether food is prepared onsite.
Common equipment categories include commercial refrigeration, stainless steel worktables, sinks, shelving, cooking or reheating equipment, warewashing, ice equipment, heated holding, and mobile serving equipment.
The equipment package should be developed around the operation rather than a generic checklist.
What does a catering kitchen need in an event venue?
A catering-oriented kitchen should make it easy to receive, store, finish, hold, plate, serve, and clean up food.
Priorities may include refrigeration, stainless steel staging space, handwashing, warewashing, hot holding, mobile racks and carts, ice, dry storage, electrical access, and convenient loading.
Can an event venue have a kitchen without a commercial hood?
Potentially, depending on the equipment and cooking processes.
Certain commercial cooking operations can trigger specific ventilation and fire-suppression requirements. Other equipment and applications may have different requirements.
Do not purchase cooking equipment based on an assumption that a hood will—or will not—be required. Have the proposed equipment and installation reviewed against applicable local requirements.
How big should an event venue kitchen be?
There is no universal square footage that makes an event kitchen adequate.
A better question is: What needs to happen in the kitchen when the venue is at full capacity?
Consider the number of workers, guest capacity, menu, food preparation, storage, cooking, holding, service, warewashing, and catering requirements.
A smaller kitchen with excellent workflow can sometimes outperform a larger poorly planned kitchen.
Does an event venue need a walk-in cooler?
Not always.
Some facilities can meet their needs with commercial reach-in refrigerators and freezers. Larger or higher-volume venues may benefit from walk-in refrigeration.
Evaluate peak food and beverage storage requirements, event frequency, available space, installation cost, and whether outside caterers need refrigerated storage.
Does an event venue need a commercial dishwasher?
If the facility regularly uses reusable plates, glasses, flatware, and serving equipment, warewashing capacity can become extremely important.
Evaluate the number of items that must be processed after a full-capacity event rather than normal daily use.
How much does it cost to renovate an event venue commercial kitchen?
There is no reliable one-size-fits-all answer.
Equipment is only part of the cost. A renovation can also involve electrical, plumbing, gas, ventilation, refrigeration, fire suppression, construction, freight, installation, permits, and equipment startup.
An assessment of the existing kitchen and infrastructure provides a much better starting point for budgeting.
Can we renovate our commercial kitchen in phases?
Yes.
A phased renovation can be particularly useful for nonprofit, membership, veterans, faith-based, and community organizations managing limited capital budgets.
Develop the overall plan first, then determine which improvements are most urgent and which can occur later.
Should we repair or replace existing commercial kitchen equipment?
Consider the equipment’s age, condition, repair history, parts availability, reliability, capacity, energy use, and whether it still meets the facility’s needs.
Equipment that remains reliable and appropriate for the operation does not necessarily need to be replaced simply because the kitchen is being renovated.
Ready to Start Planning?
Whether you’re updating an American Legion post, VFW hall, community center, church, banquet hall, fraternal organization, or other event venue, start with the operation before selecting equipment.
Aldevra can help evaluate existing commercial foodservice equipment, identify replacement and upgrade options, and consider the equipment, installation, and infrastructure requirements associated with the project.
Start with our Event Venue Commercial Kitchen Planner to build a preliminary equipment plan.
Aldevra, LLC
5865 Venture Park Dr.
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 350-1337
sales@aldevra.com
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