Similarity between a workshop and a kitchen
A kitchen is one of the most stressful environment a person could work in. Though it does share many similarity to a workshop in that everything has to be clean, everything has to be organised and everything is loud and chaotic. In this blog I want to focused on how chefs keep their kitchen organised and what we can learn from that and apply to a workshop in trying to streamline the workflow.
Although I've never worked in a professional kitchen, I have a strong background in the hospitality industry. I spent three months studying culinary arts, six months as a barista, and one month training as a bartender. This experience taught me the importance of an ideal, organized work environment. I also learned that a barista must maintain a clean station, and a bartender's tools must be spotless.
The most fundamental principle I learned was "clean as you go," and it's something I now apply everywhere. Behind the bar, I would clean my shaker immediately after using it. In the kitchen, a knife would be washed as soon as I was finished with it. Even after a vacation, my luggage is unpacked and put away right away. This principle is incredibly helpful because you never know when you'll need your tools again, and you don't want to be searching for a dirty shaker, a misplaced knife, or a piece of luggage. This idea is closely linked to another key principle: "everything in its place," which I've also discussed in my post about labeling.
To ensure a smooth workflow in a kitchen or bar, a queue order system is essential. The next order is only started after the previous one is completed or is waiting. I saw this same system at Protolabs Network, a manufacturing facility in Glasgow. They would stick an engineering drawing of the current part onto the machine to signify that it was in process. This not only helped manage the queue but also allowed for a quick double-check of the order's correctness. Inspired by this, I started using a hybrid system in my own workshop. Similar to an order rail at a bar, I would stick engineering drawings in a queue and only move on to the next task after the first was complete. While some of my colleagues didn't like this idea, likely because they were used to a different workflow, it made my own process much more efficient.
A kitchen also demonstrates the value of specialization. You wouldn't ask one chef to handle both the steak and the sauce at the same time—it would be too slow. Instead, one person might be assigned the steak, another the sauce, and a third the final assembly. This is the same principle that Ford used to create the assembly line: each person is responsible for one specific task. We can apply this to a workshop as well. Rather than one person cutting a piece of wood while others watch, a second person could be hammering screws or performing another task. By dividing the labor, they can work on two things at once, staying productive and out of each other's way.
Another similarity between a kitchen and a workshop is the concept of pre-preparation. Imagine a customer having to wait five hours for a slow-cooked meal! That's why kitchens pre-cut vegetables, partially cook meals, and chill desserts in advance. A workshop can adopt a similar mindset. Engineering drawings can serve as the recipe, pre-cut wood as the pre-cut vegetables, and different parts of an assembly as the pre-cooked ingredients. Thinking of the workshop this way allows for better delegation and a more streamlined approach. I began implementing this at Crafter’s Lab by asking senior colleagues if I could pre-prepare tasks for the next week. I would create engineering drawings and cut every piece of wood before any assembly began.
Finally, let's talk about station organization—specifically, how to keep your workspace clean. On my first day in the kitchen, our chef explained how we should set up our station: a chopping board closest to us, a towel on the side, and bowls at the top. I asked, "What about the knife?" and he replied, "On top of the chopping board." This made me realize that because he used it so often, he never thought to give it a dedicated place. But a dedicated place for frequently used tools is exactly what you need most! I keep my own table organized by having distinct zones: a space for the current task, a space for trash, a space for parts, and a space for tools. This level of micro-organization might seem minor, but it's what truly makes your work shine. Without it, the space might look clean, but the constant small annoyances will still nag at you.
