Designing a commercial kitchen is a lot more complicated than picking out equipment and deciding where the fryers go.

On Episode 5 of Cooked with Eric Reed, Eric sits down with Jason from Rapids Foodservice Contract & Design to break down what really goes into designing a restaurant, bar, school kitchen, food hall, or other commercial foodservice operation.

With more than 20 years in foodservice design, Jason shares lessons learned from real projects—including the importance of understanding an operator's menu, service model, workflow, budget, timeline, permitting requirements, equipment needs, and long-term goals.

Eric and Jason discuss why one of the first questions in kitchen design should always be "What's your menu?", how the "circle of flow" can improve efficiency, and why designing around the way employees actually move through a kitchen or bar can have a major impact on an operation.

They also get into:

• Setting realistic expectations for restaurant buildouts
• Why budgets and timelines almost always change
• Designing around menu and service style
• Creating efficient kitchen and bar workflow
• Planning storage and refrigeration for changing menus
• Working with manufacturers and foodservice reps
• Using relationships as a resource when you don't know the answer
• AI's role in design and why human conversations still matter
• Halton hood systems and a real-world St. Louis food hall project
• A kitchen design project that became nearly impossible to solve

Whether you're opening your first restaurant, renovating an existing kitchen, designing a foodservice operation, or working in the equipment industry, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at the decisions that can make—or break—a commercial kitchen project.

Cooked with Eric Reed is presented by Midwest Professional Reps.

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Have a commercial kitchen horror story or a lesson you learned the hard way? Drop it in the comments.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Intro: Cooked with Eric Reed
00:15 – Meet Jason from Rapids Foodservice Contract & Design
02:34 – How Jason Got Into Foodservice Design
04:46 – Why Asking Customers Questions Matters
07:16 – Where a Commercial Kitchen Design Project Starts
08:00 – Setting Realistic Expectations for Restaurant Owners
10:21 – Eric's Kitchen Design Nightmare
11:24 – Why Your Menu Has to Drive the Kitchen Design
12:16 – Menu, Service Style, Beverages, Budget & Timeline
15:01 – Something Will Always Go Wrong During a Buildout
15:48 – A $10,000 Inspection Surprise
17:02 – How Often Does a Restaurant Actually Have a Finished Menu?
17:31 – Designing School Kitchens for Changing Food Programs
19:19 – What Every Operator Should Know Before Building
21:29 – The "Circle of Flow" in Commercial Kitchen Design
23:24 – Designing Bars Around the Cocktail Life Cycle
25:10 – Designing Efficient Bartender Workstations
28:18 – Manufacturer Checklists & Kitchen Design Tools
30:13 – Why Conversation Can Beat a Checklist
31:17 – AI Note-Taking & AI in Foodservice Design
33:00 – What AI Can't Replace in Restaurant Design
36:31 – What Designers Need From Manufacturers
37:05 – Why Great Manufacturer Reps Matter
39:43 – Knowing Who to Call Is a Superpower
41:19 – Better Equipment & Production Estimates
43:21 – Jason's Favorite Manufacturer to Work With
44:50 – How Halton Solved a St. Louis Food Hall Problem
47:59 – The Kitchen Design Project Jason Wishes Went Differently
51:29 – Final Thoughts & Outro

Watch the entire episode on YouTube @MidProReps

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Welcome back to Cooked with Eric Reed!

In this episode, Eric Reed and Chad Ridgway visit The Blue Duck in Maplewood, Missouri to explore what makes a great restaurant patio experience—from premium cocktail presentation to commercial furniture that keeps guests comfortable and spending longer.

You'll learn:

• Why premium drinkware matters more than you think
• How unbreakable glassware can reduce replacement costs and improve safety
• Why comfortable patio seating increases guest satisfaction and check averages
• Commercial outdoor furniture trends with Grosfillex
• How restaurants can maximize patio season profits
• BONUS: Exclusive conversation with Cookshack CEO Stuart Powell, who explains why pellet smokers have an unfair reputation and what people get wrong about cooking with pellets.

Whether you're a restaurant owner, operator, chef, bar manager or foodservice professional, this episode is packed with practical ideas you can put to work immediately.

👍 If you enjoy the show, please Like, Subscribe and hit the notification bell.

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📲 Listen wherever you get your podcasts

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YouTube: @MidProReps

00:00 Cold Open & Summer Cocktail Banter

00:40 Welcome to The Blue Duck

01:33 Why Patio Season Matters for Restaurants

02:00 Hospitality Brands: Premium Unbreakable Drinkware

06:51 Real-World Hospitality Brands Success Story

07:22 New Hospitality Brands Products from the NRA Show

08:38 Why Smaller Cocktails Are Becoming a Trend

10:30 Grosfillex Outdoor Furniture Overview

11:03 Why American-Made Commercial Furniture Matters

14:08 Beyond Restaurants: Hotels, Casinos & Resorts

15:09 Pairing Patio Furniture with Beverage Equipment

15:41 Why Resin Furniture Performs Better Outdoors

17:03 Comfortable Seating Increases Check Averages

19:26 Bonus Interview: Cookshack CEO Stuart Powell

20:03 Why Pellet Smokers Got a Bad Reputation

24:13 Closing Thoughts & Subscribe

Watch the entire episode on YouTube @MidProReps

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Cooked with Eric Reed welcomes Stuart Powell, President & CEO of Cookshack, for a deep dive into the business and science of barbecue.

Stuart shares the history of Cookshack, explains why yield and consistency matter more than most pitmasters realize, discusses competition BBQ versus restaurant BBQ, and offers practical advice for chefs looking to add smoked menu items. Along the way, the conversation covers underrated cuts of meat, smoker innovations, restaurant profitability, and plenty of memorable barbecue stories.

If you're passionate about barbecue or the restaurant industry, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

• Cookshack's History & Growth
• Why Yield Matters in BBQ
• Restaurant Consistency
• BBQ Season Explained
• Creative Uses for Smokers
• Favorite Smoked Foods
• Underrated & Overrated Cuts
• Competition BBQ Today
• Advice for Future Restaurant Owners

Chapter Timestamps

00:00 Introduction
0:34 Meet Stuart Powell, President & CEO of Cookshack
3:00 How Cookshack Started & Company History
7:40 Growing Cookshack & Lean Manufacturing
9:46 What Most People Get Wrong About BBQ
12:00 Consistency Is Everything in Restaurant BBQ
14:11 Is There Really a BBQ Season?
17:25 Why BBQ Restaurants Are the Hardest Customers to Sell
18:14 Creative Ways Restaurants Can Use Smokers
22:45 Smoking Prime Rib with Rosemary
23:53 Why Electric Smokers Changed Backyard BBQ
25:45 The Ostrich Story (Yes, Really)
26:52 Best Smoked Menu Item for Any Restaurant
28:14 Most Underrated Cuts of Meat
29:17 Most Overrated BBQ Cuts
34:08 Competition BBQ vs Restaurant BBQ
39:30 Why Every Restaurant Needs an Exit Strategy
40:38 Why Competition BBQ Has Become Too Expensive
42:50 Outro

Watch the entire episode on YouTube @MidProReps

Follow Eric, Chad and Midwest Professional Reps on Social Media @MidProReps