New kitchen: different routing, more efficiency

What do you need if you prepare at least ten thousand fresh meals every day? And how do you ensure that all those customers can be seated in time? Johan van Marle, owner of Uitgekookt, knows what a good kitchen needs to have. A kitchen that is bursting at the seams due to its own success.

Meals, catering and event company Uitgekookt – van Marle in IJsselmuiden is moving. Van Marle had Bessels architects and engineers design a new building in which they can work even more efficiently. At the end of the year, the company will be moving into the brand new building. And the need is dire, because the coolers are now outside in the covered parking lot. Every day, about ten thousand people eat a fresh meal from the kitchen of Uitgekookt. About three hundred couriers drive throughout the Netherlands to deliver the meals. In the larger cities, they use a bicycle. “We had an automation system built in order to process and deliver all orders”, says Johan van Marle. “The online ordering system allows the customer to indicate everything.” 

Showing everything

About twelve years ago, Johan built an open kitchen behind the fruit and vegetable specialty store that he took over from his parents. “It was a turning point for the company”, he explains. “I hired a chef and allowed people to see, smell and taste everything we made. We also wanted to show that we cook according to the basic principles. Not a single package or bag is involved, and the ingredients are often grown on the surrounding land.” More and more often, customers ask Johan if he can make a dish of snacks or create a buffet for a party. That way, the business is slowly turning into a catering company. 

Successful catering

For two years, the kitchen of just thirty square metres runs at full blast. “Thanks to the success of the catering, sales went through the roof”, says Johan. However, he knows from experience that catering has one disadvantage. “You can be extremely busy one week, but the next week, you might have nothing to do at all.” Before Johan invests, there needs to be a plan to ensure continuity in the business operations. It will be a delivery service for fresh meals, as this is clearly a market that is growing rapidly. Johan moves, sets up a large kitchen in the new building, hires the right people and has the online ordering system built. “We did not do this overnight”, he laughs. “First, we organised everything down to the tiniest detail. Only then did we start moving forward.” 

‘There is always room for creativity in our kitchen’

Room for creativity 

Every week, twenty different meals are on the menu. Chicken thighs with rice vermicelli and sereh is one of the favourites among our customers. Johan often chooses a hunting dish, and in the spring, he likes to eat a dish with asparagus or turnip tops. “We work with beautiful and fresh products that are from the region as much as possible, and we follow the seasons”, he explains. Johan now has a hundred employees, of which fifty are at work per shift to ensure that the order makes it to the customer’s table. “For the meal service, we need to prepare large quantities. But when the catering pops up, the cooks have the opportunity to go all out. There is always room for creativity in our kitchen. What we think of today, we try tomorrow. And if it’s good, we just do it.” And Uitgekookt does not back down from parties for up to 1500 people. Events where everything goes well can get Johan excited every time. “The right entourage, people whose job makes them happy, and guests who are surprised by great dishes; you can’t make me happier than that!” 

A little improvisation 

Currently, the kitchen of Uitgekookt requires a little improvisation. “Over the past five years, we have grown by 70 to 100 percent every year. The space and equipment is still a bit of a puzzle, but starting next year, everything will be different.” Johan proudly shows us the designs of his new buildings, which is currently under construction. “There is no factory here, but a traditional company that is designed in a sustainable and energy-efficient way. Our building will be fully gas-free. We collect part of the rainwater via a pond. I also find it important that our employees feel like they are in a kitchen, and not in a factory. The architect helped us with that very well. I immediately felt they know exactly how a food safe company works. I am particularly happy about the routing we will be using in our new building. It will allow us to work much more efficiently. Providing more people with great food with the same number of employees; that is our goal!”  

www.uitgekookt.nl
www.bessels.com