The appropriate specification will ensure public barbecue facilities’ public appeal, safe use, and ease of maintenance. Together with the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA), we recently conducted a CPD presentation highlighting the best practice for barbecue specification and deployment practices.

Critical considerations for your communal barbecue facility include:

 Access

• Allow clear access to the cooktops for barbecue users and for cleaning and service staff to access the cabinet’s interior.
• Ensure that all clearances and approach pathways meet or exceed minimum regulatory requirements
• Ensure that barbecue controls face the user, especially when specifying wheelchair-accessible cabinets
• Install barbecues in plain view to ensure that children are always visible and to reduce the possibility of antisocial behaviour.
• Locate barbecue facilities in a well-ventilated area, away from flammable structures or materials.

Environment

• Install barbecues underneath a shelter to protect users from the sun and rain.
• A shelter will prolong the life expectancy of your asset by reducing exposure to the weather.
• Barbecue facilities in wind-prone areas will use more energy and require more cleaning and maintenance.
• Barbecues in corrosive locations, e.g. next to a surf beach, may require more frequent cleaning to remove contaminants.

Hygiene

• Benchtops and cooking surfaces should be manufactured from non-porous materials such as stainless steel that are hygienic and easy to clean.
• The cooktop should have large radius corners to allow for cleaning to the edge of the plate.
• Cabinets should be cleaned regularly to encourage asset use.

Food Safety

• The hotplate must be pressed from a single piece of material. Welded seams with crevices are difficult to clean and could harbour bacteria.
• Most popular grades of stainless steel are poor heat conductors. Select alloys with good heat dispersal properties to avoid cold spots on the plate.
• A sterilisation cycle with built-in failsafes will ensure that harmful organisms are destroyed before cooking, and that safe cooking temperatures are reached at all times.

User safety

• The hotplate must be recessed at least 100mm from the outside edge of the benchtop so that children can’t reach it.
• Remove all possible climbing aids, including water taps or meter boxes.
• Benchtop corners must be rounded and preferably manufactured from nylon or similar material to reduce the likelihood of impact injury.

Know more about our barbecue cooktops and cabinets here.