Central kitchen:definition and organisation

The complete 2026 guide to understanding what a central kitchen is: legal definition (French decree of 21 December 2009 and EU hygiene package), three organisational models, ROI calculation, reinforced HACCP requirements, satellite allotment and ERP integration.

Run your central kitchen with Melba: industrial recipe specifications, production planning, multi-site allotment, downstream traceability and automated EU 1169/2011 allergen labelling.

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Central kitchen: definition, organisation and ROI (complete 2026 guide)

A central kitchen, also called a central production unit or commissary kitchen, is a culinary production facility that prepares meals which are not consumed on site and are delivered to consumption points known as satellites. The French legal definition stems from article R. 233-4 of the rural code and the decree of 21 December 2009; the same operating concept is recognised across the European Union under the broader hygiene package. The qualification applies as soon as one production tool serves at least two distinct sites. The central kitchen concentrates purchasing, production, packaging and dispatch; the satellite handles reception, reheating and service.

The format has spread because it delivers three benefits at once: economies of scale on purchasing, standardised quality, and a lower kitchen wage bill on serving sites. It is widespread in institutional foodservice (Sodexo, Elior, Compass), commercial chains (Buffalo Grill, Pitaya, Class'Croute) and group hospitality (central pastry or bakery units). In return, a central kitchen imposes a stricter regulatory framework - sanitary approval, witness portions, forward flow design - and demanding cold-chain logistics.

What this guide covers

  • The regulatory definition of a central kitchen under French law and the EU hygiene package
  • The exact boundary between central kitchen and satellite, who does what in the flow
  • The three organisational models: pure central kitchen, hybrid and regional multi-CK
  • Typical staffing chart, ratios per volume tier and applicable collective agreements
  • ROI calculation for central kitchen versus decentralised production with worked figures
  • Examples of French and international chains operating with a central kitchen
  • Key equipment: tilting kettles, blast chillers, sealing machines and cold rooms
  • HACCP specifics, satellite allotment and software ERP integration

Free audit of your central kitchen project - Our team reviews your sizing, business plan and functional specification to identify risk areas and produce a realistic three-to-five-year ROI estimate.

Legal framework

Under French rural code article R. 233-4 and the decree of 21 December 2009, a central kitchen is an establishment whose output, in whole or in part, is destined to be delivered to another establishment or to a community of people. No volume threshold is set by regulation: the criterion is organisational, not quantitative. As soon as one tool serves at least two distinct sites, the qualification applies. The immediate consequence is that if the kitchen delivers to third parties, it must hold sanitary approval (CE approval number) issued by the DDPP under the supervision of the DGAL.

The European framework is set by the hygiene package: regulations EC 178/2002 (general principles), EC 852/2004 (food hygiene) and EC 853/2004 (specific rules for products of animal origin). These texts require a food safety management plan based on the seven HACCP principles, upstream and downstream traceability, and a general obligation to demonstrate control over biological, chemical and physical hazards.

Commercial, institutional and contract foodservice - A central kitchen can serve any of the three main segments. Commercial foodservice (restaurant chains, brasseries, fast-casual) requires EU 1169/2011 (FIC) compliance for allergen labelling; institutional foodservice (schools, care homes, hospitals, corporate canteens) adds the public procurement framework and nutritional quality decrees; contract foodservice (delegation to Sodexo, Elior, Compass) requires compliance with the customer's specifications. The legal status changes little - hygiene and traceability obligations remain the same.

Central kitchen vs satellite: who does what in the flow

The central kitchen handles the upstream flow: receiving raw materials, storing in cold rooms, large-batch production (kettles, sauteuse pans, mixed-mode ovens), rapid blast chilling (passing from 63 degrees to 10 degrees in under two hours for cook-chill), packaging in individual trays or bulk multi-portion containers, allotment by satellite, dispatch in refrigerated vehicles. It concentrates technical skills, purchasing power with suppliers and regulatory responsibility.

The satellite kitchen takes over downstream: receiving delivered goods, mandatory temperature checks on arrival, buffer storage in positive cold rooms, reheating for cook-chill (core temperature reaching 63 degrees in under one hour), service to the end consumer, waste handling and cleaning. The satellite does not produce, except in the hybrid model. Its team is smaller, less technical and focused on service.

Cook-chill vs cook-hot - Cook-hot requires holding above 63 degrees until service and consumption within two hours: rarely used because of logistics constraints. Cook-chill dominates in France (over 80 per cent of central kitchens): rapid chilling to 10 degrees in under two hours, storage at 0 to 3 degrees for 3 to 5 days, reheating at the satellite. It decouples production and service, allows logistics pooling and reduces sanitary risk if the cold chain is respected.

Three models

The three central kitchen organisational models

Choosing a model depends on the number of satellites, geographic spread, the customer experience targeted and the available capital budget. None is intrinsically better - each optimises a different trade-off between scale, freshness and resilience.

Observed use cases: pure central kitchen dominates in school and hospital catering; hybrid model dominates in premium restaurant chains; regional multi-CK dominates with the largest contract foodservice players.

Main benefits
Model 1 - Pure central kitchen: one CK produces for N satellites which act as service points only (institutional catering, schools, hospitals, fast-casual chains). Advantages: maximum economies of scale, homogeneous quality control, operational simplicity at the satellite. Disadvantages: single point of failure (a CK breakdown stops the whole network), high logistics costs, perceptible freshness drop if the delivery radius exceeds 200 km.
Model 2 - Hybrid: the CK produces bases and components (sauces, stocks, pre-cooked meats, fresh pasta), the satellites finish with a la minute cooking and plating. Balances perceived freshness and production scale. Use cases: premium restaurant chains, group hospitality with central pastry or bakery. Allows the 'fait maison' label in France under decree 2014-797 if the satellite genuinely performs the finishing.
Model 3 - Regional multi-CK: 2 to 5 central kitchens spread across the territory, each with its catchment area (radius of 150 to 300 km). Use cases: large institutional foodservice groups (Sodexo, Elior, Compass), national-scale chains. Advantages: resilience (a breakdown in one CK can be absorbed by a neighbour), lower logistics cost, proximity to local suppliers. Disadvantages: duplicated fixed costs, complexity of cross-site standardisation.
Pick the right model
Staffing

Typical staffing chart, ratios per volume and wage bill

A central kitchen org chart usually splits into three functions: management and quality (site manager, HACCP lead, purchasing lead), production (production chef, sous chefs, line cooks, packaging operators) and logistics (storekeeper, allotment operators, delivery drivers). The wage bill typically represents 14 to 18 per cent of kitchen revenue - lower than decentralised production thanks to per-station productivity gains.

Applicable collective agreements in France: institutional foodservice agreement (IDCC 1266) for institutional segments, HCR agreement (IDCC 1979) for commercial and hotel segments. Management status applies from production chef level upward.

Main benefits
1 500 meals per day tier - typical headcount: 1 production chef, 2 to 3 cooks, 1 storekeeper-allotment operator (combined role), 1 driver, 1 part-time quality lead pooled across sites. Total around 5 to 7 FTE. Equipment investment 400 000 to 700 000 euros. Minimum surface 250 to 350 sqm.
5 000 meals per day tier - typical headcount: 1 director, 1 production chef plus 1 sous chef, 6 to 8 cooks, 2 packaging operators, 1 storekeeper, 2 to 3 allotment operators, 2 drivers, 1 full-time quality and HACCP lead. Total around 14 to 18 FTE. Investment 1.5 to 2.5 million euros. Surface 700 to 1000 sqm.
15 000 meals per day tier - typical headcount: 1 director, 1 production director plus station chefs (hot, cold, pastry), 20 to 30 cooks, 5 to 8 packaging and allotment operators, 4 to 6 drivers, a quality and HACCP team of 2 to 3 people, dedicated maintenance staff. Total around 40 to 55 FTE. Investment 4 to 7 million euros. Surface 1500 to 2500 sqm.
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Hygiene HACCP

Hygiene and HACCP in central kitchens: specifics

A central kitchen concentrates sanitary risk because a single batch can be delivered to several hundred or thousand end consumers. The food safety management plan is therefore tighter than in standalone commercial kitchens: mandatory downstream traceability (ability to identify all satellites that received a batch from a specific raw material lot), systematic witness portions, kinetic temperature logging during chilling, periodic microbiological checks.

The guiding design principle is forward flow in time and space: goods never move backwards and dirty zones (reception, decartoning, peeling) are physically separated from clean zones (production, packaging, dispatch). This constraint shapes the architectural plan and conditions the granting of sanitary approval.

Main benefits
Mandatory witness portions - 100 g per preparation served, kept for at least 5 days at 0 to 3 degrees, identifiable by label (date, dish, batch). In case of a suspected foodborne illness outbreak, those samples are seized and analysed by health authorities. Legal obligation in central kitchens serving third parties - non-negotiable.
Cook-chill kinetic curve - mandatory transition from 63 to 10 degrees in under 2 hours (ANSES guidance, French decree of 8 October 2013). Core temperature measured every 30 minutes. Any breach leads to batch destruction. The blast chiller must be sized to handle the peak production batch, not the average - undersizing is the number-one HACCP non-conformity.
Downstream traceability - in case of a supplier recall (Listeria, Salmonella, undeclared allergen), capability to identify within 4 hours every satellite that received the batch, the delivery dates and the volumes. Without a software system, this exercise becomes unmanageable beyond 5 satellites. This is one of the reasons spreadsheets no longer suffice in a central kitchen.
Allergens and cross-contamination - the risk is amplified in a CK because a single piece of equipment (kettle, sauteuse, tray-sealing line) is used for several preparations across the day. Specific allergen cleaning plan, sequencing of productions from least to most allergenic, validation through periodic swab tests. EU 1169/2011 compliance must be demonstrable batch by batch.
See the Melba HACCP module
Allotment

Allotment and satellite logistics

Allotment means assembling for each satellite the exact parcel matching its order: number of portions per dish, special diets (gluten-free, pork-free, blended), different consumption dates to optimise logistics. It is the most information-dense operation in a central kitchen and the most error-prone if handled manually.

Route optimisation: the HACCP delivery window is typically 4 to 6 hours (CK departure at 5am, last satellite reached before 11am for lunch service). Beyond that the cold chain is no longer guaranteed. Planning therefore needs to solve geographic constraints, refrigerated vehicle capacity and satellite reception slots simultaneously.

Main benefits
Tray labelling - every individual or multi-portion pack must carry: destination satellite, dish name, descending-order ingredient list where required (prepacked delivery), the 14 allergens in bold or capitals, use-by date, storage temperature, batch number, reheating instructions. Manual generation is unmanageable - automation from the ERP is mandatory.
Operational downstream traceability - every label carries a batch number that points to the recipe specification, then to the ingredients, then to the supplier delivery notes. In case of a raw material recall, the ERP returns within seconds the list of satellites that received finished products containing that batch.
Routes and time windows - grouping satellites into geographic loops of 80 to 150 km, accounting for each satellite's reception window, signed temperature checks at each stop, handling of delivery anomalies (missing items, breakage, refusal for non-compliant temperature) with credit notes issued.
See the allotment module
ROI calculation

Central kitchen ROI vs decentralised production

Comparison setup: a group with 10 sites x 200 covers per day, 250 opening days, totalling 500 000 covers per year. Average ticket 12 euros excluding tax, kitchen revenue 6 million euros excluding tax.

Decentralised: food cost 32 per cent (1.92 M euros), kitchen wage bill 22 per cent (1.32 M euros), waste 4 per cent (0.24 M euros). Direct cost total 3.48 M euros. Centralised: food cost 28 per cent thanks to purchasing power (1.68 M euros), kitchen wage bill 16 per cent thanks to productivity (0.96 M euros), waste 2 per cent (0.12 M euros), additional logistics 3 per cent (0.18 M euros), equipment and building amortisation 4 per cent over 7 years (0.24 M euros). Direct cost total 3.18 M euros.

Main benefits
Typical annual savings 7 to 12 per cent of kitchen revenue - in the example above, around 0.30 M euros per year, equivalent to 5 per cent of revenue. The bracket varies with geography (short delivery radius equals higher savings), cuisine type (simple cuisine yields easier gains than gastronomy) and the quality of software pilotage.
Indicative break-even - around 1 500 meals per day for a standalone central kitchen, dropping to 800 meals per day if it integrates into a multi-CK network sharing logistics and purchasing. Below that threshold decentralised production remains more profitable on direct cost alone.
Investment payback - 3 to 5 years for a chain of 10 sites or more under prudent assumptions (food cost minus 3 points, wage bill minus 5 points). Beyond 20 sites payback often falls under 3 years. Remember to include perceived quality benefits (consistency across sites) and HR simplicity (kitchen training reduced to a handful of sites instead of every venue).
Central kitchen ROI calculator
ERP software

Software integration of a central kitchen

A central kitchen cannot run on a generalist ERP such as SAP: recipe specification granularity is missing, native 14-allergen handling is absent, allotment by satellite has no metier equivalent, and integration with point-of-sale or operational tools is lacking. A modern CK relies on a foodservice-specialist multi-site ERP integrated with an HACCP management system and a logistics planning tool.

Required modules in the RFP: industrial recipe specifications (multi-portion, multi-recipe, sub-recipes), production planning (coupling satellite orders to stocks and cooking capacity), allotment (assembling parcels per satellite with automatic FIC labels), centralised multi-zone stock management, upstream and downstream traceability, food cost and COGS analytics per satellite, integration with POS and delivery platforms.

Main benefits
Industrial recipe specifications in Melba - automatic food cost per portion, allergen propagation from supplier datasheets, sub-recipe management (one stock used in 30 dishes - a raw material change updates 30 specs automatically), versioning and chef sign-off.
Multi-day production planning - aggregation of forecast orders from every satellite, deduction of available stocks, raw-material requirement calculation, generation of station-level production sheets (hot, cold, pastry), real-time monitoring of temperatures and anomalies.
Allotment and FIC labelling - automatic generation of EU 1169/2011 compliant tray labels (allergens in bold, use-by date, batch, destination satellite), dispatch note printing per route, scanning of temperature checks at departure and at delivery.
Downstream traceability in under one minute - on a supplier recall, identification of every satellite that received finished products containing the affected batch, withdrawal note printing, customer communication. Built-in module, IFS and BRC audit ready.
Discover Melba for central kitchens
Pitfalls and rollout

Common pitfalls and the 10-step central kitchen rollout

Seven mistakes account for most central kitchen project failures: undersized blast chillers (top HACCP non-conformity), centralising without investing in cold-chain logistics, manual FIC labelling, breaking forward flow at design, underestimating driver costs, running allotment on spreadsheets, no downstream traceability when a recall hits.

10-step project sequence: feasibility study, business plan and ROI, sizing (target volume, surface, equipment), site selection, architectural plans with forward flow compliance, sanitary approval request to DDPP, hiring of production chef and HACCP lead, equipment fit-out and dry runs, ERP rollout and integrations, progressive ramp-up site by site over 3 to 6 months.

Main benefits
Mistake 1 - undersizing the blast chiller. For 1500 meals per day, plan at least 250 to 350 kg of chiller capacity plus a backup unit. The rule is to chill the largest production batch in under 2 hours without bottleneck.
Mistake 2 - centralising without investing in cold-chain logistics. A CK without dedicated vehicles, in-transit temperature logging and a delivery anomaly procedure loses the quality benefit and exposes itself to sanitary risk.
Mistake 3 - manual FIC labelling. An allergen error means mandatory recall plus administrative fine plus criminal liability if an incident occurs. Automate from the ERP on day one, never as a phase two.
Download the 10-step checklist
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is a central kitchen?

A central kitchen is a culinary production facility that prepares meals which are not consumed on site and are delivered to consumption points known as satellites. The French definition stems from the decree of 21 December 2009 and rural code article R. 233-4. The qualification threshold is organisational: as soon as a kitchen produces for at least one other distinct site it qualifies as a central kitchen and must hold sanitary approval if it delivers to third parties.

What is the difference between a central kitchen and a satellite kitchen?

The central kitchen produces, packages and dispatches - it concentrates purchasing, technical skills and regulatory responsibility. The satellite kitchen receives the goods (most often cook-chill), reheats and serves the end consumer. The satellite does not produce, except in the hybrid model with a la minute finishing, and its team is smaller and focused on service.

What is the minimum threshold to qualify as a central kitchen?

Regulation does not set a volume threshold but an organisational one. As soon as a kitchen produces for at least one other distinct site it qualifies as a central kitchen and must hold sanitary approval if it delivers to third parties (CE approval number issued by the DDPP under DGAL supervision). The economic break-even sits around 1 500 meals per day.

Cook-chill or cook-hot for a central kitchen?

Cook-hot: consumption within 2 hours of production with holding above 63 degrees - rarely used. Cook-chill: rapid chilling to 10 degrees in under 2 hours, storage at 0 to 3 degrees for 3 to 5 days, reheating above 63 degrees at the satellite. Cook-chill dominates in France for logistics and HACCP reasons - it decouples production from service.

How much does setting up a central kitchen cost?

Building investment 800 to 2 500 euros per square metre depending on equipment, minimum profitable capacity around 1 500 to 2 000 meals per day, typical ROI 3 to 5 years for a chain of 10 or more sites versus decentralised production. As a benchmark: 5 000 meals per day requires around 700 to 1000 sqm and 1.5 to 2.5 million euros of equipment.

Which software runs a central kitchen?

A foodservice-specialist multi-site ERP covering industrial recipe specifications, allotment, downstream traceability per satellite, temperature logs, centralised stocks and production planning. A generalist ERP like SAP lacks the metier granularity. Melba covers this scope natively.

Which regulations apply to a central kitchen?

French rural code article R. 233-4 and the decree of 21 December 2009 (French definition). EU hygiene package: regulations EC 178/2002, EC 852/2004 and EC 853/2004. Food safety management plan based on the 7 HACCP principles. EU 1169/2011 (FIC) compliance for allergen labelling. Sanitary approval mandatory if delivering to third parties - issued by the DDPP under DGAL supervision in France.

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