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A Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) is a salary supplement paid to employees to cover differences in the cost of living, particularly as a result of an international assignment. The amount of COLA should enable an expatriate to be able to purchase the same basket of goods and services in the host location as they could in their home country. The basis for calculating a COLA is the Cost of Living Index (COLI) which indexes the costs of the same basket of goods and services in different geographic locations. COLA is a simple accurate method of measuring fluctuating salary purchasing power and ensuring parity.

Cost of Living Index

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Our cost of Living Indexes measure the cost of 230 products and services across 13 different basket groups in 276 cities across the globe. The data is gathered by a team of research analysts who survey comparable items that are available internationally. A minimum of 3 prices for the same brand/size/volume of product is used to determine the average price for each item in each location. The items are priced on a quarterly basis and tend to rise and fall with inflation. The 13 different basket categories are as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco: Alcoholic beverages and tobacco products

• Alcohol at Bar
• Beer
• Cigarettes
• Locally Produced Spirit
• Whiskey
• Wine

Clothing: Clothing and footwear products

• Business Suits
• Casual Clothing
• Children’s Clothing and footwear
• Coats and hats
• Evening Wear
• Shoe Repairs
• Underwear

Communication

• Home Telephone Rental and Call Charges
• Internet Connection and service provider fees
• Mobile / Cellular Phone Contract and Calls

Education

• Crèche / Pre-School Fees
• High School / College Fees
• Primary School Fees
• Tertiary Study Fees

Furniture & Appliances: Furniture, household equipment and household appliances

• DVD Player
• Fridge Freezer
• Iron
• Kettle, Toaster, Microwave
• Light Bulbs
• Television
• Vacuum Cleaner
• Washing Machine

Groceries: Food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material

• Baby Consumables
• Baked Goods
• Baking
• Canned Foods
• Cheese
• Cleaning Products
• Dairy
• Fresh Fruits
• Fresh Vegetables
• Fruit Juices
• Frozen
• Meat
• Oil & Vinegars
• Pet Food
• Pre-Prepared Meals
• Sauces
• Seafood
• Snacks
• Soft Drinks
• Spices & Herbs

Healthcare: General Healthcare, Medical and Medical Insurance

• General Practitioner Consultation rates
• Hospital Private Ward Daily Rate
• Non-Prescription Medicine
• Private Medical Insurance / Medical Aid Contributions

Household: Housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes

• House / Flat Mortgage
• House / Flat Rental
• Household Electricity Consumption
• Household Gas / Fuel Consumption
• Household Water Consumption
• Local Property Rates / Taxes / Levies

Miscellaneous: Stationary, Linen and general goods and services

• Domestic Help
• Dry Cleaning
• Linen
• Office Supplies
• Newspapers and Magazines
• Postage Stamps

Personal Care: Personal Care products and services

• Cosmetics
• Haircare
• Moisturiser / Sun Block
• Nappies
• Pain Relief Tablets
• Toilet Paper
• Toothpaste
• Soap / Shampoo / Conditioner

Recreation and Culture

• Books
• Camera Film
• Cinema Ticket
• DVD and CD’s
• Sports goods
• Theatre Ticket

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotels

• Business Dinner
• Dinner at Restaurant (non fast food)
• Hotel Rates
• Take Away Drinks & Snacks (fast Food)

Transport: Public Transport, Vehicle Costs, Vehicle Fuel, Vehicle Insurance and Vehicle Maintenance

• Hire Purchase / Lease of Vehicle
• Petrol / Diesel
• Public Transport
• Service Maintenance
• Tyres
• Vehicle Insurance
• Vehicle Purchase

Each basket category does not count equally and are weighted in the final calculation based on expatriate spending patterns.

In order to calculate an accurate cost of living index for a specific individual the basket items that are not relevant to the individual should be excluded from the calculation. For example if education and housing is provided by the employer these basket categories would be excluded from the cost of living index calculation. This increases the accuracy of the cost of living index and makes it possible for each individual to have their own customized cost of living index based on their specific arrangements rather than using an overall “generic” index which is likely to contains costs that are not relevant to the individual.

The formula for calculating the specific cost of living index for an international assignment is as follows:

Cost of Living Index = Customized Cost of Living Index for Host City / Customized Cost of Living Index for Home City

When moving to a higher cost of living host city, the index will be greater than 1 (positive). When moving to a lower cost of living host city the index will be less than 1 (negative). Where the index is negative it means that in real terms the cost of living in the host city is lower than the home city. This means that if the negative index where to be applied to the employee’s salary, they would actually be paid proportionately less spendable salary in the host city. It is important to note that the majority of organizations do not apply a negative cost of living index because it makes it difficult to persuade an employee to take up an assignment as they tend to see it as a reduction in salary.

Examples of Cost of Living Index Calculations using our data:

Example 1) An Australian employee moving from Perth to London where healthcare and communication will be provided by the employer

More Expensive in London:

• Alcohol & Tobacco +4.77%
• Clothing +21.85%
• Education +31.53%
• Furniture & Appliances +16.03%
• Groceries +16.35%
• Household +50.72%
• Miscellaneous +137.47%
• Personal Care +11.18%
• Recreation & Culture -6.82%
• Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels +34.99%
• Transport +19.80%

The overall difference in cost of living moving from Perth and London is +28.06%.

In this case the cost of living index is positive and would be applied as it is.

Example 2) A British employee moving from London to Mumbai where the employer will provide housing and education

More Expensive in Mumbai:

• Alcohol & Tobacco -37.53%
• Clothing -9.58%
• Communication -44.92%
• Furniture & Appliances -19.31%
• Groceries -24.03%
• Healthcare -31.24%
• Miscellaneous -72.43%
• Personal Care -24.94%
• Recreation & Culture -35.73%
• Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels -33.11%
• Transport is -27.99%

The overall difference in cost of living moving from London Mumbai is -30.53%.

In this case the cost of living index is negative and would not be applied.

Net Spendable Salary

Differences in cost of living only impact the portion of the salary that is spendable in the host country. Items in the home country such as retirement funding, medical insurance and other home based costs are not impacted by the cost of living in the host country.

To determine the Net Spendable Salary establish what amount / portion of the current salary (in home currency) is spent in maintaining the employee’s current standard of living / lifestyle. What will the expatriate need to spend their salary on in the host country? For example will accommodation be provided or will the employee pay rent, will healthcare be provided etc. Deduct all items that are either provided in kind or are spendable in the home country. Deduct the hypothetical amount of tax, social contributions and any other statutory deductions applicable in the home country from the Spendable Salary. What is left is the Net Spendable Salary.

Cost of Living Allowance (COLA)

The formula for calculating the cost of living allowance using the above inputs is as follows:

(Net Spendable Salary X Cost of Living Index X Hardship Index X Exchange Rate) less (Net Spendable Salary X Exchange Rate) = COLA

Examples of COLA Calculations using our data

Example 1) An Australian employee with a net spendable salary of AUD0,000 moving from Perth to London where healthcare and communication will be provided by the employer

(0,000.00 X 1.2806 X 1 X 0.4768) less (0,000.00 X 0.4768) = COLA of £13,379.44 (GBP)

Based on all the above factors a person would require a Cost of Living Allowance of £13,379.44 (GBP), in addition to their current salary of 100,000.00 Australian Dollar (AUD) to compensate for relocating from Perth to London. This Cost of Living Allowance compensates for the overall cost of living difference of +28.06% and the relative difference in hardship of 0%.

Example 2) A British employee with a net spendable salary of £18,000 moving from London to Mumbai where the employer will provide housing and education

Note: Because the Cost of Living Index is negative it is not applied.

(£18,000.00 X 1 X 1.3 X 67.2852) less (£18,000.00 X67.2852) = COLA of 363,340.32 Indian Rupee

Based on all the above factors a person would require a Cost of Living Allowance of 363,340.32 (INR ), in addition to their current salary of £18,000.00 British Pound (GBP ) to compensate for relocating from London to Mumbai. This Cost of Living Allowance compensates for the overall cost of living difference of [-30.53%] and the relative difference in hardship of 30%.

COLA Payment

The COLA is paid as a salary supplement (i.e. as an additional allowance) net of tax in the host country. If the COLA is a taxable allowance in the host country it should be grossed up in order that the full amount of calculated COLA is paid net of tax given that the basis of the calculation is Net Spendable Salary. The COLA is often accompanied by other allowances and benefits such as flights home, relocation / settling in allowance, and furnishing allowance.

Exchange Rate Fluctuations

Significant changes in the exchange rate can make a considerable difference in the COLA calculation. In 2008 some of the major global exchange rates changed by as much as 30-40%.

The cost of living index reflects the changes caused by inflation and exchange rates. In the short-term there may be disequilibrium between inflation and the exchange rate (the one pushes the other), however over time the cost of living index provides the most accurate view of the cost of living.

It is important to remind expatriates that when the cost of living difference is negative, and the negative value has not been applied, they have higher purchasing power in the host country than they would at home.

Where a negative cost of living index has not been applied (our recommended approach), and a change in the exchange rate indicates an upward adjustment in COLA may be required, it is recommended that the COLA should not be adjusted upward until the cost of living index becomes positive i.e. the cost of living reflects that there is a “real” increase in cost of living between home and host countries. This may mean that their would be no increase in the COLA as a result of exchange rate fluctuations for some considerable time. During this time the employee’s purchasing power decreases. But it is important to remember that until the cost of living difference becomes positive, the individual will still have a higher purchasing power than they do in their home country.

It is advisable to stipulate a currency protection rule, rather than reacting to every fluctuation in the exchange rate. For example the rule may state that COLA will be reviewed if exchange rates or local inflation move by more than +10% during a year. It is important to keep in mind that the prices of goods and services are unlikely to drop in local currency. This would only occur in a period of deflation (negative inflation). Therefore the currency protection rule would normally make provision for upward adjustments in COLA and not downward adjustments during an employee’s assignment. Downward adjustments to an existing COLA due to exchange rate fluctuations without a corresponding drop in the prices of local goods and services puts immense pressure on an employee’s host currency budget commitments and can lead to the employee experiencing financial difficulty.

Using an independent service provider provides an independent, objective basis for determining an employee’s COLA.

We recommend therefore that a COLA is calculated by applying the specific (customized) cost of living index to the net spendable salary at the beginning of the assignment and monitoring exchange rate fluctuations thereafter in addition to the annual salary review.

How to Calculate a Cost of Living Allowance

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If you are planning to open an espresso bar/coffee shop, then developing an efficient store design and layout will be one of the most important factors in positioning your business for success.

Speed of service is critical to the profitability of a coffee business. An efficient ergonomic store design will allow you to maximize your sales by serving as many customers as possible during peak business periods. Even though your business may be open 12 to 16 hours a day, in reality, 80% of your sales will probably occur during 20% of those hours. Coffee is primarily a morning beverage, so your busy times of day (those times when you are most likely to have a line of waiting customers), may be from 6:30AM to 8:30AM, and then again around lunchtime. If you have a poor store layout, that does not provide a logical and efficient flow for customers and employees, then the speed of customer service and product preparation will be impaired.

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Think of it like this; if someone pulls open the front door of your store, and they see 5 people are waiting in line to order, there’s a good chance they’ll come in, wait in line, and make a purchase. But, if they see that 20 people are waiting in line, there is a high probability that they may determine that the wait will be too long, and they will simply get coffee somewhere else. This is money that just escaped your cash register! And, if they come to your store multiple times, and frequently find a long line of waiting customers, they may decide you are not a viable option for coffee, and will probably never return. Poor design slows down the entire service process, resulting in a longer line of waiting customers, and lost sales. So in reality, your daily business income will be dependent upon how many customers you can serve during peak business periods, and good store design will be essential to achieving that objective!

The financial impact of a poor store design can be significant. For the sake of this example, let’s say the average customer transaction for your coffee business will be .75. If you have a line of waiting customers each morning between 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM, this means you have 90 minutes of crunch time, in which you must drive through as many customers as possible. If you can service a customer every 45 seconds, you will serve 120 customers during this 90 minutes. But, if it takes you 1 minute 15 seconds to service each customer, then you will only be able to serve 72 customers. 120 customers x .75 = 0.00 x 30 business days per month = ,500. 72 customers x .75 = 0.00 x 30 business days per month = ,100. This represents a difference of ,400 in sales per month (,800 per year), coming from just 90-minutes of business activity each day!

So how should you go about designing your coffee bar? First, understand that putting together a good design is like assembling a puzzle. You have to fit all the pieces in the proper relationship to each other to end up with the desired picture. This may require some trial and error to get things right. I’ve designed hundreds of coffee bar over the past 15 years, and I can truthfully tell you from experience, it still usually takes me a couple of attempts to produce an optimal design.

The design process begins by determining your menu and other desired store features. If you plan to do in-store baking, then obviously you’ll need to include in your plan an oven, exhaust hood, sheet pan rack, a large prep table, and perhaps a mixer. If you plan to have a private meeting room for large groups, then an extra 200 sq. ft. or more will need to be designed-in, in addition to the square footage you are already allocating for normal customer seating.

Your intended menu and other business features should also drive decisions about the size of location you select. How many square feet will be required to fit in all the necessary equipment, fixtures, and other features, along with your desired seating capacity?

Typically, just the space required for the front of the house service area, (cash register, brewing & espresso equipment, pastry case, blenders, etc.), back of the house (storage, prep, dishwashing and office areas), and 2-ADA restrooms, will consume about 800 sq. ft. If space for extensive food prep, baking, coffee roasting, or cooking will be required, this square footage may increase to 1,000 to 1,200, or more. What ever is left over within your space after that, will become your seating area.

So, a typical 1,000 sq. ft coffee bar, serving beverages and simple pastries only, will probably allow for the seating of 15 to 20 customers – max! Increase that square footage to 1,200 sq. ft., and seating should increase to 30, or 35. If you plan to prepare sandwiches, salads, and some other food items on site, 1,400 to 1,600 sq. ft. should provide enough space to seat 35 to 50, respectively.

Next, you will have to determine the tasks that will be performed by each employee position, so that the equipment and fixtures necessary to accomplish those tasks can be located in the appropriate places.

Normally, your cashier will operate the cash register, brew and serve drip coffee, and serve pastries and desserts. Your barista will make all your espresso-based beverages, tea, chai, hot chocolate, Italian sodas, as well as all the blender beverages. If you’ll be preparing sandwiches, panini, wraps, salads, snacks and appetizers, or will be baking on-site, then a person dedicated to food prep will be necessary. And, if you anticipate high volume, and will be serving in or on ceramics, a bus-person/dishwasher may be a necessity.

After you have determined what you will be serving, the space you will be leasing, and what each employee will be responsible for, you will then be ready to begin your design process. I usually start my design work from the back door of the space and work my way forward. You’ll need to design in all of the features that will be necessary to satisfy your bureaucracies and facilitate your menu, before you make plans for the customer seating area.

Your back door will most likely have to serve as an emergency fire exit, so you’ll need a hallway connecting it with your dining room. Locating your 2-ADA restrooms off of this hallway would make good sense. And, because delivery of products will also probably occur through your back door, having access to your back of the house storage area would also be convenient.

In the back of the house, at minimum, you will need to include a water heater, water purification system, dry storage area, back-up refrigerator and freezer storage, ice maker, an office, 3-compartment ware washing sink, rack for washed wares, mop bucket sink, and a hand washing sink. Do any food prep, and the addition of a food prep sink and prep table will be necessary. If doing baking, gelato making, full cooking, or coffee roasting, all the equipment necessary for those functions will also need to be added.

After all the features have been designed into the back of the house, you will then be ready to start your design work on the front of the house service and beverage preparation area. This area will probably include a pastry case, cash register(s), drip coffee brewer and grinder(s), espresso machine and grinders, a dipper well, possibly a granita machine, blenders, ice holding bin, blender rinse sink, hand washing sink, under counter refrigeration (under espresso machine and blenders), and a microwave oven.

If serving food beyond simple pastries and desserts, you may need to add a panini toaster grill, a refrigerated sandwich/salad preparation table, soup cooker/warmer, a bread toaster, etc. If you plan to serve pre made, ready to serve sandwiches, wraps, and salads, along with a selection of bottled beverages, an open-front, reach-in merchandising refrigerator should be considered. Serving ice cream or gelato? If the answer is yes, then an ice cream or gelato dipping cabinet will be necessary along with an additional dipper well.

Finally, when all the working areas of the bar have been designed, the customer seating area can be laid out. This will, of course, include your cafe tables and chairs, couches and comfortable upholstered chairs, coffee tables, and perhaps a window or stand-up bar with bar stools. Impulse-buy and retail merchandise shelves should be established, and a condiment bar should be located close to where customers will pick-up their beverages.

A quick word about couches, large upholstered chairs, and coffee tables. Living room type furniture takes up a lot of space. If you plan to be opening evenings, and will perhaps serve beer and wine, and having comfortable seating will be important for creating a relaxing ambiance, then by all means do it. But if you have limited seating space, and are not trying to encourage people to relax and stay for long periods of time, then stick with cafe tables and chairs. The more people you can seat, the greater your income potential!

Features from the front door to the condiment bar should be arranged in a logical, sequential order. As your customers enter the front door, their travel path should take them past your impulse-buy merchandise display, and the pastry case, before they arrive at the point of order (where your cashier, cash register, and menu-board will be located). Exposing customers to your impulse items and pastries, before they order, will greatly increase their sales. Then, after the order and payment has been taken, they should proceed down-line away from the cash register to pick-up their beverage, and finally, the condiment bar should be located beyond that point. Be sure to separate your point of order from the point of product pick-up by at least six feet, otherwise customers waiting for their beverage may begin to intrude into the space of those ordering.

Don’t make the mistakes that many inexperienced designers commonly make. They arrange these features in a haphazard way, so that customers have to change direction, and cut back through the line of awaiting customers to proceed to their next destination in the service sequence. Or, wanting to make their espresso machine a focal point to those entering the store, they place it before the cashier along the customer’s path of travel. Customers inevitably end up trying to order from the barista before they are informed that they need to proceed to the cashier first. If this happens dozens of times each day, confusion and slowed beverage production will be the result.

On the employee’s side of the counter, work and product flow are even more important. Any unnecessary steps or wasted movements that result from a less than optimal design will slow down employee production. All products should flow seamlesly in one direction towards the ultimate point of pick-up. For example, if preparing a particular item is a 3-step process, then placement of equipment should allow for the 3 steps to occur in order, in one linear direction, with the final step occurring closest to the point where customers will be served.

Equipment should be grouped together so that it is in the immediate proximity of the employee(s) who will be using it. Beyond the actual equipment, empty spaces must be left on the counter top to store ingredients and small wares (tools) used in product preparation. Counter top space will also be needed where menu items will actually be assembled. Think of the grouping of equipment for different job functions as stations. Try to keep different stations compact and in close working proximity to each other, but make sure that there is enough space between each so that employee working-paths don’t cross, which could contribute to employee collisions.

Creating defined work stations will allow you to put multiple employees behind the counter when needed. When it is busy, you may need to have 2 cashiers, another person just bagging pastries and brewing coffee, 2 baristas behind the espresso machine, a maybe even a dedicated person working the blenders. If you’re preparing sandwiches and salads to order, then another person may need to be added to handle that task. Keeping your stations in close proximity to each other will allow one employee to easily access all equipment during very slow periods of business, thus saving you valuable labor dollars.

When you arrange equipment in relationship to each other, keep in mind that most people are right handed. Stepping to the right of the espresso machine to access the espresso grinder will feel more comfortable than having to move to the left. Likewise, place your ice storage bin to the right of your blenders, so when you scoop ice, you can hold the cup or blender pitcher in your left hand, and scoop with your right.

As you create your store layout, the equipment you select should fit your space and the needs of your anticipated business volume. A busy location will most likely require a dual or twin, air pot, drip coffee brewer (one that can brew 2 pots at the same time), as opposed to a single brewer. If you anticipate selling a lot of blended and ice drinks, then an under counter ice maker, one that can only produce 100 pounds of ice or less per day, will not be sufficient. You should instead locate a high-capacity ice maker (one that can make 400 or 500 lbs. per day) in the back of the house, and transport ice to an ice holding bin up front. Plan to bring in frozen desserts and ice cream? Then a 1 door reach-in freezer in the back of he house will probably be inadequate for you storage needs, so you’ll need to consider a 2 or 3 door. I always recommend a 3-group espresso machine for any location that may generate 150 drinks per day or more. And, I can tell you from experience, you can never have too much dry or refrigerated storage space!

Make sure that any equipment you select will be acceptable with your local bureaucracy before your purchase and take delivery of it. All equipment will typically need to be NSF & UL approved, or have a similar, acceptable, foreign certification equivalent. Your bureaucracy will most likely want to see manufacturer specification sheets on all equipment to verify this fact, before they’ll approve your plans.

ADA (American’s with Disabilities Act) compliance will also come into play when you are designing your coffee bar. In some areas of the country, this will only apply to those areas of your store that will be used by customers. However, other bureaucracies may require your entire store to be ADA compliant. Following are some of the basic requirements of compliance with the code:

• All hallways and isle ways must be 5 feet wide (minimum).

• All countertop working heights must be 34 inches high (instead of normal 36 inch height).

• 18 inches of free wall space must be provided on the strike-side of all doors (the side with the door knob).

• All hand-washing sinks must be ADA friendly.

• All bathrooms must be ADA compliant (5 foot space for wheelchair turnaround, handrails at toilet, acceptable clearance around toilet and hand washing sink, etc.).

• No steps allowed, ramps are OK with the proper slope.

• If your space has multiple levels, then no feature may exist on a level where handicapped access has not been provided, if that same feature does not exist on a level where it will be accessible.

You can find the complete regulations for ADA compliance at the following website:

http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm

Beyond the basic Equipment Floor Plan, showing new partitions, cabinets, equipment, fixtures, and furnishings, you’ll need to produce some additional drawings to guide your contractors and satisfy the bureaucracies.

Electrical Plan

An electrical plan will be necessary to show the location of all outlets needed to operate equipment. Information such as voltage, amperage, phase, hertz, special instructions (like, “requires a dedicated circuit”), and the horizontal and vertical location of each outlet, should all be specified.

A small, basic coffee shop might get away with a 200 amp service, but typically 400 amps will be required if your equipment package will include items like an electric water heater, high-temperature dishwasher, or cooking equipment (ovens, panini grill, etc.).

In addition to the electrical work required for your coffee business-specific equipment, you may need to adjust existing electrical for additional or reconfigured lighting, HVAC, general-purpose convenience outlets, and exterior signs. Also, have your electrician run any needed speaker wires, TV/internet cables, and cash register remote receipt printer cables at the same time they are installing electrical wires. Finally, make sure your electrician makes provisions for lighted exit signs, and a battery-powered emergency evacuation lighting system, if needed.

Plumbing Plan

A plan showing all plumbing features will be necessary. At minimum, this should show stub-in locations for all needed water sources (hot & cold), drains, your water heater, water purifications system, grease interceptor (if required), bathroom fixtures, etc.

While a typical P-trap drain should be acceptable for most fixtures and equipment, some will require an air-gap drain. An air gap drain does not go through the “S”-shaped twists of the P-trap. Instead, the drain line comes straight down from the piece of equipment or fixture, and terminates 2 inches above the rim of a porcelain floor sink drain. This porcelain drain basin is usually installed directly into the floor. The air gap between the drain line from your equipment or fixture, and the bottom of the basin, prevents any bacteria in the sewer pipe from migrating into the equipment or fixture. I drain the following pieces of equipment to a floor sink drain when creating a plumbing plan:

• espresso machine

• dipper wells

• ice maker

• ice holding bin

• food prep sink

• soft drink dispensing equipment

To save on the life of your water filtration system, only your espresso machine and coffee brewer should be supplied by with treated water. Coffee is 98% to 99% water, so good water quality is essential. Your ice maker should only require a simple particle filter on the incoming line (unless your water quality is terrible). There is no need to filter water that will be used for hand and dish washing, cleaning mops, flushing toilets, and washing floors!

Be aware that many bureaucracies are now requiring a grease interceptor on the drain line from your 3-compartment ware washing sinks and automatic dishwasher. A grease interceptor is basically a box containing baffles that traps the grease before it can enter the public sewer system.

Also understand that a typical retail space will not come equipped with a water heater with enough capacity to handle your needs. Unless your space was previously some type of a food service operation, you will probably need to replace it with a larger one.

If cutting trenches in the floor will be necessary to install porcelain floor sinks, a grease interceptor, and run drain lines, then establishing a few general purpose floor drains at this same time behind the counter, and in the back of the house, will prove useful. Floor drains will allow you to squeegee liquids away when spills occur, and when washing floors.

Finally, if you added some new walls during your remodel, you may need to have the fire sprinkler system for your space adjusted or reconfigured.

Cabinet Elevations

Drawing cabinet elevations, (the view you would have if you were standing in front of your cabinets), will be necessary for your cabinet maker to understand all the features they will need to incorporate into your cabinet designs.

These elevations are not meant to be shop fabrication drawings for your cabinetmaker, but merely serve a reference, showing needed features and desired configuration. Where do you want drawers, and under counter storage space; and, where do you want cabinet doors on that under counter storage? Where should open space be left for the placement of under counter refrigeration and trashcans? Will cup dispensers be installed in the cabinet face under the counter top? These elevations will provide your cabinetmaker with a clear understanding of all these features.

While your kitchen base cabinets at home are typically 24 inches deep, for commercial applications they should be 30 inches deep, and 33 inches if an under counter refrigerator is to be inserted. Also, when specifying the size of an open bay to accommodate under counter refrigeration, be sure to allow a couple of inches more than the physical dimensions of the equipment, so that it can be easily inserted and removed for daily cleaning.

Dimensions Plan

You will need to create a floor plan showing all the critical dimensions for new partitions, doors, cabinets, and fixtures. This will, of course, help make sure that everything ends up where it is suppose to be, and will be the right size.

A final thought about design; unless the space you will be designing is a clean vanilla shell (meaning, nothing currently exists in the space, except perhaps one ADA restroom), you will have to make sure that all the features that you are considering keeping, will be acceptable with your local bureaucracy. Many older buildings were not designed to present codes. If the business type remains the same (your space was occupied by a food service establishment before you), then some times any non compliant features will be grandfathered-in, meaning you don’t have to bring them up to current requirements. But don’t count on this! You need to check with your bureaucracies to make sure. More and more I see bureaucracies requiring new business owners to remodel, so that all features are compliant with codes. This means you may have to rip-out bathrooms and hallways, add fire sprinkler systems, and provide ramps where there are steps. Better you know all these things before you begin your store design!

I always tell my consulting clients, that if I produce a perfect design and layout for them, they will never notice… because everything will be exactly where you would expect it to be. Unfortunately, if you create a less than optimal design for your coffee bar, you probably won’t realize it until you start working in it. Changing design mistakes or inadequacies after the fact, can be extremely expensive. Not correcting those mistakes may even cost you more in lost potential sales. For this reason, I strongly suggest using an experienced coffee business space designer to create your layout for you, or at very least, to review the design you have created. Doing so will payoff with dividends.

How to Design and Layout a Coffee Shop Or Espresso Bar

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Space-saving Devices

Having a built-in microwave is without a doubt great for saving space on your kitchen worktops. In most kitchens the microwave oven is the largest appliance which sits on the worktop and they are not usually particularly small. While this may not be such an issue in a large farmhouse kitchen, it can cause a lot more problems in a small inner-city flat where board space may be at a premium. By designing the kitchen for an built-in microwave you eliminate the problem of having to find space around your microwave to cook.

Review Microwave Oven

Safety

Most countertops are at a level which it is comfortable to work at for doing things such as chopping vegetables. Although easy to do things out in the open at this level it may be quite a lot harder to reach down into a cavity and do things without stooping over. This means that when you are removing hot food from the microwave it is not at a comfortable level from which to do so when the microwave is placed on same countertop. With a built-in microwave it is possible to design the microwave to be at a height which is more comfortable for your own stature. By removing the need to stoop down to work with the microwave it makes it much safer for handling hot items from the microwave.

The only way to combat this problem without a built-in microwave is to mount your stand-alone microwave on brackets on the wall. This in itself may be dangerous, particularly if not done by a professional, as microwaves are very heavy and need strong support if they are to be mounted in this way. Also, it is quite hard to mount a microwave and it not get in the way, as wall space in a kitchen is often already heavily used with cupboards and such like.

Microwave Quality

Although built-in microwaves are generally more expensive it is also worth bearing in mind that the actual quality of the microwave is also usually higher than for the stand-alone microwaves of a lower price. Overall however, as with any decision, it is up to you to weigh up and decide whether the benefits of having a built-in microwave are worth the additional investment.

A Built in Microwave – Is it Worth Paying More?

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Sharp R-405KS 1.4-Cubic Feet 1100-Watt Microwave Oven, Stainless Steel Review

Sharp R-405KS 1.4-Cubic Feet 1100-Watt Microwave Oven, Stainless Steel Feature

• Family size 1.4-cubic feet, 1100-watt
• Six reheat option make is especially easy to heat 6 often served foods including beverages, pizza, rolls, and muffins
• Carousel turntable is 14-1/8 diameter
• Built-in night light for those midnight snacks
• Stainless steel

Sharp R-405KS 1.4-Cubic Feet 1100-Watt Microwave Oven, Stainless Steel Overview

The R-405KS microwave includes Sharp’s new shortcut options that are easy to use for melting, softening, and warming popular foods such as butter, chocolate, and ice cream. In addition to automatic settings for reheating, cooking and defrosting, it features a separate popcorn key, Minute Plus and a convenient kitchen timer.

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I recently heard from someone who was very interested in the Nutrisystem diet, but she worried that she wouldn’t be able to prepare many of the foods because she didn’t have a microwave. In the following article, I’ll look at some of the preparation methods of some of the more popular breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals on Nutrisystem to see if a microwave is actually necessary.

The Breakfast And Snacks: Of all of the food options, the breakfast and snacks are the least likely to need any preparation. The cereals only require your adding milk or fruit. The muffins, scones, and bars are ready to eat. You can eat the cinnamon roll right out of the box too, although it’s really good when warm. The pancakes do require some preparation but they can be prepared with a pan on the stove top. Even the egg frittata is made my adding hot water.

Review Microwave Oven

Nutrisystem Lunch Preparation: Unlike the breakfasts, many of these meals must be prepared and warmed up. Although there are some ready to eat bars, most items like the soups, stir fry dishes, hot dog, and pastas will need to be warmed. And although a microwave would make easy work of this, you can also accomplish this using hot water. This is probably easiest to accomplish with a stove, but in a pinch, a hot plate would work.

For example, dishes like the sausage and rice and cheese tortellini can be prepared by adding boiling water to the product, stirring, and simmering. The hot dog is quick and easy to heat up in a microwave but you can also make it like your mother probably used to – by cooking it in water brought to a roiling boil. And, you can prepare the soups and other lunch items in the same way. Yes, it will take a bit longer, but it certainly can be done and many people prepare it in this way.

Dinner Preparation: Some of the more popular dinner items can be prepared in a regular or toaster oven (like the pizza.) Many of the pasta type foods (like the lasagne, chicken and dumplings, and macaroni and cheese) can also be prepared with boiling water. You can even use this method with the new wraps like the bar-b-que pork and buffalo chicken.

The bottom line here is that a microwave can make Nutrisystem preparation easier and faster, but it’s not required. Most of the time, you can use the boiling water method accomplished with a stove or hot plate. (I’ve even heard of people using water from a coffee maker or the hot setting on a water cooler.) Plus, some of the foods can be reheated in an over or toaster over.

Can You Use Nutrisystem Without a Microwave?

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Hamilton Beach 1.1 Cuft Microwave Oven Review

Hamilton Beach 1.1 Cuft Microwave Oven Feature

• 1.1 cu. ft. Oven Cavity, 10 Power Levels
• 6 Express Cook One-touch Settings, Turntable
• Electronic Digital Display w/ Clock (LED), Time Cook
• Time and Weight Defrost, Remind Signal
• Kitchen Timer, 1000W

Hamilton Beach 1.1 Cuft Microwave Oven Overview

Make a hot meal or a quick snack with the Hamilton Beach 1.1-cu ft Microwave Oven. This sturdy microwave oven features one-touch cooking settings for a variety of foods. Ten power levels give you control for perfect heating results every time.

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There is a modern industrialization happening right now in the world of technology. The same revolution is happening to stoves to, which are some of the most important kitchen appliances that we people need. When you search the Internet for different models of stoves, you will find out that there are they have many features that usually come with a relatively high price. But there is a stove which offers many features for an affordable price.

Thermador MASTERPIECE MEMC301EB is a perfect stove with stainless steel and has double ovens powered by gas. It is capable of heating and baking many things at the same time and also has 16 cooking modes such as EasyCook which offers twenty recipes that will be very useful to you. It can heat very rapidly and also has an integrated microwave, which is not that common amongst other stoves. It has a Speed Convection mode which reduces the time needed for cooking with frozen foods. Thermador MASTERPIECE has a very powerful, unique design and glass touch control which make cooking very easy. The stove has built-in memory which can be used to store your favorite recipes. In addition, this masterpiece model also has the integrated function of self-cleaning which cleans the stove crystal clear in a very short time.

Review Microwave Oven

The stove can bake, roast, broil, do quick preheat and many other functions. It is moderately small with dimensions reaching 30 inches in width, 50 inches in height and 24 inches in depth. To conclude, this stove is a gas double oven with many features including cooking many things at the same time, storing recipes, self-cleanable in a short time, unique design and so on. However, you might hesitate to buy this model when it comes to the price but don’t because it’s worth it. The price usually reaches ,600 but can often be found cheaper at Thermador’s authorized distributors and on the Internet.

Review of the Double Gas Oven Thermador MASTERPIECE MEMC301EB

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LG LCRT1510SV 1.5 Cu Ft Counter Top Microwave Oven With True Cook Plus and EZ Clean Oven, Silver Color Review

LG LCRT1510SV 1.5 Cu Ft Counter Top Microwave Oven With True Cook Plus and EZ Clean Oven, Silver Color Feature

• The EasyClean? Coated Round cavity in this microwave helps you easily clean the interior without using chemicals and there are no hard to reach edges
• The curved interior design maximizes the size of the 14.2″ turntable to accommodate large, round cookware and increases the usable cooking area
• Sensor cooking technology senses humidity levels within the oven and automatically adjusts cooking time and performance
• TrueCookPlus does the thinking for you. You can forget about vague microwave directions, simply enter the food item code found on the label of your favorite food and the microwave oven does the rest
• Add Time Controls makes reheats easy by adding cook time in 30 second or 1 minute increments

LG LCRT1510SV 1.5 Cu Ft Counter Top Microwave Oven With True Cook Plus and EZ Clean Oven, Silver Color Overview

The LG LCRT1510SV Counter-Top Microwave Oven has 1.5 cubic feet rounded interior with 1200 Watts of Power in a Premium Silver Finish. This microwave is a mean, lean, easy-clean, microwaving machine. Cleaning a microwave can be a real hassle. Our new EasyClean interior gives you a quick and high performance cleaning inside and out, without using chemicals. With 1200-Watts, Sensor Cook and TrueCookPlus technology that allows you to cook your food safely, easily and perfect every time. If your microwave doesn’t have TrueCook Plus Technology it is obsolete. TrueCookPlus technology makes vague microwave directions a thing of the past. LG is giving you all the things you want, with TrueCookPlus Technology.

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The toaster oven has become today’s necessary small kitchen appliance. It has graduated from being an appliance that toasted bread and bagels and reheat leftovers and heat up snacks to an appliance that can now cook an entire meal. Perhaps, it cannot cook your Thanksgiving turkey, but it can cook an everyday meal for you and your family.

It should not be disregarded at Thanksgiving as we do not always have enough oven space at that meal to conveniently cook many of the side dishes and biscuits that we need to serve with that Thanksgiving turkey. The modern day toaster comes in handy as a second oven for all of those side dishes as well as the biscuits. The oven allows us to have our large dinners done in a way that will serve all items at the same time and hot.

Review Microwave Oven

What is the difference between aluminum and enamel interiors?

An enamel interior is easier to clean and maintain and comes in the more expensive toaster ovens.

Can Aluminum Foil be used in them?

Although there are some warnings against it, aluminum foil, if placed away from the burners, can be used.

Is there a difference in the analog and digital oven’s performance?

A toaster that has digital controls has more one touch options and is more user-friendly. However, you can adjust the settings and toast will still toast the same way no matter which setting you choose.

At what temperature can my toaster oven operate?

This will vary although most ovens operate at about the mid 100s for warming and up to 500 degrees for baking.

Will I know when my food is completely cooked?

It depends on the type of oven you have in order to know when your food is ready. Some toasters have a cycle that lets you know when your food is done because the have specific settings that may shut off when they have reached a time that was pre set. The more modern toasters have a sensor that will stop the cooking process. Most of the ovens have a timer, such as we are all familiar with, that buzzes or rings when the determined time has been reached.

Do toaster ovens have safety features available?

There are some safety features available in ovens such as:

• Automatic turn off which allows you the option of having the toaster oven turn off automatically. This feature is good when there are small children in the house.
• To avoid fire hazards, many of the toaster ovens will turn the heat off if the door of the toaster oven is open.
• Toasters can become dangerously hot and for that reason, some ovens have an exterior that is cool to the touch.

These are only a few of the safety features that can be found on toaster ovens.

Frequently Asked Questions About Toaster Ovens

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You can experiment lot of recipes in the microwave. Cooking potatoes is an excellent idea; a microwave is a suitable option to cook these potatoes. Pizzas can also be prepared in the microwave, it is a replica of the stove or gas burners which we use at home. The main difference is the time required to cook is less as compared to gas burners. The risk involved is also less in a microwave. Potatoes baked in microwave taste excellent as they are not over burned.

Before preparing potatoes in the microwave there are special arrangements that have to be done so that they taste excellent.

Review Microwave Oven

Starting procedure

Wash potatoes in a strain and let them dry. It is important to poke holes in the potatoes, it is necessary or else they can explode inside the microwave due to excessive heating. After they are completely dried up place them inside the microwave, make sure that they are separated.

Tinting

Cook them for around 10 minutes inside the microwave. There will be a slight change in the color which indicates that they are baked properly. They should be tinted in a dark color. Other way is to check the potatoes every 5 minutes. You should never over bake them, if they are turning black and a burnt smell is emitted then you should withdraw the process immediately.

Out on the Plate

After they have been cooked properly you can take them out and they are ready to serve. It is a very easy process, the time required is also less. You can use these potatoes in your recipe now or eat them baked.

Decoration

You can slice the potato in half and make two identical pieces, another way of cutting is to square cut the potato in small blocks. Blocks look good it is a formal dinner or lunch. As they are hot you can even marinate them in butter. This will give them a hint of butter which tastes excellent on crisp baked potatoes. Vegetables can also be added like broccoli or peas. Potatoes can be designed in lot of shapes and sizes. If you like cheese then cottage or fondue would be preferred with red wine. Red wine goes hand in hand with cheese and potatoes.

Potatoes take time to cook but if marinated with salt and butter they are done in less time. Potatoes with cheese add up flavor. Potato finger chips and fish also taste good. It is a delicacy to have fish and chip. Baked potato with bread and butter or cheese can be had for breakfast also. They can be prepared in less time and make the stomach full till lunchtime. An egg with baked potato and lettuce also tastes good. Burger patties are also made from potatoes and vegetables. The burger patty can also be deeply fried to give it a crisp feeling. It can be enjoyed with tomato sauce and cheese.

Baked Potato Microwave

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