When the equipment list for an industrial kitchen project is finalized, budget is usually the first thing on everyone's mind; electrical infrastructure, though, is one of the most overlooked items — and one of the most expensive to fix after the fact. A power supply that was sized wrong shows up after opening as a panel that needs upgrading, extra circuits that need pulling, or breakers that keep tripping.
Total Nameplate Power Can Be Misleading
Adding up the nameplate kW rating of every appliance in a kitchen and sizing the panel to match is a common mistake. Ovens, fryers, dishwashers and ranges are never all running at full load at the same time, so panel design should apply a realistic diversity factor instead. An experienced electrical engineer typically sets this factor between 0.6 and 0.8 based on the kitchen's actual workflow — get it wrong and you either overinvest in an oversized panel or underestimate the real demand.
Three-Phase Supply and Panel Design
High-power equipment — industrial ovens, combi ovens, large-capacity dishwashers — needs a 380-400V three-phase supply, the standard in Turkey, while lower-draw appliances can run on a single-phase circuit. Giving each high-draw machine its own breaker, and ideally its own dedicated circuit, makes troubleshooting far easier and keeps a fault on one appliance from taking down the whole kitchen. Cable gauge and run length also need calculating so voltage drop stays within limits.
Backup Power Planning for Critical Equipment
Equipment that can never lose power — cold room and freezer compressors above all — carries a real risk of product loss during an outage. For these critical loads, plan a backup circuit through a generator, or at minimum an automatic transfer switch (ATS), and size the generator not just for the running load but for the higher inrush current motors draw the moment they start up.
Plan Electrical Work During Construction
Electrical infrastructure needs to be planned with an electrical engineer and the architect during construction or renovation, before the kitchen layout is locked in. Pulling extra circuits after the flooring is down or the plastering is finished is both costly and disruptive enough to shut the kitchen down. Coordinating early, using the exact power figures from your equipment supplier, makes both the budget and the installation far smoother.
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