What should the placement and circulation flow around the Bufi counter be arranged as?

The layout of a Bufi counter needs to consider both the customer side and the staff side, not just placing the equipment in a floor plan as if it’s done. When preparing a fully automated dining area for a hotel or restaurant, actions such as viewing, taking, replenishing, and cleaning often occur around the equipment. The focus of the planning is to ensure these actions can be seamlessly connected in the same space, rather than simply aiming for neat equipment arrangement.

Simulate the process of customers picking plates, selecting dishes, using dining utensils, and leaving. Reserve reasonable space for repeat visitors. The paths for supplying food and recycling containers should be observed separately to avoid interference during peak times. During measurement, record the wall columns, door openings, fixing facilities, and channels planned to be retained. Do not directly consider the blank areas in the photos as available locations. The range after opening the cabinet doors, drawers, or other movable components also needs to be verified. The usage area of the equipment and the positions required for professional maintenance should be clearly defined separately.

Assume that customers at a buffet need to find tableware again after taking food, which can easily disrupt the back queue; For layout adjustments, the positions of tableware and labels can be modified first to see if the backtracking actions decrease, then decide whether to change the equipment configuration. When determining layout issues, first observe which action or time period causes the conflict, then discuss whether to adjust the equipment or the operation position. If only the orientation of the cabinet is changed without organizing the surrounding materials, the original waiting or detour problems may still occur.

It is recommended to conduct a simple simulation using actual containers, trolleys, or empty packaging. Demonstrate replenishment, retrieval, and organization for plates, food containers, serving utensils, and labels of various sizes, and record whether employees need to turn around repeatedly, whether labels are hard to see, and whether they intersect with the customer waiting area; The long countertop appears uniform, but the usage logic for surrounding and one-way serving differs; We should first determine how customers will move, and then decide on the combination form. Write down these observations next to the floor plan, which makes it easier to achieve consistent understanding than simply describing ‘a bit more spacious’.

Before the plan is finalized, have the equipment supplier review the installation conditions based on on-site photos and dimensions. The space, supporting facilities, and surrounding environment required for the equipment should be specified according to the selected model, not inferred from photos from other stores. Verify module dimensions, assembly positions, required on-site setup, container specifications, and decorative finish details. The delivery scope for customized appearance and standard equipment should be specified separately to facilitate coordination between decoration and equipment teams. If renovations or changes occur to the product layout, the original drawings must be updated, and affected areas should be re-verified to ensure the actual implementation matches the original plan.