Labour shortages are the greatest challenge that commercial restaurants face today. One reason for the low popularity of kitchen work is the unsatisfactory thermal conditions. In a kitchen, the four main factors affecting thermal comfort are air temperature, radiation, air velocity, and humidity. All of these factors can be influenced with the well-designed air conditioning and ventilation systems.

Recent studies have shown a link between indoor air quality and thermal comfort, productivity, and health issues. Thus, it has been possible to demonstrate that an investment in a better ventilation system is profitable even with very modest productivity improvements. For example, each year, the average restaurant in the USA spends about $ 2,000 per seat on salaries. If productivity is reduced to 80 % from the ideal level because of bad indoor conditions, that translates to losses of about $40,000 a year on salary costs alone for the owner of a 100-seat restaurant.

Kitchen design requires the expertise of many different specialists to produce designs that meet the requirements of productive and cost-effective working environments. The decisions of various designers strongly affect each other. Owners and end users are important players in the design process, as well as cooking and ventilation equipment manufacturers. Due to their diverse expertise, a common understanding is needed to expedite the process, and to meet the set targets.