Food Service Design

For the correct realization of your proposals, keep into consideration the following guidelines:

Product typology: you are invited to design a functional furnishing system for the foodservice, consisting of the main furniture item (the subject of the contest), dedicated to the display/distribution of food products and of a possible series of accessory furniture items (nice to have/optional). The food products might be ready-to-eat or not, packed or fresh, portioned or to be portioned. They might be kept at ambient temperature (in case of a neutral base) or maintained at the desired temperature (hot or cold, depending on the chosen option). The same system may host different preserving options (hot/cold/neutral). For more information on the product typology, please refer to the Foodservice section of the catalog attached in the Material files.

Product characteristics: the furniture item you design shall provide for:
- good visibility of the food products on display;
- practical usability for the final users (self-service) or by the designated personnel (if the context requires the presence of staff for the food distribution);
- a modular approach, that is being designed in view of being associated with other elements of a wider furnishing system;
- an easy to move solution, that is being designed to be easily moved from one room to another or be transported to another location when need be;
- the integration of innovative elements/accessories, to support the basic functionalities of the product (for ex. a compartment to store clean dishes, a bottle holder accessory, etc.).


Elements of the main furniture item:

Upper structure: this element might be equipped in different ways depending on the context of use and on various requirements, for example with a heating or cooling module or with a neutral base to store food products at ambient temperature. It might be customized in terms of materials and style, but it shall always include:
• a canopy (fixed or movable) with integrated lighting system, that has the function of illuminating and storing the food; if need be, it might be lowered to the base level;
• a functional base: the canopy is fixed on this element, which also contains the various accessories to store the food products; the depth of this base ranges from 0 cm (a cooling/heating base on which you can place food) to 10 cm (a recess where food containers can be inserted). The size of the functional base will be about 70x140 cm.

Central body: this element is the main body of the system. The upper structure will be fixed on top of it, while the technical components needed for heating or cooling the food will be hosted inside. On two sides (ex. on the front and on the back) you are supposed to designate an area for vents/air intakes – which can also be a characterizing element of the product – needed to ensure the correct cooling of the internal components.

Wheels: the system you design shall include pivoting wheels at the base, to make sure it can be easily moved from one room to another. For aesthetic purposes, solutions that succeed in covering the wheels with a base or other element will be greatly welcomed, as long as they do not prevent the user from having easy access to them and from easily blocking/unblocking them.

Other innovative accessory elements: you are free to include drawers, compartments and other accessory elements, that complete the design of your system with a view to making it more functional and to improving its aesthetics.

For an example of the elements that currently constitute this furniture item, please refer to the Material files attached.


Accessory elements (optional): in addition to the foodservice furniture item you design, you are free to suggest other furnishing items or elements that may complete the product range, for example, a cash desk, a corner base to attach various systems or other elements, etc.

Configurations (optional): in order to better demonstrate the potential of your system, you are invited to represent the main furnishing item in more than one configuration or size option, as an island – freestanding version, wall-mounted version or in combination with more system units.

Style: your system shall have a versatile style, suitable for various contexts of use, modern, with a minimal design, very attentive to details and aesthetics. The style shall distinguish itself from the current aesthetics as represented in the Enofrigo catalog.

Size: the furniture item you suggest shall comply with the standard size for this product typology. Keep as a reference to the following dimensions: about 80 cm of depth, about 150 cm of height and 150 cm of length.

Materials: the furniture item you design shall employ different materials depending on the element. In particular, the canopy shall be realized in glass or plexiglass, the frame or other elements that may possibly come in contact with food should be in stainless steel, the top shall be in quartz, laminate or other materials. The central body may be covered with wood, laminate or other materials. You are free to suggest the use of other materials or surface finishes, as long as they are compatible with their target users. Keep into consideration that the furniture item shall be realized with industrial production technologies.

Participation is free of charge and open to designers and creative talents of any nationality aged 18 years or older. Participants can present one or more projects, but only the projects published on the www.desall.com web site, via the upload page related to “Food Service Design” will be accepted.