Quick Guide to Making Efficient Kitchens, Canteens and Yards.

This guide will help you set up an efficient Kitchen, Canteen, and Yard.

Info on Kitchens and how to make your Kitchen as efficient as it can be.

Kitchens are the main food source of your prison other than the newly added Shop. The Kitchen is manned by Cooks and they produce food for your prisoners to eat in the Canteen.

I tested a new system in one of my most recent prisons.


This small Kitchen ran by 6 Cooks feeds 100 prisoners twice a day. The reason why is because it is very efficient, minimizing the amount of Cookers and making Cooks add the ingredients to the current cooking stack, which makes transporting food much faster and in larger quantities.

A good way to start with your Kitchen is to make a large room, preferably so you can expand later.

Put in 2 Sinks, 3 Fridges, and 3 Cookers. This is a good place to start. Your Cooks will be able to keep up with the demand until a ways over 50+ prisoners. The 2 Sinks are not necessary and you can easily run off of 1, but 2 Sinks will speed up the process.


Next, hire 3 Cooks. This is a good number to start with. I keep with the rule "1 Cook per Cooker" and it is the most efficient process. When your Cooks start to under produce, add 3 more Cookers, and hire 3 more Cooks. This will keep you clear for another 50-80 prisoners.

Another thing you should plan, is if you expect to make a massive prison (400 prisoners or so) You're going to need much bigger Kitchens. I've already told you how to manage such a thing, so I will move onto Canteens.

Tips and Trivia, Do's and Dont's

-If you use high variety and high quantity combined, have 4 Fridges and 4 Cookers. But if you use any other combination such as high variety and medium quantity or high quantity and medium variety, you will only need the base 3 Fridge/Cooker setup.
-Cooks will automatically put garbage from the floor into Garbage Bins, and so will Workmen. They won't do it until after cooking is done, though.
-You can successfully run 5 Cookers/Fridges on a single capacitor without overloading the generator. This does not count lights.
-More cookers and fridges does not automatically mean more food or efficiency. Keep to the 3+3+3 setup and you will never have to think or waste money on your Kitchens again.

Info on Canteens/Yards and how to keep your prisoners happy.

Canteens are where your Cooks put the food so that Prisoners can eat it. They store food on Serving Tables. The Canteen is no doubt going to be the largest room in your prison.

First, starting with tables. There are two ways to make your tables in-game, not counting Chair variations:


Top: My preferred. This leaves enough space for prisoners and Cooks to get around the tables with decent speed and comfortable space, and it just looks the best.

Bottom: The most compact method. You could make it even more compact by taking out the space in between the left and right row, allowing you to possibly place more tables.

Serving Tables are where your Cooks put the food. You only need one to start with. Until you get about 60-80 prisoners, you will not need another. Serving Tables follow the 3+3+3 rule. It is efficient to put a Bin near a serving table, so the cooks can quickly put the unused food into it.

Prisoners Needs

Yes, along with food, the Canteen can solve prisoners needs during lunch hour. These include Bladder/Bowels, Recreation, Family, Hygiene, and Exercise. I HIGHLY recommend you put toilets like shown in the picture. It can help prevent your floors from looking like trash and help out your prisoners mood.

Basic Needs Yards

Your yards can be rather luxurious for your prisoners. They can contain many things that will make them happy. My preferred yard setup includes the below items shown in the picture.


Why shower heads, you ask, and why a table with benches? Good question. I prefer to have showers in my yards, as that improves the use of regime time. Time in the yard is a great time to shower and get your prisoners hygiene needs down. Benches and chairs improve your prisoners comfort need. The table isn't necessary, but I feel like it adds realism.

As a side note, you should always have Phone booths and Weight Benches in the yard. It help with Family and Exercise need. My prisoners seem to prefer Weight Benches during free time over running around the yard, which is fine by me. Your yard should also be within a reasonable distance of the Canteen. The yard should also be atleast 10x10, and a maximum of 25x25 for space reasons.

Some things from my own prisons.

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[O.R.H.LUSITANO]

all right, thanks

[Lost Latios]

Jacques Clouseau: "A Nudist Colony!?"

[Epicness]

A couple things to add for even better results.
Having the kitchen and canteen in the same building.
I usually put my cooker and fridge right next to eachother.
Having prisoners working in the kitchen is probably a must have ,at the cost of reform fees and metal detectors (if you don't want prisoners running around with knives)
Metal detectors at the canteen is advised so less contraband.

[=RED= Boogalaboo]

oh god... ITS A NUDIST PRISON

[Busty Deena]

Showers out in the open...

[Mocha]

Saved my ass multiple times.

[Uncle Nat]

Nice guide! Helped me a ton with feeding 527 angry prisoners. . .

[Sheepish]

efficient kitchen for win! :D

[<|SYP|> An FBI Man]

Can you make a guide on how to make good cell blocks?

[Jaryd]

The canteen exit is also a great place to have a dog handler stationed to find all those drugs the prisoners like to carry around