Yes, most restaurant kitchens are a notch or two smaller than ideal. Not having a dedicated prep area makes it extra tough.
I was spoiled too early to know it. Worked for a surf and turf chain that had revised their kitchen design over a 20-year period. The owners were cooks who grew up in their parents' restos. It was open kitchen in the era before that was popular. Me and two other cooks sent out 300 to 600 cooked-to-order covers in 4 hours. You could stand in one spot. Never cross over each other. When I cooked lead I could see most of the dining rooms. A kitchen designed and built for a specific menu made a huge difference.
My gig before this one was at a northern Italian open kitchen place that I used to sell edamame to when they were nose-to-tail omikase style meals. His Sous was fresh from a long stint working for Iron Chef Morimoto. They made my edamame into miso and super soft tofu that congeals on the way to the table. Beautiful kitchen with sky lights and a wood fire grill. I was Garde Manger there. Prepped 51 items to make 7 menu dishes. We lost power during an electrical storm one day. The vent shut off but the grill was a raging wood fire. We opened all the doors and went right on cooking. I was garde manger so didn't need electricity to make salads and crudite. That was a lot more fun than the brigade thing.
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