Scotland, Ireland and Wales already have a ban on smoking in pubs, and England gets one on 1 July. Predictions based on the experience of Scotland and Ireland following their smoking bans are that alcohol sales will dip and the potential for food sales will rise.

Many pubs are already running successful food operations, but those that have stayed wet-led might now be looking at raising more revenue from food, which means buying kitchen equipment.

Many pubs intending to push hard into the food market will choose fast-service menus offering familiar foods that rely on frozen ingredients, quick-cook fresh items and premium sandwiches and salads. Adopting this entry-level approach to pub food requires a restricted range of kitchen equipment and modest cooking skills, which keeps the start-up budget manageable until the pub or the customer footfall suggests a more ambitious approach.  Article continues below
These are the basic items of kitchen equipment a pub looking to move into food sales needs to have.

Refrigeration - www.nextdaycatering.co.uk

No pub kitchen can work efficiently or safely without a freezer. The size and number of freezers depends on the menu mix, but a freezer is a must-have item of kitchen equipment. Pubs need rapid access to frozen food in busy service times, so upright cabinets are more convenient that chest freezers and occupy less floor space.  There also need to be enough upright fridge cabinets to cope with storing all the chilled food the kitchen is going to need. This might be a single cabinet, but is more likely to be at least two.

The argument for buying commercial refrigeration is not just that it's good working practice, but, more importantly, that it's essential for food safety. The expensive components in refrigeration are the motor and the condenser, which control how the refrigerant moves around the cooling bars. Manufacturers build motor performance according to the expected use, which depends on the number of times the freezer door or lid is going to be opened.

Fryers - www.nextdaycatering.co.uk

A pub will find it difficult to run a food operation with a single fryer. There need to be two: usually one for frying coated products such as fish or sausages, and one kept exclusively for chips.  There are good operational reasons for working with two fryers, or a twin-tank fryer. First, it is difficult for a fryer to cook two different items at once - different foods need different cook times and sometimes different cooking temperatures. Also, coated products and salty products such as sausages break down the structure of oil much more quickly than chips, so the oil in a chip-only fryer will last longer than one being used for other items.

For entry-level pub catering, plug-in table-top fryers will be sufficient, avoiding the need for hard-wiring of three-phase electricity or plumbing in of gas. For volume production of fried food, however, floor-standing fryers will be needed.  Any fryer needs the oil to be filtered at least once a day to remove food debris.

Microwave oven

All pubs need at least one microwave oven most need two or more to deliver food cooked from frozen in the time customers expect between ordering and being served. Domestic microwave ovens are unsuitable for commercial use for a number of reasons, which can include low power, uneven reheating and the irritating "ping", which can indicate to the customer how the food is being prepared. Many commercial microwaves indicate the end of the reheating cycle by the door opening automatically. One of the microwave ovens should be 1,500W or higher in power to rapidly reheat dense frozen foods such as lasagne.

Cooking machines - www.nextdaycatering.co.uk

A six-burner cooking range is a must for every pub kitchen. The hobs will boil and shallow-fry and the oven underneath will roast meat and bake pies. However, since a pub just moving into the food market is not going to have a huge demand for food cooked on a range, a model classed by the manufacturer as light- to medium-duty will suffice.

Dishwasher

A pub will already have a glasswasher, which might occasionally have been used for cups and saucers and sandwich plates, but once food proper appears on the menu a dedicated dishwasher will be needed.  Glasswashers and dishwashers look similar, but have different wash cycles and pump pressures and use different detergents. The worst thing a glasswasher needs to clean off is lipstick, while a dishwasher has to deal with everything from lasagne to curry. An immediate effect of trying to put food plates and glasses through the same washing machine is that the amount of streaks on glasses from food residue will rise hugely.

Grill or griddle

Steaks are a core menu item for a pub, and there are several ways to cook them. A griddle has its heat source underneath and is also a good way to cook burgers. One advantage of a griddle is that meat can be easily basted to keep it moist.

A grill works with heat radiating downwards and with some heat rising up. A benefit is that food can get a barbecue effect through the intense radiated heat. A grill can also do toasted sandwiches or brown off a cheesy topping. It can be a dry form of cooking with meats that do not contain fat, so basting might be necessary. A compromise between the two is a contact grill, which has two hinged heating plates that clamp together to cook meats on two sides at once. These are very quick, and the result is moist, but their small size compared with a griddle means that only one or two items can be cooked at once. Contact grills can also do toasted sandwiches.

Hot beverage machines - www.nextdaycatering.co.uk

These are the most profitable item a pub can sell, and sales will always benefit from quality tea and coffee. An espresso machine produces the best range of coffees, but is an expensive outlay for a pub just beginning in food. One way to offset the cost is to have a loan machine from a coffee supplier in return for buying its coffee.  At a much simpler level there are pour-and-serve percolator systems and systems that use freeze-dried coffee as the base. A simple plug-in water boiler will cope with tea sales, and the constant source of boiling water is useful for other tasks in the kitchen.

Equipment size

A common mistake pubs make in choosing the size of equipment to buy is basing the decision on current business and not planned business growth. A rule of thumb is to choose equipment at least one-third bigger than you think you will need. If your food sales take off, you will be glad of the greater capacity.

For more information on how to choose the right kitchen equipment visit www.nextdaycatering.co.uk

As a minimum, a pub setting up a new kitchen will need a six-burner range upright refrigeration  a twin-tank fryer  - or two single-tank fryers and dishwashing equipment.  All pub kitchens need at least one microwave oven while an espresso machine can be acquired on loan in return for buying from one coffee supplier...

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Commercial Dishwashers: - www.nextdaycatering.co.uk

There are few forms of catering equipment that are more important to the smooth running of a commercial kitchen than dishwashers. It is important to be aware of the key features to look out for when buying dishwashers for your catering requirements. A fast paced catering environment can get by without dishwashers and they really are a vital piece of apparatus to facilitate a hassle free routine in a commercial kitchen. Dishwashers are, of course, available in a number of different makes and models and finding dishwashers that dovetail with your catering needs will be dependent on a multitude of factors. By making yourself up to speed on the main components and features of dishwashers, you can make sure that you find a unit that matches your requirements and slots seamlessly into your commercial kitchen environment. Dishwashers can be both bought brand new or refurbished or second hand units and depends on your catering equipment budget. If you are working to a fairly tight budget, there are a number of specialist providers of reconditioned catering equipment and, in many cases, particularly in light of the current economic circumstances in the UK, is a much more financially viable option for many catering operations. Dishwashers – Finding the Right Solution for you Dishwashers are undoubtedly one of the cornerstones of a successfully run commercial kitchen and, without them, it can be difficult to keep on top of things. Dishwashers used in catering environments are certainly much more efficient than a number of years ago and have become an integral piece of equipment for all commercial kitchens. Just some of the main features to look for when buying dishwashers for a catering venture include: 

Drying time – Dishwashers will dry cutlery and crockery in two main ways; either with heat or with no heat. However, in a commercial catering environment, it is invariably the case that dishwashers which use heat coils to dry are usually the best option because they dry much faster which is often crucial in commercial kitchens.

Cycle time – Different dishwashers will have different settings when it comes to their cycles. As dishwashers are one of the most commonly utilised forms of catering equipment in a commercial kitchen, it is important to choose a unit that is capable of handling the load. 

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Glasswashers are important: - www.nextdaycatering.co.uk

Glass washers are a very impoptant feature in any commercial kitchen setting and for busy catering businesses, it simply isn’t possible to keep on top of cleaning requirements without the use of glass washers and dishwashers. Obviously, the type of glass washers that a catering venture requires is dependent on various factors but is most intrinsically linked to the volume of customers you have. If, for example, you own a vibrant pub, glass washers will need to offer a quick cycle that will ensure that your glass stock levels remain in sync with the number of customers you have. Glass washers are imperative for use in most catering environments and finding the sort which is right for your needs is invariably achieved through speaking to experts in the field of catering equipment. For example, glass washers will often have different features depending on your requirements. Elements such as the size of the tray will differ from glass washer to glass washer but for those with a high turnover of customers, it is probably a good idea to utilise glass washers with as big a tray as possible as this will improve the time with which you will be able to clean your glass stocks. Glass Washers – Units to fit all Budgets It is important that you find glass washers which fit in with your own particular budget requirements. It is fair to say that most commercial catering ventures wouldn’t be able to function efficiently without glass washers but there is no need for them to break the bank either as many will find that refurbished or recondition glass washers are more that suitable for their needs and cost considerably less than buying a brand new unit. It is crucial to have reliability from your glass washers, however, so it is prudent to seek out reputable providers of recondition catering equipment if you choose to go down this route because they will provide units of a superior calibre. Glass Washers – Performance the Key You have to ensure that glass washers are of a sufficiently high power and standard to operate successfully in your type of catering industry. Glass washers often have to deal with quite stubborn stains such as lipstick, fingerprints, food stains and various other elements and it is crucial that glass washers are capable of removing all these stains as customers simply won’t tolerate dirty glasses in a commercial catering environment. Searching for Dishwashers? Speak to Nextdaqy Catering Equipment provides the leading reconditioned catering apparatus in the United Kingdom. With Company ownership giving hands-on customer service, you can rest assured that any item of restaurant equipment you purchase from Nextday Catering will do everything it was designed and intended to do. Second hand catering equipment can be purchased at a fraction of new equipment cost on everything from glass washers to combi ovens. When one remembers that many eateries fail in early years, this barely used equipment is always the wisest way to build a better commercial kitchen.

For more free advice email sales@nextdaycatering.co.uk

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