Commercial Catering Equipment: MONEY-SAVING TIPS FOR CATERING MANAGERS

James Henson, our Commercial Catering Equipment specialist, shares his best practices backed by 20+ years of sector experience.

James Henson highlights five invaluable tips that catering managers can implement to save costs and streamline operations while adhering to essential workplace health and safety regulations.

Ventilation systems ensure that the air quality in your commercial kitchen is safe. Ensuring that your system is regularly maintained and working efficiently is vital. An inadequately functioning system can lead to poor indoor air quality and increase energy costs if the system has to work harder or for longer to remove airborne contaminants, greases or odours.

2. Consider Switching to Electric Induction Cooking

Induction cooking is considered to be more energy-efficient and safer than gas cooking. Induction appliances use electromagnetic technology to heat the cookware directly rather than heating the air around it. This results in less energy waste and faster cooking times. As you only pay for the electricity when the pan is on the hob, this reduces your cost massively!

They are also incredibly easy to use; unlike gas ovens requiring manual ignition, induction ovens turn on and off instantly while offering precise temperature control.

3. Keeping in Line with Workplace Health and Safety Regulations

Ensure your commercial kitchen environment complies with The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. For example, this includes regular inspections and maintenance on ventilation or cooking systems and ensuring all equipment is installed correctly and functioning as intended. Gas Safe trained and registered engineers must be used on gas appliances.

As we all know, failure to comply with regulations has the potential to not only lead to fines and other penalties but could impact your organisation’s reputation.

4. Planned Preventative Maintenance

As part of your strategic planning, implement an audit system to keep track of your equipment’s maintenance and anticipated lifecycle. Having a Planned Preventative Maintenance contract with suppliers is one way of doing this. Grading equipment in-house and keeping a maintenance schedule will allow you to plan better and budget for your ongoing equipment needs.

5. Implement EnergyEfficient Cooking Practices

Encourage chefs not to keep burners on from the start of the working day until the end to help reduce energy costs. Also, consider small ideas, such as using lids on pots and pans to help retain heat and reduce cooking times. Even batch cooking can help minimise the energy needed to cook multiple items.