Hospitality Industry News & Articles

There is no denying that the past few months have been some of the most stressful for the hospitality sector. Many businesses have had to lay off a lot of employees, and some have had to close their doors indefinitely. Over the past month, the government has been running the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme which has helped many businesses encourage their customers to come back to the dining out scene. Together with people taking ‘staycations’ instead of traveling abroad, it has meant that businesses have seen an upturn in their customers. However, with the government scheme ending and other countries now opening up to tourists again, the next few months will be a real test. So, what happens next for hospitality?

Written By: Gill Lester

Before Covid-19, keeping your kitchen clean was always crucial. Few food businesses managed to pull in a profit without a four-or-five star hygiene rating and failing to keep your appliances spick-and-span has always been a sure way to end up spending a tonne of cash on repairs and replacements. But now cleaning has become something far more important than simply keeping the grease and grime which naturally accumulates at bay. With coronavirus ever-present, cleaning has come to mean, more than ever, soothing anxieties and keeping your customers safe. So, how do you do it? How do restaurants, cafes, bistros and pubs persuade a wary public that it is safe for them to return?

Written By: Luke

The last few months have been difficult for everyone. And, as lockdown comes to an end and the government’s furlough scheme is phased out, the next few months promise to be just as difficult for food businesses. The hospitality industry, which thrives on social mingling, seems set to struggle in a time of social distancing. But, there is a way for us to pull together and survive the new normal – to reopen safely, and get back on our feet.

Written By: Luke

Springtime is often used as a good way to spend some time throwing out anything that isn’t needed anymore and giving everything a good clean. In a commercial business, this can be a good way to ensure that all areas of the business are running efficiently and checking that all the equipment is in good working order. Spring cleaning your catering equipment is not always about ‘out with the old and in with the new’ mainly due to the fact that these machines can incur major expense to replace.

Written By: Gill Lester

When you first open your restaurant, you will, of course, want to stock your kitchen with the best equipment you can. Not only will this make the process easier, but it will also make the kitchen more efficient and cost-effective. However, when you and your kitchen staff first start using the new equipment, it is important to not only know how to use it to its fullest but also how to maintain it. When it comes to your kitchen, do you take catering equipment training seriously? Here are some of the reasons why you should.

Written By: Gill Lester

Customer perception of your brand is crucial. There are many aspects to think about to make the right impact on customers, one of them being your front of house team. In this article, we would be looking at why the front of house training for staff is important, the benefits, and how to apply this training to your business.

Written By: Gill Lester

Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual event organised and funded over the period of two weeks by Fairtrade Foundation. Its aim is to increase awareness of Fairtrade products. It brings together companies, individuals, and groups across the United Kingdom to share stories of the people who grow the foods we eat, drinks we take, cotton we use for clothes, and many more, but get exploited and underpaid. Fairtrade Fortnight 2020 kicks off on the 24th of February till the 8th of March. This fortnight event hosts businesses from various sectors such as agriculture, food service, and many others and includes products such as coffee and tea, fruits and even cotton etc. Its main focus however is placed on cocoa.

Written By: Gill Lester

When you open a restaurant or a pub you need to invest in high quality commercial kitchen equipment. The global market for commercial kitchens is estimated to reach around approx. £85.4 billion ($112 billion) by 2025. The hospitality industry is undergoing a technology-driven transformation as the new commercial appliances offer more than the last generation. One of the most important machines you need when you own a restaurant or a pub is an oven, more specifically, a combination oven. Knowing how to pick the best one for your business can make a huge difference.

Written By: Gill Lester

The Vegan Society states that in 2019, there were roughly 600,000 vegans in the UK, a rise from 150,000 in 2015. Regardless of the reasons behind a person’s decision to become vegan, there is no doubt that restaurants need to start catering for the increased demand. However, there are certain requirements needed that can cause issues for some restaurants. This has meant that while many businesses want to cater for vegans by adding items to their menu, the logistics have proved difficult to overcome.

Written By: Gill Lester

The beating heart of the majority of commercial kitchens, combination ovens have revolutionised catering en masse, combining the functions of multiple pieces of equipment into a single unit. As technology has evolved, so has what we have to come to expect from these core cooking appliances - making them, undoubtedly, an essential heavyweight of any modern kitchen. The reigning market leaders, Rational, have dominated the combination cooking sector for over 40 years, but can the relatively new kid on the block, Unox, prove to be a force to be reckoned with? Here, we take a look at both brands: the similarities, the differences and what they each bring to the market.

Written By: Gill Lester

Running or working in a catering business involves adhering to many codes and pieces of legislation to ensure that your food preparation and storage is safe. In some cases, these codes and guidelines can become confusing, especially when you are unsure if they are required or simply recommended. One such set of rules is the WRAS scheme. What is WRAS?

Written By: Gill Lester

Working in a commercial kitchen requires skill, organisation and the ability to remain calm under pressure. No matter what role you occupy, you are part of a well-trained machine that is fundamental to the success of the business. Along with the staff, the way the kitchen is designed is also a vital factor. Everything needs to be accessible with no bottlenecks or places where space is cramped. For many years, kitchen designers have used a theory called the ‘golden triangle’ to make the best use of space. However, with modern technology and a change in the ways commercial kitchens are run, is the ‘golden triangle’ still relevant?

Written By: Gill Lester

Most kitchens will have at least one chef’s knife, whether it’s a domestic or professional kitchen. Often, a chef’s knife will be able to last for many years providing it is taken care of and used for the correct purpose. Even if this is the case, a knife will eventually need to be replaced, and there is then the problem of disposing of the knife in the correct way. Disposing of any type of knife is a serious issue, and there are laws governing the correct way to do this safely. Here are a few of the ways that you can retire your old knives, safely and in an environmentally friendly way.

Written By: Gill Lester

With the highest proportion of coffee shops in Europe, it is very clear that the UK is not just a nation of tea-drinkers. British consumers are becoming ever more knowledgeable about what makes a good cup of coffee – with many beginning to expect the highest standards of every cup they buy. The days when a cup of instant would go down a treat are coming to an end. Coffee-making has become an art-form and the espresso, the basic component of nearly every kind of specialist coffee, is the foundation of that art-form. Get it right, and you won’t go far wrong.

Written By: Luke

With the season of hectic winter feasting behind us,  now is the ideal time to get your kitchen re-organised and ready for the new year. How do you begin? Start with the basics.

Written By: Luke

There are three words to describe what happens behind the curtains of a great restaurant: perfectly choreographed chaos. In this quick-paced environment, it's essential that everyone knows what they are supposed to do and are able to perform well under pressure. A good chef and his crew know how to move fast while they mix different cooking techniques to prepare amazing dishes. There are many cooking techniques out there, some of them common, others less common, but all of them give delicious results when used correctly.

Written By: Simona

Sustainability is a huge factor in any food business and includes discovering ways of reducing waste and finding better practises to protect the environment. Just as when going to the supermarket on a domestic level to do the weekly shop, being on the lookout for favourite products and bargains being the core concern, commercial kitchens take stock of their inventory and make food orders accordingly. Ways to reduce waste and increase sustainability probably aren’t the first things on the list of priorities. Food items are generally chosen based on particular tastes, the menu being creating and the costs involved. Understanding more about food sustainability could help us to make more informed decisions. Sustainability has become a buzzword lately and is still a massively important concept - here we look at why.

Written By: Sam

Fresh vegetables are an important part of many meal preparations in many commercial kitchens. As a commercial kitchen owner, you may have experienced the surge in demand for vegetables in recent years. The same is being experienced in many more food establishments across the country, with more people asking for vegetable-based dishes. It is important to take prompt action to ensure that you meet your customers’ demands.

Written By: Don Esrom

Is the latest development in the fast-food industry a golden opportunity or does its spooky name suggest a darker side which poses a threat to the health of the restaurant business as we know it? Let’s take a closer look.

Written By: Luke

Commercial kitchens are demanding places. With orders and staff flying back and forth preparing dish after dish for ever-hungry customers, any time-saving technology can seem like a god-send. So, the suppliers of the equipment those commercial kitchens need to run smoothly will innovate and advertise their intuitive smart control, their intelligent operations and their enhanced efficiency to bring buyers closer to cashing out and investing in their latest appliance. Promising to make the work of over-burdened staff easier is no small selling point and proves a major factor in the final decision — but, alone, it is not enough to seal the deal.

Written By: Luke