Equipment logic

You've done your research, you know what type of food offer you're going to do at the pub and you've got your menu sorted. So now it's time to decide what equipment you need to deliver that offer

Equipping a pub kitchen for the first time is an expense and one that could prove costly if you get it wrong.The one over-riding piece of advice to come from our experts this month is that in order to avoid wasting money on unnecessary or inappropriate equipment, kitchens must be designed around the menu.

It can be daunting to make the big decisions on what equipment you need as there is so much on offer as well as legal requirements to consider.

Catering development manager at Union Pub Company Ben Bartlett says: "If you are setting up a catering kitchen from scratch you should take advice. Unless you have experience, starting up in the wrong way could cost you a lot of money and time. It is best to involve expertise at an early stage of the kitchen development - particularly if it is part of a larger refurbishment project."

Logical series of events

Kal Talsi, director at catering equipment specialists Saffron Consultants says that licensees must first consider their menu and then look at the logical series of events that happen in the kitchen before buying equipment.

"First of all you will get a delivery - ambient, chilled and frozen - so you will need storage space. Then you will need to look at the preparation area where you will need a prep table and prep sink."

And then a pub can look at what equipment is required to cook the food. "If you are looking at a basic food offering and you will be running a small operation you will need a four-burner range with an oven underneath.

"You'll want a griddle, which is good if you want to put on an all-day breakfast, mixed grills, steaks or burgers. It's good to buy a double-tank fryer - if you are doing breaded products like scampi, fish and goujons, you want to keep that separate from other foods. Some people use it to keep vegetarian and non-vegetarian separate."

ServEquip commercial manager Paul Harper says that it's a good idea to start off with a simple food offer that requires a small outlay on good equipment. That way you can serve simple pub food, such as paninis,

pizzas and burgers, to find out how customers respond. From there you can build up your equipment as you expand your food offer.

And there is more to consider than just whether the machine can do the job. With environmental health officers prowling around, it is essential to remember health

and hygiene.

Importance of health and hygiene

Williams Refrigeration says health and hygiene is more important than ever and that using commercial fridges and freezers in every foodservice situation is a must.

"People going into foodservice for the first time don't necessarily understand the difference between commercial and domestic fridges," says Williams marketing manager Nicky Franklin. "Because there's a big price difference they may be tempted to buy a domestic model. But using a domestic fridge in a commercial environment is not only dangerous, it could also put you at risk of prosecution with the new HACCP legislation."

She explains that every time you open a fridge door, the interior warms up as cold air escapes and warm air rushes in - a commercial fridge is powerful enough to chill down the interior quickly to keep food safe. A domestic fridge works much more slowly and can't keep up.

Pubs on a tight budget

However, Franklin has some good news for pubs on a tight budget: manufacturers, like Williams, are now producing light-duty, lower-cost commercial fridges designed for lower-volume catering sites.

Many pubs are also often tempted to go for a cheaper domestic microwave, says Steve Loughton, the managing director of Enodis UK, Food Service.

"A typical mistake people make is to think they can buy a domestic microwave for £100 rather than invest £300 in a commercial machine. But if you want a professional, hygienic operation serving a reasonable amount of food at the right temperatures, then you have to invest in the commercial microwave."

By looking at the food offer you want to serve and considering carefully what equipment is needed to deliver that menu, you can avoid investing in a lot of expensive machinery that either can't cope with the job at hand or is too fancy for your needs.