Sectors in Focus

HOTELS & Restaurants

KNOWN FOR PROVIDING EXCELLENCE IN HOSPITALITY AND CATERING, HOTEL KITCHENS ARE NOTABLY BUSY OPERATIONS.

Operation depending, hotels usually serve at least 3 meals over the course of a day; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Usually one or more kitchens will individually or collectively contribute towards the delivery of the meals.

Higher profile and or larger hotels will feature specialized restaurants, fine dining, informal bar meals and functions, events and banqueting.

Falcon has for many years supported the Hotel and Restaurant sector by producing reliable, efficient, high performance equipment, needed to meet the demands of each operation across the country. 

In the article below our chef offers some suggestions as to the equipment that hotels and restaurants should have to help them easily cater for the demand placed on them.

Essential Equipment – The Must Have’s:

Most hotel and restaurant kitchens will typically need a combination of the following products in order to produce the variety of menus and food items demanded in a hotel environment: 

• Fryer - chips and battered products continue to be a staple part of the menu 
• Oven Range / boiling top - all kitchens need the versatility of some kind of hob - main query is what type (open top, solid top, hotplate or induction). Gas solid top units are well used and a preferred device in hotel and restaurant kitchens.
• Combination Oven - combination is a hugely popular and modern cooking method in hotel and restaurant kitchens. Much more flexible (but more expensive), worth the cost. 
• Salamander grill - every kitchen needs at least one salamander, enabling quick flashing food, grilling from the top and browning items. 
• Oven Ranges - adding an oven below a boiling top produces an oven range that is capable to perform 10 out of the 12 cookery methods.
• Chargrill - grilled foods often feature heavily on hotel menus and enables restaurants to establish themselves in this specific market; steakhouses, grills and even bistros makes up this sector.
• Sous Vide - a much beloved go to device making chefs lives easier, yet also contributing efficiently towards the gaining significant benefits in product quality, yield, cost, time and flavour profiles.
• Bratt pan - another cornerstone in evey hotel kitchen, whether used for banqueting, staff meals of general production, essential to larger food production operations.
• Stock pot stove - serving fresh, homemade food is something hotels and restaurants proudly represent. The basis of most dishes is a quality sauce, stock pot stoves enables kitchens to carry on with their normal duties, whilst the stock pot stove cooks away in a corner, producing accordingly. 
• Griddles / Flexipans - allow users to cook directly onto the heated surface without the need for pans, ideal for operations with a la carte menus.  

The combination of products, and the quantity and type of appliance will vary significantly with factors such as number of covers, size of kitchen, size of menu, service times etc all being important considerations when selecting equipment. 

Traditionally, hotel and restaurant kitchen equipment featured mostly gas appliances, but new builds have seen a distinctive turn towards electrical equipment, with energy efficient products such as induction hobs and combi ovens becoming integral parts of many new hotels and restaurants. 

Consideration Points 

• Kitchen/s and their usable space 
• Kitchen/s layout and design
• Energy sources and capacity available for the equipment
• Cuisine, food style, menu offering, services
• Kitchen staffing, i.e. skills set, formally trained / qualified
• Amount of kitchen staff vs bedrooms vs restaurant/s seating
• Additional catering requirements; such as special dinners, events, banquets, production / supply kitchen.
• Collective equipment budget

Other Equipment – The Nice to Have’s

These products are generally not an absolute necessity for most hotel and restaurant kitchens but can be worth considering depending on the factors mentioned previously:

• Chargrill
• Flexipan
• Secondary fryer (or allergen fryer)
• High Speed Oven
• Boiling Kettles
• Convection ovens

Which is best for my specific set up?

Whether they are food led or a destination venue, hotels and restaurants are mandated to serve quality food to the level they are marketed or recognised for.

Food style such as cuisine and cooking technique will establish what equipment is suitable and required to be able to deliver the food associated with the menu. Equipment will additionally provide the operator user with a clear indication what processes or cookery methods they are able to use to achieve desired output in accordance with the menus / services. 

Rooms, seating, covers and turnover will additionally influence decisions, with specific considerations to allow for complex and diverse food offerings.

Typical Examples of Basic Kitchen Equipment Set-up

Whether you need to replace existing equipment, add extra capacity or completely redesign your kitchen, our comprehensive product portfolio, experienced and knowledgeable support team and understanding of the unique requirements of the hotelier, caterer and restaurateur, makes us the ideal partner for all your catering equipment needs.

HELP ME WITH MY HOTEL OR RESTAURANT KITCHEN