Catering Consultant in Bristol

Bristol is the most competitive kitchen market I work in. Rents are high, guests have somewhere else to go, and a site that is only slightly wrong feels it faster here than it would in a quieter town.

I am René Chapman, based in Newport, twenty-five miles the other side of the bridge. Close enough to come and watch a service, which tells me more than any description over the phone.

35+ years in the hospitality sector, which means I have seen most of the ways a good kitchen quietly loses money.

Catering equipment

I specify the equipment and manage the supply and installation through to commissioning. If the cheaper machine does the job, that is what goes on the schedule. More on catering equipment and combi ovens for Bristol kitchens.

Kitchen design

Planned around service, not around a tidy drawing. Fewer steps, calmer sections, lower energy bill.

Menu and gross profit

I cost every dish and show you where the margin is going. A dish that gets praised and runs at 45 per cent food cost is still a problem.

Staff training

Front of house, back of house, and the handover between them. On site, in short sessions around your rota.

Stock, ordering and rotas

I will show you the arithmetic on whether a system pays at your size. If it does not, I will say so.

Who I work with

Independent restaurants, Cafés and Bistros. Gastropubs and food-led bars. Hotels. Contract caterers. Care homes and Healthcare. Education catering. Food production.

Where to start

A free conversation about what is actually going wrong. If I cannot see a clear way to make you money, I will say so rather than take the work.

Serving Bristol, Bath, Newport, Cardiff, Gloucester and the surrounding areas.