Catering Equipment and Combi Ovens in Cardiff and South Wales

Buying commercial catering equipment is one of the biggest cheques a hospitality business writes, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Get it right and the kitchen runs well for years. Get it wrong and you are working around that decision every service until you can afford to replace it.

I specify catering equipment across Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Gloucester and South Wales, and manage the supply and installation through to commissioning. I spent ten years with Rational as a regional sales manager and development chef, which is where I learned combi ovens properly, and I specify across the rest of the market too, at whatever the budget will carry. I specify what the covers justify and nothing beyond. If the smaller machine does the job, that is what goes on the schedule.

Combi ovens and commercial ovens

The combi oven is usually the biggest single decision in a kitchen, and the one operators most often get wrong in both directions. Too small and it throttles service. Too large and you have paid for capacity you never use, then pay again to run it every month.

I specify combi ovens across Cardiff, Newport and South Wales, including the Rational iCombi Pro and iVario Pro. I will also tell you when a straightforward convection oven does the same job for half the money, because quite often it does.

Things worth settling before you spend anything:

• What capacity your covers and your menu actually need, rather than what the brochure suggests
• Gas or electric, and what that means for your energy bill over the next ten years
• What the room needs first, in extraction, water treatment and three-phase power
• Whether a refurbished unit is a sensible saving or a false economy
• What the thing costs to run, not just what it costs to buy

Why it helps that I have seen it from all sides

I have cooked on this equipment, bought it as an operator, and sold it for a manufacturer. That last one counts for more than it sounds. When a rep tells you what a machine will do, I know what has been left out of the sentence, because I have been the one saying it.

35+ years in the hospitality sector, across kitchens, front of house and wholesale food buying and selling, means I have also seen what lasts and what is back in the workshop within eighteen months.

What I cover

Specification and selection

Equipment chosen against your menu, service style, volume and budget. The two expensive mistakes are paying for capability you will never use, and buying something that cannot keep up on a Saturday. Both are avoidable on paper, before anyone spends anything.

Suppliers and brands

I work across a range of manufacturers, including Rational, Foster Refrigeration, Winterhalter and Atosa, and I will point you at whichever of them is right for the job. Combi ovens, induction, refrigeration, warewashing and extraction. More on the brands I work with.

Fit-outs

New kitchen or refurbishment, from specification through procurement to installation and commissioning. Someone needs to check that what arrives is what was specified, and that your team knows how to use it from day one.

Equipment audits

If you are already trading, an audit of what you have: what is underperforming, what is costing more to run than it should, and which single upgrade would pay for itself soonest.

Energy

Equipment has changed enormously on energy consumption. I will show you where your current kit is expensive to run and what an upgrade actually saves you against what it costs, which is not always the answer the brochure implies.

Who I work with

Independent restaurants and cafés, hotels and their food and beverage operations, contract caterers and central production kitchens, care homes, schools and education catering, event and street food operators, pub groups and food-led bars.

Get in touch

If you are fitting out a kitchen, replacing a combi oven, or you have a quote in front of you and want a second opinion before you sign it, get in touch for a free initial consultation. You can also read what a project usually costs.

I specify and manage catering equipment projects in Cardiff, Newport, Bristol and Gloucester, across South Wales and the surrounding areas.