Central Production Kitchens (CPK) have, in recent times, become increasingly popular with multi-site catering operations in both the public and private sectors. From those small restaurant or hotel chains looking for consistency in their food offering, to councils who are maximising budgets by producing and locally distributing school meals, the CPK has become the foundation to surviving in an uncertain economic climate.
When run properly, the CPK has many advantages:
- Reduced wastage
- Increased buying power
- Reduced staffing costs
- Increased consistency
- Reduced production costs
- Increased compliance
For both the public and private sectors, these benefits provide the arguments in which to implement such as strategy. The downside is quite obviously the start-up cost with new premises and equipment potentially becoming a six figure sum. However, there are saving to be made in this area although operational changes may have to be made to accomplish this.
The rapid evolution in catering and refrigeration technologies over the last number of years have meant that more can be achieved with less. One area in which, until now, the technologies have been slower to react is in blast refrigeration. Many well-known brands produce reach in and roll in units capable of blast chilling or freezing, the downside is that they are of fixed sizes. These limitations mean that in the CPK operation, multiple units have to be purchased or a staggered production time has to be implemented.
Cook:Chill offer a made-to-measure design service based around a modular configuration. This design element allows us to match the blast chilling or blast freezing requirements to the product and operational capabilities therefore maximising throughput. Gone are the days of one trolley or tray at a time. All of our refrigeration equipment delivers a performance that exceeds both food safety legislation and HACCP compliance.
As part of the Cook:Chill service, we will attend site offering unbiased advice to assist in the specification of the correct solution for your business and budget. Give one of the Team a call on +441179 646 497 or follow the link below.