How important is the look and feel of a dining area? Can it influence meal take-up?
The look and feel of a dining room in the education sector is highly important and can have a huge influence on meal take up in schools and colleges. The exposure to eating out of the home has a huge impact on this generation and it’s important that education sector caterers embrace trends outside of their establishments and bring them into the ‘canteen’. As the younger generation eat out more often than require a more varied, complex and interesting offering and this needs to be thought about when considering the layout, flow and design of the dining area and food offering.
What are the key things to consider when designing a new catering area or refurbishing an existing one?
The procurement of flexible equipment that will last and suit the ever evolving needs of diners, this rings true in a number of sectors and requires kitchen designers to carefully think about adaptability of both front and back of house operations.
Throughput, flow, volume and budget are all key considerations when planning education sector projects. Catering and Purchasing Managers should seek professional support and advise from experienced catering equipment distributors before making their purchasing decisions. Seek case studies and examples of kitchen designs that have worked for other schools and colleges to give real life examples of what works for other establishments.
Are there any trends within catering design that can work or be adapted for schools?
The key trends that we are seeing in the market are the need for variety, flexibility and versatility of equipment. This enables caterers to switch their menu offering to suit seasons, trends and menu changes without the capital outlay every time a trend changes. Combination ovens, vario cooking appliances are a key driver in the market and the uptake of these units are on the rise.
Another key trend we are seeing in the market is the embracement of internet connectivity in the kitchen, everything from your ware washing products right the way through to your combi oven can now be connected to the internet to help schools and colleges clearly asses the performance of a product in relation to efficiencies, service requirements and product performance. All of which are highly important when reviewing capital expenditure vs operational expenditure.
How important is it to get an expert involved in the design of a catering area?
A school or college should always seek professionally accredited suppliers when planning any new catering project. CEDA member companies should always be considered as they have been passed as professional bodies in the industry who have a proven record in providing solutions to the delight of clients. Using a professional company to handle the design, supply, installation and aftersales is also beneficial from an organizational and efficiency view point. By employing one professional company to project manage from start to finish is high beneficial.
