School Catering

Published: 19/05/17

Increasing numbers of schools are now moving into the 21st century and transforming the way they operate, with the revamp of old, Victorian school buildings and the building of new academies.

With these new school facilities, it’s no surprise that schools are also looking to modernise their catering procedures, in order to provide the most efficient and quality school meals for their pupils.

Those schools looking to overhaul their catering facilities could see massive benefits from working with a catering equipment distributor. Stephanie Carlyon, business development assistant at Hallmark Kitchens, said: “Schools looking to revamp their catering methods could benefit heavily from a catering equipment distributor. A distributor is always led by the best solution for the caterer, with a clear mind of all manufacturer products, not just one brand.

“This balanced view ultimately leads to a solution that works for the client with no hidden agenda based around product brands.” All schools will have a ‘food plan’, and a clear idea in their mind of how they would like to cater for their students. Catering equipment distributors can really help schools reach those aims.

Most distributors are foodservice professionals with many years of experience within the catering equipment sector, meaning they can train, re-train, and help the client plan menus and find the right catering equipment in order to achieve the best results.

Hiring a catering equipment distributor is key if schools are looking to find the most productive equipment. School caterers can produce 95 percent of their menu if they’re using a combi oven to its full potential and have received the right training.

“Hallmark offers complete training to all staff members to ensure they understand every element of the products they’re working with,” said Stephanie.

Catering equipment distributors can also offer schools invaluable advice when it comes to the ever-changing catering industry. They are well trained to advise and carry out whole projects from start to finish. One point of contact means that communications are efficient and the installation schedule is organised throughout.

“The best thing that schools can do is invite us in so we can discuss what your requirements are,” said Stephanie.

“We can take the design away and do all the groundwork. This will help take the stress away from the client, who will know that we have everything in hand with regular update meetings.”

Hallmark Kitchens can supply anything from a one-off piece of kit to a complete kitchen, existing refurb, or new build. One of our current projects is a school staff room that we are turning into a small kitchen to feed 60 nursery children, allowing them to have fresh food every day to help them grow and learn.

Hallmark Kitchens takes the foodservice education sector extremely seriously and is committed to helping the next generation of children.