Williams
says weatherproof coldrooms can help meet small kitchen ‘20:20 vision’
The drive to reduce the size
of restaurant kitchens shows no sign of abating. Williams says one answer is to put some of
the cold storage outside the kitchen – in fact, outside the building. As more operators consider the option,
Williams is even offering outdoor coldrooms in a range of colours and finishes,
so that they can blend into the environment more easily.
“Operators want to make the
most use of the space they have to serve more customers, so the dining room is
being increased and the kitchen reduced,” says Malcolm Harling, sales and
marketing director of Williams. “That
creates a dichotomy: how do you serve more customers from a smaller
kitchen?
“FEA (the Foodservice Equipment
Association) calls this the small kitchen 20:20 vision: 20% more productivity from
20% less space. Equipment upgrades can
take you so far, but there comes a time when you need to think outside the box
– or, in this case, outside the kitchen.”
More and more operators are
taking advantage of the idea of having a coldroom outside the building in, for
example, a back yard or the corner of a car park. When specifying an external coldroom, they
should be constructed on top of a purpose built concrete base that sits above
ground, which allows water runoff, with internal flooring also installed as
standard. An important element to external coldrooms is being completely
weatherproof, as models designed to be sited indoors won’t cope with the heat,
cold, rain or snow.
Williams outdoor coldrooms
have exteriors made from HPS plastisol coated galvanised steel, which is
hardwearing and weatherproof. Their flat
ceiling is overclad with an angled sheet to provide run off to the
guttering.
An added bonus with outdoor
coldrooms is that they are often easier to install than indoor versions. For one thing, there are less likely to be access
issues or any need to disturb the kitchen operation. For another, there’s no need for long pipe
runs to connect the coldroom to the parts of the refrigeration system that are
sited outside. They can simply be
installed next to the coldroom itself.
The one downside, of course,
is that staff have to go outside to access the refrigerated or frozen
storage. Some operators are getting
round that by installing the coldroom on an exterior wall adjacent to the
kitchen – and then knocking a door through, so that access is directly from the
kitchen. Staff don’t even realise they
are going outside!
As for the colour, Harling
says. “The most popular option is brown,
as it tends to blend in better than, for
example, white. However, there’s a
varied choice, with the other most popular alternatives being forest
green, black and gun metal grey.”
Williams exterior coldrooms
are built of modular panels featuring high performance insulation. The panels comprising the floor, walls and
roof have tongue and groove joints that are camlocked together to form a robust
structure and a tight thermal envelope that ensures constant temperature
control. The modular construction means
they can be designed to fit a variety of sizes and shapes, helping take maximum
advantage of available space. Dual
temperature models, for, for example, both chilled and frozen storage, are also
available.
The cost for an exterior
coldroom will depend on a variety of factors, including the size, ease of
access, availability of services and the state of the site.
Williams Refrigeration
offers a comprehensive range of commercial refrigeration including gastronorm
cabinets and counters, specialist bakery equipment, coldrooms, merchandisers
and blast chillers.
To learn more about Williams extensive product range
visit www.williams-refrigeration.co.uk.
Press
Enquiries:
The Publicity Works: 01263 761000 williams@publicityworks.biz
For more news about Williams visit the
press office at www.publicityworks.biz
Dan Squires at Williams Refrigeration 01553
817103
Williams
Refrigeration is a division of AFE Group Ltd. It is an ISO9001-2008 Quality Management accredited company and has been awarded ISO14001, the
internationally recognised industry standard for Environmental Management
Systems. Most recently Williams has demonstrated its commitment
to staff welfare by achieving
Occupational Health and Safety Standard (OHSAS) certification 18001:2007.
Williams designs,
manufactures and installs a highly diverse product range, supplying hotels,
hospitals, schools, restaurants, bars and kitchens around the world. With a
wide selection of gastronorm cabinets and counters, prep stations, blast
chillers/freezers, bottle coolers, bakery and modular coldrooms the company
provides products that suit almost any application – a “one-stop” refrigeration
purchasing solution.
The company has also
developed a specialist range of medical and pharmaceutical refrigeration,
including bespoke coldrooms and the Medi+ range of cabinets.
Williams’ commitment to
customers is absolute, offering extensive specialist advice and support from
installation through to after-sales, service and maintenance.