Sectors in Focus

cafes & coffee shops

enabling cafe and coffee shop operators to produce exciting and trendy food fast.

Whether in our highstreets, airports, train stations, malls, motorway service stations, hospitals or retail parks, coffee shops and cafes have never been more popular.

Falcon recognises the rapid growth in this sector and have invested heavily in New Product Development specific to this sector. Producing equipment that meet the unique demands and cooking capibilities operators require from their catering equipment. 

In the article below our Chef offers some suggestions as to the equipment that Coffee Shops and Cafes should have to help them easily cater for the demand placed on them.

Essential Equipment – The Must Have’s:

Most Cafe and Coffee Shop kitchens will typically need a combination of the following products in order to produce the variety of menu items demanded in this environment: 

• Fryer - chips and battered products continue to be popular on  menus.
• Oven Range / boiling top - all kitchens need the versatility of some kind of hob - main query is what type (open top, solid top, hotplate or induction)
• Griddle - flat top cooking or griddling is one of the most used  methods of cooking in cafes and coffee shops, simulating pan frying, shallow frying, sauteing / stir frying.
• Convection Oven - every kitchen needs at least one oven, for general cooking, baking and regeneration. Ideal for freshly baked /cooked products and pastries on a smaller scale.
• Salamander Grill - Whether for cooking or quickly flashing food items, salamander grills produce high heat from above, over food heat source, ideal for a fast paced kitchen.
• High Speed Oven - The fast paced nature of service is the perfect environment for accellerated cooking equipment, enabling foods to be cooked quickly and efficiently.

Traditionally cafe or coffee shop kitchens were front facing, featuring basic appliances. However modern cafe culture dictate and operations have seen a distinctive turn towards high specification equipment which are energy efficient, easy to operate and clean, safe and reliable. Falcon has listened to the market and have a well represented portfolio of suitable equipment for this sector. 

Consideration Points 

• Usable front of house and or kitchen space
• Kitchen layout and design
• Energy sources and capacity available for the equipment
• Menu style and food offering
• Kitchen staffing, i.e. skills set, formally trained / qualified
• Amount of kitchen staff vs numbers to cater for
• Additional catering requirements; Grab 'n Go or Takeaway 
• Collective equipment budget

Other Equipment – The Nice to Have’s

These products are generally not an absolute necessity for most cafe and coffee shop kitchens, however worth considering depending on the factors mentioned previously:

• Twin pan fryer
• One Series Induction Range
• Flexi-pan
• Combination Oven

Which is best for my specific set up?

From coffee shop to cafe kitchens, there are distinctive differences in equipment requirements for each of these operations. Differences relate to style of service, menu and the catering output of the business. 

Essentially, type of operation, food style, menu, staffing and customer numbers will ultimately dictate which and how much of the equipment is required to deliver succcessful services.. 

Cafes and Coffee Shops are often food led with beverage sales adding much needed turnover. If the food is freshly prepared on the premises, the kitchen will need to reflect the need for equipment that can produce these. On the other hand, if the food is prepared elsewhere and only regenerated, re-heated or basic baking applied, then less but more specific equipment is needed. The list below will offer guidance, but as always, our team of knowledgable professionals are always on hand to provide more information and assistance.  

Typical Kitchen Equipment Set-up

Whether you need to replace existing equipment, add extra capacity or completely redesign your kitchen, our comprehensive product portfolio, experienced and knowledgeable support team and understanding of the unique requirements of the operations, makes us the ideal partner for all your catering equipment needs.

HELP ME WITH MY COFFEE SHOP KITCHEN