The Craven Cooling Blog

Commercial Catering & Kitchen Advice

Practical, no-nonsense advice for the people who run UK kitchens, bars and front-of-house — from menu presentation and food safety to fit-outs and keeping your equipment running. Written by the Craven Cooling team, commercial catering and refrigeration specialists supplying UK hospitality since 2000.

71 in-depth articlesUK hospitality specialists since 2000Trade advice & supply · 01792 732702

Buy right

Choosing Your Refrigeration

The single biggest kit decision most operators make — get it right. Straight-talking buyer's guides to commercial multidecks, cold rooms, ice-cream cabinets, glass-door and open-front coolers: how to size, spec and choose refrigeration that fits your site, your footfall and your product before you spend a penny.

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Commercial Catering & Kitchen Advice

Menu, Plating & Front of House

Why Plate Temperature Matters for Food Service Quality

Writing Effective Specials Boards That Drive Upsells

Presentation Ideas for Bar Snacks and Sharing Food

Plating Desserts for Menu Appeal

Choosing Your Refrigeration

The Multi-Site Operator’s Equipment Standardisation Playbook

The Outdoor Trading Weather Plan: Cooling, Ice, Warewash and Stock Movement

The Small Kitchen Equipment Triage: What to Replace First When Budget Is Tight

Why a Full Fridge Can Still Have Empty Money in It

How to Know Whether You Need One Big Fridge or Several Smaller Ones

Why Your Best-Selling Line Should Decide Your Fridge Layout

The Menu Launch Equipment Check: Before You Add Slush, Iced Coffee or Grab-and-Go

When Old Equipment Becomes a Staffing Problem

Before You Buy a Multideck, Decide What the Chilled Range Is For

Unexpected Cold Room Uses: What Beekeepers Teach Us About Specialist Storage

Multideck Features That Actually Change the Working Day

The Multideck Questions Retailers Should Ask Before They Ask for a Price

Ice Cream Display Freezers: Plan for the Hottest Week, Not the Quietest Month

Static, Fan-Assisted or Ventilated Cooling? Match the System to the Way You Trade

Sliding vs Hinged Fridge Doors: Choose by Aisle Flow, Not Habit

Open-Front or Glass-Door Multideck? Start With Customer Behaviour

Commercial Fridge Noise: What dB(A) Means for Front-of-House Spaces

Before You Choose a Cold Room Monoblock, Ask These Heat-Load Questions

Is an Old Open-Front Fridge Quietly Eating Your Margin?

Temporary Event Cooling: How to Keep Drinks and Food Moving Without Overbuying

The Multideck Layout Audit: What to Measure Before You Buy

Fitting Out Your Space

The Pub Cellar-to-Bar Cooling Chain

The Hidden Cost of a Slow Potwash

Where to Put a Commercial Fridge: Siting Mistakes That Cause Warm Cabinets

GN Sizes as a Workflow Tool: How to Make Menu Changes Easier

Planning a Commercial Bar Fit-Out

How to Plan a Commercial Kitchen Fit-Out

Fitting Out a Beer Garden or Café Terrace

Food Safety & Compliance

The Breakfast Rush Cold-Chain Plan for Hotels and Guest Houses

The Care Home Cold-Chain Routine: Safer Service Without Slowing the Team

Ice Is Food: The Bar Hygiene Check Most Venues Underestimate

The EHO Fridge Evidence Pack: What to Have Ready Before an Inspection

Kitchen Extraction and Fire-Safety Cleaning Schedules

COSHH-Compliant Chemical Storage and Dilution for Commercial Kitchens

HACCP Colour Coding for Utensils & Chopping Boards

Maintenance & Servicing

The Refrigeration Maintenance Calendar That Managers Will Actually Use

Food Waste Starts Before the Bin: How Storage Choices Protect Margin

The First 60 Minutes After a Fridge Fails

Is Your Kitchen Ready for a Heatwave? The Refrigeration Stress Test

What a Fridge Breakdown Really Costs in a Busy Service

Hot Food in the Fridge: The Service Shortcut That Causes Bigger Problems

What Freezer Frost Is Telling You About Your Operation

Your Fridge Is Not a Stockroom: How Overloading Costs Operators Money

The 10-Minute Fridge Energy Walk-Round for Busy Kitchens

Managing Limescale in Commercial Catering Equipment

Maintaining Stainless Steel Catering Equipment

Maintaining Commercial Refrigeration — Seals, Servicing and F-Gas Rules

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The April 2027 Wage Rise: The Staffing Maths for Your Kitchen Rota

From 30 October, a Customer Harassing Your Staff Is Legally Your Problem

The Jacket Potato Business in 2026: The Margin Maths and the Oven That Decides It

The Christmas Trading Equipment Countdown

The Commercial EPC Deadline Most Advice Gets Wrong: What June 2026 Actually Changed

What a Food Hygiene Rating of 3 Actually Costs You

The Paragraph That Voids Your Kitchen Insurance

“Fully Fitted” Isn’t Free: Taking Over a Unit With Someone Else’s Kitchen In It

Who Owns the Kitchen When the Lease Ends?

Martyn’s Law Is Coming in 2027: What a Pub, Café or Restaurant Actually Has to Do

Can You Use a Domestic Fridge in a Food Business? The Honest Answer