Member Article

Catering firm checks in with country hotel project

A North East catering company is growing its client base within the hospitality design industry after completing a major project at a renowned country hotel.

Crosbys Catering Equipment, based in Brough Park Way, Newcastle, was appointed by Best Western Derwent Manor Hotel to design and install a new kitchen, bar, dishwash area and front of house pizza area for the hotel’s modern restaurant, Prego, and to equip it with light equipment, cutlery, crockery, and chemical and janitorial supplies.

The team worked to a tight schedule to complete the £70,000 project at the Allensford-based hotel, and the full kitchen, pizza and wash up area was installed in just two days.

Crosbys also designed and supplied a large picture frame hot food pass which was installed into the wall, providing the front of house guests with an impressive view into the new high-end kitchen. Following the installation, Crosbys carried out comprehensive on-site training for the new kitchen equipment with the hotel’s team of chefs.

Project sales manager at Crosbys, Paul Carpenter, worked on the consultation design, project management and installation of the kitchen and bar. His colleague Keiron O’Neill, sales manager, was involved with the consultation and managed the supply of light equipment, crockery and tableware.

Paul Carpenter said: “We have worked with Best Western Manor Hotel director Keith Donkin many times on front of house projects – mainly the supply of crockery, cutlery and glass, but this was our first large scale design project with the hotel.

“As we were working within a busy venue, careful planning was required to ensure that the least amount of disruption possible was caused. Access was also a challenge, because the site is built within a beautiful old stone barn, and doors are therefore very narrow. As a result, specialist equipment was used to lift the heavy items into position.”

“The finished result is fantastic and we have since seen an increase in demand for our catering design services, so 2017 is set to be a very busy year for us.”

Keith Donkin, director of Best Western Derwent Manor Hotel, said: “We wanted Prego to be a relaxed, open space where guests could enjoy the atmosphere of our thriving kitchen, and to have a full view of our traditional, wood fired pizza oven. Crosbys delivered this for us in a short space of time, and we’ve been delighted with the response. Our chefs are also very happy with the quality of the equipment Crosbys provided, and they were appreciative of the training provided by the team.”

Crosbys supplies crockery, cutlery, specialist catering equipment, paper and janitorial supplies to more than 2000 customers in the North, including such long-established names as Sir John Fitzgeralds, Ladhar Group Newcastle, Apartment Group and Marriott Hotels, as well as a series of London restaurants and Michelin establishments across the UK and overseas.

Since celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2015, Crosbys has focused on growing the hospitality design arm of the business. Last year, Crosbys expanded its design team, which now has the ability to compete full commercial catering design and installation projects from start to finish.

Due to a number of new project wins, Crosbys is recruiting for a commercial kitchen CAD technician to join its dynamic, fast-growing project team. The CAD technician will ideally have experience in commercial kitchen design and be proficient in AutoCAD with some experience of Caterquotes. The salary package is subject to relevant experience and negotiation. Applicants are advised to send CVs for the attention of projects and design director Ben Crosby at ben@crosbys.co.uk

For further information about Crosbys, visit www.crosbys.co.uk or tel: 0191 228 4800

Like Crosbys Catering Equipment on Facebook and follow @Crosbys_BCA on Twitter.

For further information about Derwent Manor, visit www.bw-derwentmanorhotel.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Crosbys .