Reliability is a huge factor when choosing commercial refrigeration for a busy kitchen or bar. Unlike cooking equipment, refrigeration operates 24/7, and maintaining exact temperatures ensures ingredients are kept in perfect condition until required.
If refrigeration breaks down, getting it repaired or replaced can be costly. You need equipment that is built to last. This is the philosophy that has guided Williams Refrigeration since it was founded, and Chris Coubrough, owner of the award winning Crown Hotel in the Norfolk town of Wells-next-the-Sea can vouch for its effectiveness.
Chris and his wife, originally from New Zealand, fell in love with the area while he was working in Southwold and they decided to put down roots and buy the hotel in 2004. An average day at the Crown can involve a breakfast service for up to sixty people, up to 200 people for lunch and another hundred for dinner service.
The Crown has established a reputation for the quality of its menu, which showcases seasonal food sourced from local suppliers, including the seafood which the town is known for. “We’re just getting in to the mussel season, customers come in and ask ‘when are the mussels, when are the mussels?’,” says Chris. “And we always say, look, we’ll do the mussels when the mussel man tells us they’re good to go!”
Refrigeration built to last
Williams supply all the Crown’s refrigeration needs, which is a relationship that predates Chris’s arrival. One piece of equipment, a Pearl undercounter refrigerator installed in the bar area, has been going strong since the 90s. “It’s been in this building longer than I have,” says Chris. “I got curious about how long it had been running, and we were amazed when Williams told us it had been here for 30 years!”
As their main fridge for storing white wine, it’s had to cope with a lot during its life. “It gets treated terribly. We must open it 200 times a day, we yank the door open, kick it shut,” says Chris. “But in the entire time I’ve been here it’s kept working without a hiccup, it just runs and runs and runs.”
This reliability is vital to Chris. “Refrigeration in this industry is paramount,” says Chris. “Our whole food safety structure starts with temperature, so refrigeration is really important. You can't ask staff to do the numbers we're doing and run on inferior gear, because it's just not economical.”
The other Williams equipment at the Crown has also had a long working life. Almost neck and neck with the Pearl is the Zircon upright freezer, which was installed in 1996. 1998 saw the arrival of a Sapphire upright fridge and two three door Emerald counters which are used to store meat. The Emeralds are fitted with passthrough doors, allowing for easy access and restocking so staff always have immediate access to ingredients throughout the day.
When it came to adding to the Crown’s refrigeration capacity a few years after he bought the Crown, Williams was the obvious choice given the track record of his existing equipment. 2011 saw the arrival of a Jade upright cabinet for fish storage, with an Amber upright fridge joining in 2012. All units are still in daily use, demonstrating the same longevity as the Pearl.
Built for the demands of a busy kitchen
Coping with the variable temperatures within commercial kitchens is another vital factor for Chris. “Like most kitchens we need to pack everything into a small space, so our refrigerators are close to the ovens,” he says. “On one side of the kitchen you’ve got, say, a 250°C heat source, and within a metre you’ve got a cabinet that’s keeping everything below 4°C. Then add in summer days when the temperature spikes really high, you need to know that your refrigeration can stay the course.”
Nikki Merchant is the Crown’s head chef, and is just as confident in the Williams refrigeration. “ We’re constantly opening the doors, and it stands up to everything we throw at it,” she says. “We feel that we can rely on Williams and we’ve got the peace of mind that the equipment is going to stand up to what we need. We don’t have to worry about our refrigeration on a day-to-day basis.”
This is where investing in high quality equipment like Williams really pays off, says Chris. “You might think you’re saving money by getting cheaper gear, but one really hot day and suddenly the refrigeration’s not working – your staff aren’t happy, your health and safety’s gone out the window, you might lose stock – it’s a nightmare!”
The long life of the Crown’s fridges is a sterling example of the importance of choosing the right equipment. “I'd rather buy something once and have it last a decade or more than buy three inferior bits of kit to stumble through 10 years’ worth of service,” says Chris.
Part of this longevity is due to Chris’s diligence in keeping them maintained. “We’ve got systems in place so the fins are regularly cleaned and we check the door seals and things like that. None of it’s rocket science, but you need to have the discipline to stick to a schedule because this is a working kitchen.”
The final piece of the puzzle is the maintenance service Williams offers. “If we need a new fan motor or something, Williams are out straight away,” says Chris. “We have a good time with the engineers, they’re easy to get on with and know their stuff. You can tell they’re proud of what they’re doing, as they should be!”
With the hospitality industry having to weather cost increases and economic uncertainty, Chris is adamant about the importance of having the right equipment.
“To anyone considering buying refrigeration I would say you need to buy the best product you can buy in the market,” he says. “I think that's Williams.