September 24th, 2018 by Chris Chapman

Catering Supplies for Every Business, from Burger Vans to Restaurants

Every season is busy for catering businesses – whether your business is a traditional restaurant, a for-hire catering business, or a burger van that travels around festivals, there’s never any shortage of customers who need to eat and drink. If you want to grow your business, you’ll want to make it as efficient as possible. That’s why we’ve pulled together a list of things that will help reduce overheads and save your catering business money. Read on for a list of catering supplies that every catering business needs.

All-Purpose Descaler for Catering

No matter where your catering business is based, you’ll end up running into some limescale issues eventually. Limescale builds up inside anything that carries water like pipes, kettles, sinks, and so on. A little bit of limescale is unavoidable and isn’t harmful, but too much of it can cause headaches for catering businesses. It can lead to any water you use tasting strange and looking unpleasantly cloudy. At worst, limescale can present a real hygiene risk and can even start to block up pipes. Obviously, as a catering business, you’ll be using a lot of water, so it makes sense to get a descaler that can tackle limescale wherever it occurs, from coffee machines to pipes.

HSD Recommends: Pro-Kleen Multi-Purpose Descaler

This is a highly-concentrated descaler that you can use on anything, from the washroom to the coffee maker, to quickly get rid of the most stubborn limescale. For appliances like kettles and catering urns, this descaler works in a matter of minutes. If you want to use it in your sinks or toilet pipes, you can use the descaler overnight to break down even the most stubborn of limescale. Limescale is a problem you won’t notice until it’s really bad, so a regular descaling routine will help keep your catering business running smoothly all year!

Instant Water Heaters for Catering

Every catering business needs hot water, but you can’t always just turn a tap on and get hot water instantly as soon as you need it, especially if you’re a mobile catering business. An instant water heater solves that problem directly by fitting under or over your sink and heating water up as it passes through your taps. This has two main benefits; for one, you’ll get instant hot water as soon as you turn on the tap. In addition, you’ll never have to waste a penny heating up hot water that you don’t need.

HSD Recommends: Perfect 55 Instant Undersink Instant Water Heater

With a 5.5KW output, the Perfect 55 will give you a hotter and faster flow rate that makes it perfect for even very busy catering businesses. It fits under your sink, making it ideal for restaurant and café kitchens as well as catering vans with a fitted sink. It’s small and compact at just 15cm high and 13cm wide, so if space is at a premium you can do away with bulky water boilers and use the Perfect 55 to get boiling hot water whenever you want.

Catering Urns

Instant water heaters are ideal if your catering business has a fitted sink, but there are always times when you’ll need hot water away from the sink. Catering urns can be filled with cold water which they’ll heat to near-boiling and hold at that temperature, allowing you to get hot instant water at the push of a button. Eventually, the temperature inside the catering urn will start to drop, at which point the catering urn will heat it back up to the target temperature once again. This takes much less energy than constantly boiling and re-boiling cold water, meaning catering urns cost much less to run than kettles. If you’re in a catering van or a mobile kitchen that doesn’t always have access to a sink, a catering urn can be filled up anywhere and taken on the road with you. Simply plug it in and let it warm up – ideal for Christmas markets and festivals.

HSD Recommends: MYLEK Xpresso 20L Catering Urn

The UK’s first digital catering urn, the Xpresso gives you full control over how much energy you use heating up your water with unbeatable precision. Its large 20L capacity is enough for 80 cups of hot water, making it ideal for busy cafes or burger vans. The Xpresso also heats up in around half an hour, so you won’t have to wait long to get perfect cups of tea, coffee, and more. Thanks to its extra-precise digital controls, the Xpresso can also be used on lower heat settings for making mulled wine, so it’s essential for catering vans on Christmas markets. With a durable stainless steel construction, it can be carried around to festivals, markets, weddings, events, and more without being damaged, making it the perfect choice for mobile catering businesses.

Paper Towel Dispensers for Catering

An often-overlooked aspect of catering business hygiene, paper towel dispensers give you a quick and effective way of drying your hands, mopping up spills, and more. They’re especially useful for mobile catering vans as they can be fitted onto the side of your van, where they can hygienically store paper towels away so they don’t get soiled or lost. Paper towel dispensers also put you in total control of how many towels you’re using as staff or customers can’t grab great handfuls of paper towels at a time.

HSD Recommends: Marplast Multifold Paper Towel Dispenser

Available in a range of colours to suit any brand, this paper towel dispenser is slimline but can hold a large number of paper towels in a range of folding styles. This makes it ideal for fitting to walls in small catering vans or kitchens as it doesn’t jut out from the wall but can still contain a lot of paper towels so you don’t have to constantly keep refilling the dispenser. Made from tough ABS plastic, this Marplast paper towel dispenser is durable enough to be used in a high-traffic area, perfect for the busy festive season.

Glueboard Fly Killers for Catering

Where there’s food, there are always flies, so installing a fly killer and a fly screen in your catering business is always a good idea whether you’re a high-end restaurant or a burger van. Catering businesses large and small will be bothered by flies all year round, but don’t be tempted to pick up the cheapest fly zapper you find. Zappers lure flies in and fry them with a powerful electric charge which can sometimes mean the flies will explode! If you’re preparing food, the last thing you want is small bits of fly floating through the air, so it’s advisable to look for a quality glueboard fly killer instead. Glueboard fly killers lure flies in the same way as zappers, but instead of electrocuting them, glueboard fly killers stick the pests to a tacky board, trapping them. This means that all the fly remains stay in one place and you can easily and hygienically replace the glueboard when it gets full.

HSD Recommends: Blue Table Top Electric Glueboard Fly Killer

Small and light enough to be used even in very confined areas but with a 20W output that makes it suitable for larger or brighter areas, this fly killer gives you a subtle but effective way to get rid of flies. Simply leave the fly killer on a countertop or on a cabinet, and, as long as you position it so its UV bulbs cover your whole work area, you can count on this glueboard to get the job done. This fly killer even comes with an energy-saving bulb which will help you reduce running costs.

Fly Screens for Catering

While a quality fly killer will get rid of most flies, it’s also a good idea to stop them from flying into your business at all! If you’re a restaurant, a café, or a catering van, picking up a fly screen to put over your door is always a good idea, especially for the summer months. Fly screens are made up of several dangling chains which hang over your door. These are light enough for people to brush past easily and will let air blow through your doorway, but they’re much too heavy for flies to get past. Combining a fly screen with a quality glueboard fly killer is the most effective pest control solution to keep flies out of sight and out of mind!

HSD Recommends: Xterminate Professional Heavy-Duty Fly Door Chain

Simple but effective, this heavy-duty aluminium door chain will keep flies out of your catering business with a minimum of fuss. It’s easy to hang up over your door frame and the smooth anodised metal chain links will let anyone walk through the chains without snagging.