Caterer and Hotelkeeper – 9694
T emporary kitchen suppliers usually get requests from businesses that are refurbishing their permanent facilities, building projects where the builders need to be fed, or major outdoor sporting events or festivals. They all bring their challenges, including installation on sloping sites and scaffolded structures.
Container Kitchen Services provided the main site where the officials and ball boys ate during the Wimbledon tennis championships in June and July. It was no mean feat.
The complex of three cabins, comprising a large kitchen, prep kitchen and dishwasher area, was sited on a steeply sloping car park and the temporary units were linked end-to-end on a 12ft open scaffold structure. At the uphill end of the three cabins was a large marquee for the line judges and downhill was another marquee for the ball boys. At the bottom level, in front of the ball boys' marquee, was a smaller kitchen, drystore and coldstore.
The three-cabin complex would have cost about £2,315 a week to hire, with the hire of cranes and transport charges adding another £1,550 to the bill. On less complicated sites the crane hire would probably be less, but to get the units in place at Wimbledon an 80-tonne all-terrain crane was needed to lift the 3.5-tonne dishwasher 30m to the far end of the platform. The crane had to be sited at the top end so that the dishwasher did not have to be lifted over the other cabins and the driver could see what he was doing.
Linking the three units needed careful andaccurate positioning on the ground, before lifting them 12ft in the air on to the scaffolding. Further pinpointaccuracy was then needed in fitting them all in place on the platform.
Even more awkward than the Wimbledon site was one handed to PKL Group earlier this year. The company had to erect a "village" of 12 temporary units on the deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal while she was towed from Portsmouth to Rosyth. The ship had spent four years in a state of "extended readiness" at Portsmouth and was little more than a shell. She was going to Rosyth for a complete refit and needed two tugs and a skeleton crew of 24 to get her there.
To accommodate the crew, PKL built a self-contained complex on deck, comprising a kitchen and preparation units, dormitories, toilet and shower facilities and a recreation area.
"Unusual MoD projects are nothing new to us and this one was certainly different," says PKL project manager Tim Osborne. "We worked closely with the client, the Naval Bases and Supply Agency, to design the facility and, in addition to generators and LPG [liquid petroleum gas] supplies, we also installed freshwater tanks, pumps and waste disposal containers."
The units could not simply be perched on the ship's deck, says Osborne. Hooks normally used to lash down aircraft in bad weather were used to tie them securely in place. Once the kit had been craned aboard and fork-lifted into place, the fully equipped units were thoroughly checked before being commissioned. Ship's personnel were given training by PKL staff to ensure they were familiar with the equipment before going to sea. The trip took about six days, but contingency plans had been made in case of delays due to bad weather.
PKL has a fleet of 350 portable units and some of these were set up at more conventional events this summer. At the Farnborough Air Show, the annual showcase for the aircraft industry and venue for large-scale corporate hospitality, PKL set up a portable kitchen complex comprising production and preparation kitchens, serveries, stores, coldrooms and dishwasher facilities - all linked directly into the general dining area at the show.
In addition, 12 other free-standing corporate sites around the show were supplied with a variety of equipment. Because of the scale of the operation, a PKL service engineer was on site to commission all the equipment and provide service back-up.
The company was also involved in the recent British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where it set up six kitchens producing more than 20,000 meals throughout the day. PKL also supplied the Northamptonshire police with a portable preparation and production kitchen to feed officers on duty at the Grand Prix.
Events of this size provide business for many suppliers, and PKL was joined at the Grand Prix by Gamble Kitchen Rentals, which provided more than 300 catering appliances for hospitality pavilions.
"This was such a major contract that two members of staff were on site for four weeks setting up and maintaining the equipment, and ensuring the smooth running of the operation," says director Richard Gamble.
Gamble Kitchen Rentals' involvement in this summer's outdoor events has been enhanced by the recent acquisition of Calor Gas's national catering hire service, Calor Gas National Hire, which specialises in providing a full range of catering equipment, including barbecues, bains-marie and six burner ranges on short-term hire to event caterers.
"As a result of the merger, Gamble Kitchen Rentals is now able to offer an extensive range of appliances and complete kitchen units," says Gamble. "The sporting and summer event side of the business has been very busy recently, with catering equipment being delivered to, and collected from, various sites around the country every day."
Companies supplying temporary kitchens always stress that costings are individually assessed, according to the size and complexity of any one job. Contracts won by Welsh-based Temporary Kitchens - such as that to supply an all-electric kitchen to the Welsh electricity company, Swalec, plus seven other temporary units at the Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells - can cost anything up to £10,000.
As the Swalec contract is a repeat booking, it is entered into the Temporary Kitchens programme early in the year. However, the company says it is normally able to supply a kitchen in an emergency with only one week's notice. Subject to availability of gas, water and electricity, the kitchen can be commissioned and working within an hour of arriving on site.
Michael Wares, director of Cater Hire, says the company has been fortunate this year in obtaining a number of long-term contracts, as well as the usual refurbishment and short-term business. The long-term business includes a one-year contract at Stretford Fire Station in Manchester, 15 months at the Edinburgh Students Association, six months on the James Bond film The World is Not Enough at Pinewood Studios and another six months for Ritchies Engineers at Killin, Perthshire.
"The location directions for this unit were, ‘Turn left just outside Killin, follow this road for nine miles into the hills, turn right at the farmhouse and it is fairly steep from there to the quarry'," says Wares. "The road from the farmhouse was very steep, to say the least. The quarry was the only flat piece of land for miles and this is the campsite from which 40 to 50 engineers carry out repairs on the hydro-electric scheme."
Hiring temporary facilities from Cater Hire costs £560 for the first three days and £80 a day thereafter with transport charges for shorter-term hires. Discounts apply for longer-term bookings. n
