Ventless commercial catering equipment is on the rise, providing food service businesses with many benefits, including cost savings, is now the time to look into ventless equipment solutions for your food service business?

If you have tried to open a new restaurant or add new food options to a business such as a convenience store or Pub you know it can be a very challenging venture. As well as finding the space, you need to create a menu, buy equipment and hire and train staff. These challenges are prompting a rise in restauranteurs finding smaller spaces to operate their businesses and looking at other ways of cutting costs.

By considering ventless commercial catering equipment there are many benefits that can help increase the chances of success for your business, including reducing costs and alleviating space restrictions.

Ventless catering equipment is cooking equipment that does not require a traditional overhead ventilation system, it uses built-in catalyst technology or optional ventless hood technology to convert grease and other organic compounds into harmless CO2 and H2O, making it a safe and accessible option for restauranteurs compared to more traditional commercial kitchen equipment. Apart from space saving and cost benefits, there are a few other benefits that come with choosing this type of commercial kitchen equipment.

Greater menu options.

There is a whole range of ventless ovens available which do a great job of eliminating the need for multiple pieces of equipment in your kitchen. These ovens can cook twice as much food in the same amount of time as traditional ovens and can cook multiple foods simultaneously, as there is no flavour transfer and can control temperatures, fan speed and cook time within each chamber. Some ovens come with expanded chambers which are great solutions for increasing production when space really is at a premium.

Save money.

Traditional ventilation systems drastically increase utility costs as they are likely to be operating from the moment there is someone working in the kitchen – alongside this, there are cleaning costs and often, expensive maintenance costs, because the fans are constantly moving whilst exposed to grease, smoke and heat they require regular checks and are more likely to break or seize up, meaning your commercial kitchen will come to a standstill until the parts are repaired. Also, the installation costs of traditional vented systems are much, much higher.

Ventless commercial catering equipment often operates more efficiently thanks to improved technology – some options have shown to cost less than £2 per day to run.

Clean emissions.

Most of the cooking equipment in a commercial kitchen release smoke, heat, odours and grease. Hoods hang above ovens, grills and fryers to remove by-products in the air with a mechanical fan causing build-up in the hoods, so vigorous cleaning is required to prevent this build-up and reduce potential fire hazards. Ventless ovens do not produce the same by-products or they use built-in technology to combat the issue and only release clean air. Using air recirculation and catalyst technology, they convert grease and VOCs into harmless CO2 and H20.

Maximising Space

There are so many spaces available that would make the perfect location for a restaurant – sometimes more quirky spaces can draw in regular customers just based on the location and style of the restaurant but these spaces can be difficult to occupy due to the type of renovation that would be required to install a ventilation system. Investing in ventless commercial cooking equipment, which can be installed anywhere, opens up a whole new world for the location of your restaurant.

As well as increasing the availability of potential restaurant sites, ventless cooking equipment makes it easy for a convenience store or other location to add food options. Even a countertop oven can be the foundation of a profitable food service operation.

Lower fire risks

Fire risks are a huge factor in a commercial catering kitchen in most cases fires begin in ventilation systems. Oven hoods, ductwork and exhaust systems all pose substantial fire risks if not adequately maintained and cleaned – ventless equipment offers significantly reduced fire risks.

An oven hood or ventilation system fire, even if put out quickly by a fire suppression system, will likely shut down the operation for several days. A more serious fire can shut down a restaurant permanently. Using ventless equipment eliminates those concerns.

There are also many other benefits of ventless commercial catering equipment which include:

• Reduced staff training – Many ventless solutions include features that make them easy to operate with minimal training
• Portability – since the equipment is not tethered to an exhaust hood, operators can move many pieces of ventless equipment
• Excellent at reducing odours – making them particularly useful for sites like healthcare facilities and shopping centres where lingering odours could prove unpleasant or undesirable.
• Reduced Waste – no harsh heat, forced air, or added humidity to degrade food quality.
• Creating opportunities in new areas!

If you are in the process of changing your existing location, contemplating adding a food service programme or designing a new restaurant it is worthwhile considering the benefits of ventless commercial catering equipment. If you need to discuss your new commercial kitchen design, we’d love to hear from you.