Olive Branch

Although The Olive Branch has been a successful business for many years as with many such businesses the old kitchen had evolved over the years without any overall planning. There was a mix of equipment, some good, some not so good with limited space for Chefs and front of house. The layout and mix of equipment made the kitchen hard to operate, maintain and clean, both prep and service were very hard work. Further, both larder and pastry were more or less “hidden” from view meaning there was a lack of communication between the Chefs and between the brigade and the Head Chef.

The new Olive Branch kitchen has been designed and created to include quality equipment throughout that is easy to operate, maintain and clean with clean lines and improved working spaces within the same foot print. Eash section has more storage space for their Mis en Place, more refrigeration, more work surface and each section can be easily seen by the head Chef during service, whether he’s working on the kitchen side or restaurant side of the pass, ensuring more control, more consistency and a kitchen that is far easier to operate.

CNG have achieved this through the steps and challenges as detailed above. Although the intention was always to deliver this level of equipment and improvement the kitchen fire in December 2021 meant that CNG have actually prepared three designs to deliver the end result.

As ever CNG were not simply going to follow the heard and create a new version of what was there before, they were prepared to challenge the client, challenge the insurers and challenge what a previous kitchen designer had offered and create a radically different solution.

After the fire the easy solution for all, client, insurance company and CNG would have been to do just that, even easier would have been to let the insurance company insist on reusing old, fire damaged equipment and leave the client with similar challenges they had before. In fact greater challenges than before as if reused that old equipment would have failed in a short period of time due to the fire damage but the insurers would have closed the file.

By employing experts in various sections to prepare reports for the client and feed these back to the insurers CNG helped Ben Jones ensure that The Olive Branch would have, the vastly improved design that they wanted, needed and for a restaurant, Chef and owner of this calibre, that they deserved.

As the photographs of the before and after demonstrate CNG have created a radically better kitchen, which is easier to operate, clean and maintain. Although Luke and his brigade delivered great food before the new kitchen makes it easier, is much lighter and brighter, uses the same space as before but in a much better way.

At any time this will make their lives easier and better, when staffing is a major issue this new CNG kitchen delivers a place where Chefs will be happy to work, look at the before and after photos, which would you choose?