Blackburn College

CHR Food Service Equipment

What began as a simple equipment enquiry evolved into a full-scale £850K design-and-build project—driven entirely by CHR’s in-house team and completed without the need for a formal tender.

Working in close partnership with Blackburn College’s Catering and Hospitality Department, CHR delivered a complete transformation of the Scholars Restaurant, Food for Thought Café, and all supporting back-of-house areas. The goal: to create a professional, high-performance teaching environment that prepares students for real-world careers in the hospitality industry.

This was a true team effort. Design, specification, project management, compliance, and installation were all handled by CHR’s small but experienced team of six. From early brief to final handover, the focus remained on communication, collaboration, and precision execution. The project team worked side-by-side with the client and their appointed builder to navigate challenges, manage timelines, and adapt quickly as the scope expanded.

Key achievements included:

• A front-facing mixed-fuel kitchen, reimagined as a live teaching space that blends seamlessly with the new restaurant layout.
• A fully refurbished Scholars Restaurant, now a 40-cover premium dining space with a new bar and elevated atmosphere.
• A redefined Food for Thought Café, designed to serve 90+ covers and function as a vibrant hub for both students and staff.
• Smart reuse of existing catering equipment—reconditioned and relocated where possible—to maximise value and minimise waste.
• A streamlined, cost-effective installation model that allowed CHR to deliver on time, despite limited external engineering availability.

The CHR team brought materials directly to site for rapid approvals, simplified design outputs to accelerate decision-making, and introduced a labour-only install model that has since become a blueprint for future projects.

This wasn’t just a refurbishment—it was a full-scale transformation executed at speed, with care, and with the end users in mind. The result is a high-spec, future-ready facility that raises the standard of hospitality training and gives students an inspiring, real-world environment to grow in.