The cost of running a commercial kitchen

Johnson Reed
3m read

When making a new purchase for your commercial kitchen, it can be incredibly easy to focus on the cost of the equipment and let the running expenses take a backseat. Electricity, gas and water can all be expensive extras, so it’s important to remember to take these into consideration and budget for them accordingly. It’s estimated that, on average, restaurants use around 2.5 times more energy per square foot than other commercial buildings. You wouldn’t want to part with cash for your new equipment to find out you can’t afford to run it!

Investing in energy-efficient appliances is one way to minimise the running costs of your commercial kitchen, whilst making more environmentally-friendly choices for your business.  It’s estimated by switching, you could save up to 60% on your energy usage in some cases, freeing up capital expenditure to invest elsewhere in the business.

The innovative Synergy Grill is often championed for its energy-efficiency, amongst its many other attractive qualities to catering businesses. We spoke to Synergy Grill Director, Leander Cadbury, to see where businesses could be saving on their ongoing costs;

“As well as the significant 59% saving on gas usage, the convenience and design of the Synergy Grill helps businesses save time and money elsewhere. Firstly, cleaning time is greatly reduced, saving commercial kitchens around 30 to 40 minutes of cleaning time per day. The atomisation of fat is a popular feature amongst chefs, meaning there’s no need for a greasy fat tray to deal with at the end of service! The cleaner white smoke given off puts less pressure on the ventilation system, reducing fire risk and saving around 50% on ventilation cleaning costs. Reliability is at the forefront of our development. With no thermocouples to replace and market-leading components used within the Synergy Grill, call out charges are kept to a minimum. The reliability coupled with extraordinary gas savings really does make this kitchen upgrade your next grill and griddle of choice.”

A suited Synergy Grill in Mark Hix’s

A lease is another way to manage your equipment and ongoing running expenses, helping you to offset the upfront cost and spread the payment through regular instalments over a fixed term. With the added benefit of tax savings, leasing can be a very attractive option for those looking to acquire new equipment quickly without stretching their budget or dipping into cash flow.

“The fixed repayments from leasing the Synergy Grill are significantly less than the rate of savings, meaning it simply doesn’t make sense to wait until your next grill or griddle upgrade,” comments Leander, “Breaking down the figures immediately shows people what they’re spending and saving, making finance an attractive proposition. By partnering the benefits of energy-efficient equipment and leasing, you can have more customers through the door with a better food product and save more money than you pay out from day one. Is there any reason you would wait?”

Johnson Reed Catering Finance Managing Director, Mark Johnson, commented, “We’re delighted to work alongside Synergy Grill and finance such innovative equipment. By partnering these energy savings with leasing and its cash flow and tax savings, our mutual customers can run an energy-efficient and ultimately more profitable trade.”

When you offset the tax and energy savings against the cost of your new kit, that all-important point of ROI is imminent, making the purchase decision easier on your business – and the balance sheets!