The winner of the Operator of the Year for Equipment Innovation is Gail’s Bakery.
This award, sponsored by Jestic Foodservice Solutions, and presented by head of sales, Mike Woodman, the time, investment and sheer hard work that goes into rolling out innovative equipment across multiple sites.
With every new site that bakery chain Gail’s has rolled out across the south of England, its understanding of what is required to create a kitchen set-up that is operationally sound and capable of flexing upwards during peak periods has grown clearer.
The chain has carried out extensive work to build efficiency and space development into its back-of-house operations in order to achieve the same output and performance regardless of kitchen size.
Menu expansion has shaped many of the longer-term equipment decisions that the company has made, with high-tech combi and bakery ovens now specified for every new launch. Larger versions of these systems have also been rolled out to high-volume stores, giving it sufficient capacity to produce fresh menu items from early morning to evening.
Brett Parker at Gail’s Bakery said: “It’s always nice to be identified by people around you and people understanding that we are just trying to do something better and better; people who are in the industry, who are doing the same thing and understand the challenges.”
Finalists
- Chicken Shop
- Gail’s Bakery
- Slim Chickens
- The Alchemist
- Tonkotsu
