Food Trolleys: The Must-Have Piece of Equipment for an Efficient Commercial Kitchen

Transporting goods in a quick and efficient manner to maintain the operation seamless as possible isn’t only important for a warehouse – the demanding environment of a kitchen, be it of a catering or any other hospitality business, requires equal productivity. 

Same as the warehouse could do with the right kind of material-handling equipment, the hospitality workplace needs something that could make the transportation of loads easier, systematic, and at the same time safer. Nothing can do this better than stable and user-friendly food trolleys that can boost the organisation.

What Is a Kitchen Trolley?

It’s basically a cart not that different from the one used in the warehouse and industrial settings, created for storage and transportation of goods. What makes it different from the others is the design made to suit the needs of a kitchen, fit for storage of a range of foods and utensils. Although it was a creation that made its debut in the Victorian era, especially in the upper-class household setting, the serving trolley of today is much more utility-oriented than aesthetically pleasing as it lacks the ornaments of its predecessor.

What Is the Purpose of a Food Trolley?

It’s to neatly organise, load and unload food, plates, cutlery, and other kitchen essentials, set or clear a table, adding to the convenience and adaptability of the workplace. Depending on the design you find most useful, or more affordable to invest in, you can pick from food trolleys that can be readjusted to suit the various needs of different users, those that come with various tiers and compartments, and even those that can be repurposed as moveable tables with their fancy flat tops.

How Can a Kitchen Trolley Benefit Your Business?

No matter whether you work with a cafeteria or a hotel, you’d find the purchase of a serving cart to be highly beneficial for several reasons, among which:

Additional Versatility

Considering that kitchen trolleys come in a range of designs, it means they were created for a range of kitchen settings regardless of what the hospitality business may be. The durability, sturdiness, and adaptability make them fit for restaurants as much as hotels, food halls and markets, catering events, cafés and even offices. They’re equally great for serving foods on them, as they are for taking starters, side dishes, main dishes, and desserts from point A to point B.

Customisation Options

As mentioned, the trolley can come in different faces, with or without several tiers, and a range of compartments, so it’s a kitchen addition that can be customised. Another way this is possible is through the choice of material – some establishments do better with plastic carts, whereas others are better off with metal ones. Your choice will depend on what it is you’re after specifically – whether something more lightweight or more durable, rust-free or low in maintenance.

One additional way the carts are customisable is with covers that you can decorate them with in case you’re serving for a specific event that requires a boost in aesthetics and ornamentation. You can even outfit them with machinery should your business require it, as it’s easy to add an ice cream or crepe machine on top.

Greater Mobility

Easily manoeuvrable with their wheels, the efficiency in moving the goods from one place to another makes the trolleys essential in improving productivity without taking a toll on the employees’ safety. When you don’t have to constantly do trips to the kitchen to fetch or leave dishes, you can increase the efficiency of taking orders and bringing food to the table in an orderly manner.

This would increase the number of clients as a result, and happy clients at that as you’d bring their food fresh and warm. Their mobility also makes them a handy addition in any space as you can move them from one place to another with ease without taking up considerable space.

How to Choose a Food Trolley?

As every business is unique, so are the needs in terms of what the ideal carts for kitchen design may be. With this in mind, you ought to pay attention to the following factors when shopping:

Capacity

To avoid leading to accidents, injuries, and damages to the trolley caused by overloading, it’s necessary to shop based on the model’s capacity and compare it to your business’s use requirements. If you intend to carry lots of plates, and utensils, or even repurpose the trolley for a machine carrier, then you should get one with a bigger load capacity.

Material

Again, the choice of material has to do with your business’s needs, as well as what it is you’re transporting, how heavy it is, and how easily you want to clean the trolley. If you choose a metal design, it’s crucial to choose a material that doesn’t easily rot; otherwise, it might end up contaminating the food. Also, pick out the cleaning supplies with care so you don’t get a product that’s too harsh for the material.

Design

This refers to the sturdiness as much as the tiers and compartments. If you plan on carrying different items at the same time, it might be best to choose a two or three-tier system for more efficiency and organisation. The more compartments, the more organised you can be. If you are looking for a simple design, go for a single-tier cart that will make it easier to transport smaller items.