Mote Park Café – Full Kitchen & Servery Installation

A Compact, Custom Kitchen for a New-Build Café in One of Kent’s Most Loved Parks

Project Overview: A Modern Café in a Historic Park

Mote Park, located in Maidstone, Kent, is a sprawling 440-acre green space with a rich history. Once a private country estate, the park is now one of the South East’s most visited public destinations—featuring a boating lake, miniature railway, and the stately Mote House.

In partnership with our long-standing client Robert from Riverside Caterers, we were appointed to deliver the commercial kitchen and customer-facing servery for a brand-new café situated in a prime location within the park.

This project combined logistical and design challenges due to its unique architectural features, space limitations, and the high expectations that come with a high-traffic, public-facing venue.

Project Brief: Making a Small Space Work Beautifully

The café’s design, while visually striking, presented several challenges that required creative thinking and precision craftsmanship:

• Limited storage and prep space

• Compact kitchen footprint

• Non-standard architecture – not a single 90-degree corner in the entire kitchen

• High visitor turnover – requiring robust, easy-to-clean finishes and equipment

Our role was to design, supply, and install a fully functional kitchen and serving area that would maximize every inch of space, maintain professional standards, and integrate seamlessly with the building’s bespoke interior.

Our Work: Creative Design Meets Functional Performance

1. Extraction & Ventilation

We began with the design and installation of a commercial extraction system, which included the addition of a second windcatcher on the building’s roof—necessary to ensure proper airflow and ventilation in a small, enclosed space.

2. Hygienic Finishes

Once the ventilation system was in place, we completed the internal shell:

• uPVC hygienic wall cladding for easy maintenance and compliance

• Slip-resistant commercial flooring to ensure safety in a busy kitchen environment

3. Bespoke Stainless Steel Fabrication

Due to the unusual room geometry, all kitchen benches and workstations were custom-fabricated in stainless steel to fit seamlessly into non-orthogonal corners. This careful detailing allowed the kitchen team to work efficiently in an otherwise awkward space.

4. Equipment Installation

We supplied and installed a suite of reliable, high-performance catering equipment including:

• Blue Seal commercial cooking appliances

• Commercial refrigeration units

• Dishwashing area setup

All equipment was selected for durability, compact footprint, and ease of use under pressure.

5. Customer-Serving Area

The small customer-facing area was finished with:

• A custom-built stainless steel servery, topped with a stylish Corian work surface

• Timber cladding to the servery front for a warm, natural aesthetic

• White metro tile backsplash and a matching high-level pelmet to complete the look

The result is a compact but welcoming café front that complements the surrounding architecture and provides staff with a functional and visually pleasing workspace.

Final Result: Small Kitchen, Big Impact

Despite spatial and structural limitations, we delivered a fully operational, high-performance café kitchen and servery that supports efficient service while blending seamlessly into a high-profile public space.

“This was a challenging but rewarding project for a valued returning customer. The end result is a beautifully crafted café space that’s already proving popular with visitors—and we wish Robert and his team every success.”