Case study · Restaurants & cafés
Dalby Café, Cliftonville
Specifically, Café kitchen refurbishment Cliftonville — Full café kitchen refurbishment in Cliftonville, Margate — L-shaped extraction canopy, Blue Seal cookline, Hatco hot holding, bespoke stainless steel counter built off-site and installed in 4 weeks during the Covid lockdown.
Client
Dalby Café
Location
Cliftonville, Margate
Project value
£50k–£100k
Build time
4 weeks
The brief
Café kitchen refurbishment Cliftonville: One of Margate's oldest cafés, fully rebuilt
Dalby Café is one of Cliftonville's longest-established breakfast cafés — a local institution with a loyal following. The kitchen and front counter had grown outdated, and the Covid lockdown in 2020 gave owner Mark the window he needed to carry out a full refurbishment without trading through the disruption.
The brief was a complete strip-out and refit: new extraction, hygienic surfaces, flooring, cooking equipment and a bespoke front counter — all designed around a better kitchen workflow and a stronger customer-facing setup. Four weeks, in-house, direct appointment.
What we did
Full strip-out and refit in 4 weeks
Strip-out, services and ventilation
Full strip-out of the existing kitchen and counters. Plumbing and electrical systems upgraded to current standards. New L-shaped extraction canopy installed to cover the full cooking and dishwashing line — meeting current ventilation standards for a busy café kitchen.
Hygienic wall cladding and flooring
Bioclad UPVC hygienic wall cladding installed throughout the kitchen — wipe-clean, durable and appropriate for a food preparation environment. Slip-resistant vinyl flooring laid across the full floor area for safety during a busy breakfast service.
Cooking and holding equipment
Blue Seal cooking appliances installed across the main cookline. Reiber hot holding and Hatco food warmers for service. Sterling Pro refrigeration for cold storage. Scotsman ice machine. IMC waste compactor. All equipment positioned to improve workflow from prep through to the pass.
Bespoke front counter
New serving counter designed and built off-site at our Folkestone workshop, transported to Cliftonville and installed. Tiled walls and fresh decoration completed alongside the counter installation. Cup dispensers and drinking water font integrated into the counter for ease of service — keeping the café's character while making front-of-house more efficient.
Equipment specified
Specified for a busy breakfast café
- Blue Seal cooking appliances — main cookline
- Reiber hot holding — service
- Hatco food warmers — pass and service
- Sterling Pro refrigeration — cold storage
- Scotsman ice machine
- IMC waste compactor
- L-shaped extraction canopy — full cookline and dishwash coverage
- Bespoke stainless steel counter — fabricated in-house, installed on site
- Bioclad UPVC hygienic wall cladding — full kitchen coverage
- Slip-resistant vinyl flooring — throughout
The installation
Inside the refurbished café
The outcome
Reopened and in the top 10% on TripAdvisor
Dalby Café reopened with a fully refurbished kitchen and counter, ready for the post-lockdown return of trade. The project delivered a better workflow, compliant surfaces and a refreshed front-of-house — and Mark's customers noticed. Dalby now ranks in the top 10% of hospitality businesses on TripAdvisor. Delivered entirely in-house in 4 weeks, direct appointment.
"Many thanks to Simon and team. Kent Commercial Kitchens delivered excellent results in our cafe kitchen and counter. We would definitely recommend these guys in case you need a refurb or to create a whole new project."
- CEDA Member The Catering Equipment Distributors Association — UK's voice for foodservice equipment specialists.
- ISO 9001 · 14001 · 45001 Certified The only Kent commercial kitchen design-and-install firm certified to all three.
- F-Gas Certified Certified to handle and install refrigerants in commercial refrigeration and cooling equipment.
- Gas Safe Registered All commercial gas installations carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers.
- Part of Advantage Catering Equipment Kent's design, supply and service specialists since 2003.
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