🦁 Rare Breeds Centre – Commercial Kitchen & Restaurant Refurbishment in Kent

🌱 Supporting the Canterbury Oast Trust’s Mission

The Rare Breeds Centre, operated by the Canterbury Oast Trust, is a charity in Kent dedicated to supporting adults with learning disabilities. Many of the service users and life-skills students live and work on-site, gaining invaluable experience and skills in a supportive environment.

After working on multiple projects for the Canterbury Oast Trust and other venues within the group, we were approached to refurbish the commercial kitchen and restaurant at the Rare Breeds Centre.

🍽️ Reviving the Restaurant After the Covid Lockdown

When we began work on this project, the restaurant had been “mothballed” during the Covid lockdown and had become an unusable space. The kitchen was still operational, with food being served at a door to diners seated outside.

The restaurant also serves as a life-skills teaching space for the residents, making the refurbishment critical to both the operation of the facility and the students’ learning experience.

🔧 Our Role in the Commercial Kitchen & Canteen Refurbishment

The brief was to refurbish the commercial kitchen and revamp the restaurant area, addressing several issues, including outdated equipment and unsafe heating systems.

Key aspects of the project:

• Canteen and Kitchen Refurbishment: New stainless steel benches, modern energy-efficient refrigeration, and state-of-the-art cooking equipment were installed to improve the kitchen’s functionality and energy efficiency.

• Restaurant Area Refresh:

  • New LVT flooring was laid to create a durable, easy-to-maintain surface

  • Complete redecoration using colours sensitive to the needs of neurodiverse customers who frequently use the space

  • A bespoke stainless steel serving counter and prep area were added to improve customer flow and operational efficiency

• Environmental Considerations:

  • The old gas space heaters and open fire system, which presented environmental and safety concerns, was replaced with a Samsung 360 system for efficient heating and cooling. This system uses high-level destratification to ensure even circulation of warm or cooled air.

❄️ Improving Efficiency with Sustainable Systems

During the refurbishment, we also tackled heating and cooling for the adjacent office block, replacing outdated, inefficient space heaters with a new Samsung AC system to ensure consistent, comfortable temperatures for staff and residents.

🏆 A Successful, Sustainable Refurbishment

The Rare Breeds Centre is now equipped with a modern, safe, and sustainable kitchen and restaurant area, designed to meet the needs of both the staff and the residents who rely on it for work and life skills training. The addition of the Samsung 360 system and updated kitchen facilities not only improve the environmental footprint but also ensure the kitchen is more energy-efficient and cost-effective in the long term.

📞 Looking for a Commercial Kitchen Design & Build?

Whether you’re working on a community project, business venue, or educational facility, we can help you design and build a kitchen space that meets both your functional and environmental needs.

👉 Call Kent Commercial Kitchen on 01304 249963 to discuss your project.

👇 Scroll down to see photos from the Rare Breeds Centre kitchen and restaurant refurbishment.