Case study · Restaurants & cafés
Macknade Fine Foods, Ashford
A 5,000 sq ft restaurant and retail fit-out at Elwick Place in Ashford, delivered as main contractor in 7 weeks.
Client
Macknade Fine Foods
Location
Ashford, Kent
Project value
£100k+
Build time
7 weeks
Scale
5,000 sq ft
The brief
A community dining destination on a constrained city-centre site
Macknade Fine Foods appointed Kent Commercial Kitchens as one of the main contractors for the commercial kitchen design and fit-out of its second site, a 5,000 sq ft all-day dining and drinking venue at Elwick Place in Ashford, on the site of the former cattle market.
The unit sat directly beneath a working cinema complex, so the design had to satisfy building control, M&E regulations and fire safety compliance, and meet the detailed conditions set by the Elwick Place operators. KCK had worked with Macknade at its Faversham store for years, and was brought in to design and deliver a kitchen that could carry breakfast, lunch and a later evening service across a single open dining space.
What we did
Design, M&E and fit-out under one contract
Extraction and fire compliance
A Macknade Fine Foods Ashford for Ashford.
Fire and ventilation drove the design. We installed over 20 metres of fire-rated ductwork internally and an Ansul fire suppression system within the extraction canopy. A further 30 metres of external ductwork with odour control ran from the kitchen to the delivery bay, and toilet ventilation was delivered as part of the same extraction package.
Plumbing and hot water
The size of the unit called for a substantial hot water strategy. We planned and installed the full plumbing package, including two 250-litre hot water heater tanks on hanging platforms feeding a hot water loop across the building.
Equipment and fabrication
We supplied and installed over 70 items of commercial catering equipment, alongside bespoke stainless steel fabrication, the complete gas works package, bar appliances and smallwares. CAD design, planning and technical advice were handled in-house. As main contractor we coordinated every trade on site, from first CAD layout through M&E to final equipment commissioning, against the operator's programme and the building's constraints.
Equipment specified
Specified for high-volume all-day service
- Blue Seal cooking appliances
- Rational combi ovens
- True and Capital Cooling refrigeration
- Maidaid glasswashers and dishwashers
- Hoshizaki ice machines
- Mazzer coffee grinding
- Metcalfe preparation equipment
- Autonumis bar dispense and refrigeration
The installation
Inside the finished space
The outcome
A new community hub for Ashford
Macknade at Elwick Place opened serving breakfast and lunch, with an evening menu to follow, and quickly became one of the town's favourite places to eat. The kitchen was built to carry all-day service across retail, restaurant and communal dining in a single space.
"Our second site in Ashford has been a critical stepping stone in the growth of Macknade. Their knowledge and skill has been essential to the project, and our trust in them to make the right decisions brought the whole project together."
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