The Theatre Royal Norwich

“We have room for between 70 and 80 covers here, but we offer pre-show dining for guests which means that we regularly have to serve that number in a very short period of time before the show starts,” says hospitality manager Stephen Wright. “We need to have access to the full variety of our ingredients in quantities large enough for us to be able to produce up to 80 meals in an hour, or even less.”

Recently a small fire in the kitchen gave them the opportunity to refurbish and modernise. “We saw the opportunity to improve the workflow within the kitchen, as well as giving us capacity to grow going forwards,” says Steven. “We knew that getting the right refrigeration equipment would be a key part of that.”

As any actor knows, the show must go on so there was a need for the kitchen project to be finished as quickly as possible. “We had to be ready for the summer season,” says Steven, “So we only had 12 weeks to complete it.”

Working with highly regarded local designers Elite Foodservice Design, an entirely new layout for the kitchen was drawn up in two weeks, and equipment from market leading manufacturers was chosen, including a range of products from Williams Refrigeration. Daniel Ridd, Elite’s design manager, explains why Williams was selected for this project. “I’ve worked with Williams on projects for fifteen years now. They’ve got a tried and tested range and their support is second to none.”