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CSR: Catering For All Eventualities
If the current economic climate has placed your kitchen-upgrade plans on hold for a few months, your safest option is to ensure that your current operations continue without interruption.
Catering Supplies and Repairs (CSR), an independent, family-owned business based in Stirlingshire, has been installing, servicing and repairing kitchen equipment throughout Scotland since 1978.
Catering in Scotland introduces one of the north's leading providers of design, equipment, service and backup for hotels, chefs, caterers and restaurants around the country…
David Nisbet is among a small group of business people who are feeling upbeat about the current economic downturn. As Sales Manager at CSR, he is experiencing a steady growth in the maintenance side of his operations, and is enthusiastic about the months ahead: 'We have noticed a definite change in the market mood out there,' he says, 'but for us it is proving a positive one. Whereas a year ago we were receiving many enquiries for new development plans and kitchen refurbishments, recently we have seen a surge in requests for servicing and preventative maintenance of equipment already installed.'
Indeed, while it is business as usual for some firms, CSR continue to advise and refit premises around Scotland, their main focus at the moment is dealing with requests from restaurants, hotels, catering kitchens, schools and businesses to service existing facilities.
'We provide full maintenance contracts and we have 14 full-time engineers to ensure we cover the whole of Scotland,' continues David. 'Of these, 12 engineers are exclusively for catering equipment and two specialise in refrigeration.
'Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) are determined to ensure that businesses comply with the necessary obligations and requirements in the catering sector, and they can clamp down hard on anyone who neglects their duties to maintain their equipment. Our engineers provide all the necessary documentation such as electrical- and gas-safety certificates to stay within the law, and we can tailor packages to different-sized clients, from blue-chip companies to schools, pub chains, restaurants and nursing homes.
However, for those businesses still committed to refurbishing, CSR offer a start-to-finish service including room design, equipment supply and installation, and warranty repairs.
'We design refits from scratch, including whatever a client wants to incorporate in their kitchen,' continues David. 'We offer computer-aided design services and we will visit a premises to talk through the project with the client and architects. It's a very hands-on approach to designing a refit.'
Aside from their servicing and planned preventative maintenance programmes, the firm are also well-known as distributors for the leading brands, such as Falcon, Valentine, Rational, Gram and Lincat. They are also the sole Scottish distributors for Calomax Automatic water boilers, and so individual items can be purchased by private buyers as well as corporate. From their spacious showroom in Larbert, CSR offer a comprehensive range of commercial cookers, fridges, ovens, fryers, dishwashers, washing machines and waste disposal units.
'We offer the higher end units throughout all our ranges, adds David. 'Although people may pay a little more at the outset they are getting much better quality and reliability. We are also affiliated with the Catering Equipment Distributors' Association (CEDA), which means first class service and backup for customers. Customers can visit our showroom in Larbert, where they can discuss their needs and can view and examine any equipment before they buy it. In short, they can buy with confidence.'
And, as one of Rational's specially selected locations for their Team Cook Live events which take place throughout the year, CSR's popularity and success looks set to continue whatever the economic conditions.
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature, please see Catering in Scotland magazine August/September 2008.
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