“Sustainable throughout”: new Seven Dials restaurant uses Precision’s hydrocarbon-refrigerant cabinets, counters and prep stations.
When the original Hawksmoor opened in 2006 in London’s Spitalfields owners Huw Gott and Will Beckett had a simple plan: to create the best steak restaurant in London. Now they plan to replicate their success at the new Hawksmoor at Seven Dials. But this time it’s to be London’s most environmentally-friendly steak house, too.
A primary focus of the business is to have the greenest possible footprint – not only in terms of the food they serve and the way they operate, but also in the selection of catering equipment. For the new site they chose Precision refrigerators running on environmentally-friendly hydrocarbon refrigerant, which has an ODP (ozone depletion potential) of zero.
“Sustainability is increasingly important to customers and we’ve been committed to improving our environmental credentials for some time,” says Will Beckett, owner of Hawksmoor. “We sourced primarily British produce before it became the fashionable thing to do; we were amongst the first restaurants to join the Sustainable Restaurant Association; and we’re big supporters of Action Against Hunger.
“We’re just trying to do things in the right way – which is why sustainability was central to the remit for constructors involved in the Seven Dials build.”
“The whole job had to be sustainable, and as ‘green’ as possible” confirms Rod Cullen of Hansens Kitchen Equipment, who designed, supplied, installed and project managed the new kitchen fit-out. “Precision isn’t the only British manufacturer offering hydrocarbon fridges, of course, but their range fits the Hawksmoor brief for all sorts of other reasons, too.
“For example, they are made of stainless steel throughout, rather than with aluminium interiors, so they are more sustainable as well as being easier to clean and maintain. Then there are the ‘intelligent’ controllers, which not only run the cabinets more energy-efficiently but are also adjustable, so the customer can alter the temperature to suit the application. It’s ideal for seasonal menu changes, for example.
“Plus Precision offers a huge range of options – and for Hawksmoor, we took just about all of them! Drawers and doors, low- level castors, raised pan holders on counters… you name it. The build quality and versatility of the range, as well as its sustainability, really sold everyone on Precision.”
Precision supplied counters, cabinets and prep stations to the Seven Dials build. As well as running on hydrocarbon refrigerants, they all use Precision’s ‘green’ insulation, Envirofoam. This performs every bit as well as standard insulation but is based on vegetable oils, rather than petrochemicals, and requires less energy to produce.
For more information check out the Precision website (www.precision-refrigeration.co.uk), or call the company directly on +44 (0)1842 753 994.