We commenced work on site the following month with a 6 month program of work to take the building from a bare shell to a fully operational restaurant. We were tasked with bringing this prestigious garden centre restaurant to flower, due to the size and scope of works on site, we managed and organised the project into five separate elements:
The initial stage of the works comprised of erecting all internal walls and coordinating installation of all underfloor drainage and service ducts to carry electrical and water services to the restaurant’s centrally positioned servery counters, prior to the first fix mechanical and electrical (M+E) works being completed. The installation of hygienic white plastic wall cladding to the kitchen and various floor coverings throughout the building then followed.
We had to work very closely with the clients M+E contractors throughout the project and at times it was challenging, especially when all have their own deadlines to achieve, but good communication throughout was key and ensured a smooth delivery. Secondly was the installation of the suite of coldrooms on site as well as the extract canopies complete with service spine. The coldrooms were manufactured and installed by our own in-house refrigeration engineers including low noise refrigeration systems. The extract canopies were manufactured and installed by Brittania Kitchen Ventilation which incorporated individual fire suppression systems which were installed by a local company.
A primary aim for both Monkton Elm and Bartlett was, to utilise specialist services and to award these works to locally-based contractors where possible. We believe this also played a major part in completing the project successfully and within the time frame, having a swift response and flexibility from the contractors to overcome any unforeseen challenges and small changes to the proposed format and original plans. Our own commercial catering engineers carried out the installation of the kitchen including the dishwash area, potwash, food preparation, bakery, and main cooking suite. We specified and installed Falcon prime cook equipment and Williams Refrigeration equipment respectively, as it says they are high quality reliable British-made appliances, supplied with 2 year full warranties.