Significant cost savings are often associated with replacing very old equipment, however, when The Elite Fish & Chip Company replaced a 10-year-old Kiremko at its Tritton Road restaurant in Lincoln, they were surprised by the reductions in running costs.
Operations manager Nigel Tindall analysed the first three months of the new Kiremko frying range in 2024 against the same period the year before. He comments: “We’re saving 17% on gas which, on an annual basis, equates to a saving of around £5,000, and that’s bearing in mind we’ve got an extra pan now.” The new Kiremko island range features seven pans rather than six, including a larger 100cm fish pan. “The range has much more capacity, but it’s using 17% less gas,” Nigel adds.
It was the reduction in fat usage that delivered the biggest surprise, however, as Nigel explains: “We knew the gas would be more efficient, but the fat savings are 19%, representing a saving of around £7,000 across the year. Bearing in mind that the turnover has increased and we have more volume moving through the range.”
Combined savings
With a combined saving on gas and fat of £12,000 per year, it’s a welcome addition to the business in light of rising business costs and food inflation. “What you’re saving on a new range helps to balance the overheads to the point where you can operate on a much more stable level,” adds Nigel.
The 100-seater Tritton Road restaurant, which marked its 30th anniversary last year, is one of four Elite sites. The new installation is the fourth range the business has operated at the site, part of Nigel’s policy of renewing equipment every decade. “We update our ranges every 10 years because they work hard for us, they are on seven days a week for the best part of 12 hours a day,” he says. “And in 10 years, technology improves so we buy the best that’s available, because we know it’s got to last another 10 years’ worth of trade.”
The upgrade also allowed Elite to introduce a dedicated gluten free pan, building on experience gained at the group’s Bail Gate restaurant, opened in 2020. Nigel comments: “That was a new innovation for us. It’s gone from strength to strength and developed its own customer base, so we wanted to bring that to Tritton Road.
“Having the gluten free pan here is bringing in a new clientele, and if there’s one person in a family of ten who is coeliac, they’re bringing nine other family members in, so that’s all extra business.”
Confident in the long-term savings, Elite ordered another Kiremko range for its Ruskington shop which was installed in March. Nigel concludes: “You have to weigh up the investment, but when you look at what a new range delivers over ten years, the savings are clear.”
Get in touch today to find out how much upgrading to the latest Kiremko high efficiency frying could save you!