500 lunches in 90 min = roughly 5500 portions/hour theoretical. One 20-grid combi = 400 portions/cycle × 1.5 cycles in the window = enough for 600 with margin. For backup + variety, use 2× 10-grid instead.

Do I need a walk-in cold room?▾

Daily intake of 200+ lunches = yes, walk-in pays off. Below that, 2-3 uprights + a refrigerated counter handle the produce drop. Walk-in also enables weekly bulk deliveries vs daily, cutting supplier overhead.

Trays vs plates — which is cheaper to run?▾

Tray service cuts your dishwasher load by 30% (one tray = one wash, vs plate + bowl + cup separately) but needs dedicated tray-return logistics. Plates feel less institutional but cost 20-30% more in dishwasher TCO.

School canteens serve 100-1500 lunches in a 30-90 minute window, often with limited staff. The kit must scale: combi ovens for batch cooking, hot holding for the service window, walk-ins for daily produce drop, and dishwashing that keeps up with tray return. HACCP record-keeping is mandatory; equipment with built-in HACCP logging saves admin time.

School canteen — high-throughput cooking

What kind of setup are you planning?

From dough to plate

Bulk cooking

Hot holding line

Cold storage

Tray service

Warewashing

Pick the scope that fits

Common questions

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