Caffè Nero
More than 250 units of NE-SCV2 Professional Speed Convection Oven have been installed in the Caffè Nero’s UK branches, with the further 350 units by March 2020 in the UK. We are also pleased to be able to report that Caffe Nero stores across Europe & the United States are also enjying the benefits on SCV2 in their daily operation
Challenge: Caffè Nero in the UK has recently undergone the biggest food transformation project in its 22-year history. The goal was to create and launch a premium deli style food menu which would not only provide food as premium as its coffee, but also transform the eating experience for its customers, both existing and new.
To do that, huge focus was put on providing authentic, artisanal Italian style food which could be enjoyed on the move or eaten in store and could also be served hot or cold. Part of the challenge of designing the menu was finding the right equipment which would not only maintain the speed and quality of customer service, even when making hot food, but wouldn’t add any operational complexity to the stores and be the right size so it not only fitted all the various store sizes up and down the country, but didn’t compromise the unique design of Caffè Nero’s coffee houses either.
Solution: Panasonic’s development chef worked closely with the Caffè Nero team using the SCV2 speed convection oven to design new hot food items. In addition to enhancing the Food Transformation Project (FTP) to create food that was innovative, tasty, cooked fast and well presented, the SCV2 offered Caffè Nero benefits such as ease of use, saving space and consistency across the entire estate.
Will Stratton-Morris,Ceo, Caffè Nero UK: “As a premium coffee house brand, launching our new deli kitchen food menu was about offering our customers food as good as our coffee and which matched the unique environment our stores provide. It was essential we didn’t compromise on the quality of the food we served, and that meant finding the right oven to prepare the food but which critically also matched the aesthetic of our coffee houses. “It’s given us better control of the cooking process as well as flexibility in what we can offer in store.”
The Panasonic SCV2 Speed Convection Oven jumped out as the ideal solution. The Panasonic team understood our needs and invested time with our food development team and supported them through the creation of the new hot food menu. They helped us to achieve the best results from the oven and brought to life benefits it offered which also allowed us to develop items that we couldn’t previously offer. The SCV2 has enabled us to offer a hugely expanded and diverse food range which also staying true to our principals of offering a premium experience to our customers. It’s given us better control of the cooking process as well as flexibility in what we can offer in store. It’s helped us launch a menu which is a step change for the high street.
„It’s given us better control of the cooking process as well as flexibility in what we can offer in store.”
SCV2, the solution to their problem: Because Caffè Nero’s estate is diverse with each store designed in a bespoke way, no two coffee houses are the same, which creates a challenge when selecting new equipment which needs to work across all stores. The SCV2 is compact with a small footprint and has the added bonus of being stackable and doesn’t need extraction. In addition, its sleek design, allowed Caffè Nero to locate the oven front of house and still maintain the premium look and feel in its stores. Food can be cooked or heated to a high quality, with a crisp, toasted finish within the critical 60 second target – Caffè Nero’s baristas take 60 seconds to make a coffee and the challenge to Panasonic was to ensure food service could keep pace! The two brands collaborated to optimise the solution and following successful trials, Panasonic has managed the installation of the ovens and training of all staff.
