Admiral Taverns

Our top tips for running a successful carvery:

• Offer a maximum of 3 different roasts - don't be too ambitious
• Make sure the meat is cooked properly – it will be on display so needs to look as well as taste delicious and will make it easier for carving; remember the meat is the most expensive item on the carvery so no mistakes with under/over cooking
• Baste meat during service if possible to prevent it from becoming dry
• Use matching coloured serving dishes to display vegetables attractively – ideally invest in oven to table presentation dishes- Churchill/ Le Creuset or similar if you can afford to
• Your choice of vegetables should include colours, ie not all green
• Don’t over cook the vegetables and turn them regularly so they look fresh
• Make sure you have sufficient back up of all vegetables and meat ready to re-fill as necessary - never allow the carvery to be missing items or to run out during service
• Replace an empty dish with a full one from the kitchen - topping up is not within your EHO's guidelines
• Have serving spoons with cool touch handles (available from Brakes equipment) for customers to serve their own vegetables (consider customer safety- metal will get hot in a carvery unit)
• Food must be held above 63ºC for a maximum of 4 hours, cook temperature 75ºC - check temperatures frequently
• Plates should be clean, warm and all the same design and size – important for portion control
• Have plenty of napkins available for customers to carry their warm plates
• Clean as you go – wipe up any spills; customers will want to feel they are visiting a fresh carvery
• Place sauces and gravy next to the carvery, replenish as required
• Make sure there are no obstructions or trip hazards – customers will be carrying hot plates of food back to their table
• Have a system in place for customers to visit the carvery, for example, a ticket to hand in so that they cannot be served twice
• If you are running the carvery alongside your usual menu, you will need a system for kitchen and carvery staff to co-ordinate customer orders- make sure all staff are aware of these procedures and explain to your customers when ordering
• If doing a carvery during the week, offer hot meat sandwiches/baguettes as a special

Training is key when doing a carvery

• knife skills – sharp knives one for each different meat
• carving skills particularly when being watched!
• portion control – staff should serve the meat and Yorkshire puddings
• personal hygiene – wear proper kitchen attire including hat, freshly laundered
• food hygiene – temperature checks, risks of cross contamination
• communication with the kitchen for items running out
• customer service – staff are on display, not behind kitchen doors, so good rapport with customers is essential, they should be pleasant and calm

Products and Prices
If you are short of space and looking for something quick and simple in the kitchen, many products can be purchased fully prepared if that is suitable:

You will pay more for pre-prepared food however you will cut down on labour, wastage and utility costs, of course you may not have enough space to do it all yourself as well!

Make sure you do your costings correctly to ensure you are covered for wastage, extra sauces and people having second helpings of vegetables.

Use our Profit Calculator to help you.

We recommend selling your carvery at least £5.99 per person (one course only, correct at March 09) to ensure that you are making a good margin on the food, this of course does not include any other costs like staffing (based on using Admiral discount with a supplier such as Brakes).

How the Food Team can help you: