Solving Capacity and Workflow Constraints to Modernise Little Hollows’ Pasta Kitchen

Chris Davis, the chef and owner of Little Hollows in Coltsham, Bristol, knew his boutique pasta restaurant was beloved for its handmade tagliatelle and intimate atmosphere — but he also knew the well-worn kitchen behind the scenes was holding his team back.

He challenged us to deliver a full refurbishment between closing on New Year’s Eve and reopening in January: a firm 19-day window in which to replace gas lines, rethink workflow and modernise every surface without missing a single service.

The Challenge

The existing kitchen leaned on a handful of countertop hobs cobbled together from online suppliers, making it impossible to cook more than five or six pans of sauce at once. Tables were queuing up, dinner services ran long into the night, and the tight space offered no room for a proper potwash or a smooth hand-off for waiters between the kitchen and the dining room. With such a narrow timetable, we had to strip out every antiquated element and install a high-performance fit-out without a moment’s delay. 

Day one saw us gutting the old gas range and clearing the back wall to make way for a new floor with integrated drainage. By mid-week, our engineers had laid an energy-efficient induction range — allowing the chefs to run up to fifteen pans simultaneously while keeping ambient temperatures in check — and commissioned a fresh-water potwash room complete with powerful rinse sprays.

To streamline service, we cut a hot-pass through the stone wall dividing the kitchen from the corridor, so the waiters no longer needed to sprint back and forth to collect plates.

When Little Hollows finally welcomed diners again on January the 19th, the difference was clear for both diners and the Little Hollows Team. What once felt like a kitchen past its prime had become an ergonomic powerhouse: with twice the pan capacity, each table now turns faster, and the chefs can focus on perfecting every plate rather than wrestling with outdated kit.

Solving Capacity and Workflow Constraints to Modernise Little Hollows’ Pasta Kitchen

Chris Davis, the chef and owner of Little Hollows in Coltsham, Bristol, knew his boutique pasta restaurant was beloved for its handmade tagliatelle and intimate atmosphere — but he also knew the well-worn kitchen behind the scenes was holding his team back.

He challenged us to deliver a full refurbishment between closing on New Year’s Eve and reopening in January: a firm 19-day window in which to replace gas lines, rethink workflow and modernise every surface without missing a single service.

The Challenge

The existing kitchen leaned on a handful of countertop hobs cobbled together from online suppliers, making it impossible to cook more than five or six pans of sauce at once. Tables were queuing up, dinner services ran long into the night, and the tight space offered no room for a proper potwash or a smooth hand-off for waiters between the kitchen and the dining room. With such a narrow timetable, we had to strip out every antiquated element and install a high-performance fit-out without a moment’s delay. 

Day one saw us gutting the old gas range and clearing the back wall to make way for a new floor with integrated drainage. By mid-week, our engineers had laid an energy-efficient induction range — allowing the chefs to run up to fifteen pans simultaneously while keeping ambient temperatures in check — and commissioned a fresh-water potwash room complete with powerful rinse sprays.

To streamline service, we cut a hot-pass through the stone wall dividing the kitchen from the corridor, so the waiters no longer needed to sprint back and forth to collect plates.

When Little Hollows finally welcomed diners again on January the 19th, the difference was clear for both diners and the Little Hollows Team. What once felt like a kitchen past its prime had become an ergonomic powerhouse: with twice the pan capacity, each table now turns faster, and the chefs can focus on perfecting every plate rather than wrestling with outdated kit.

Have a project in mind? Speak to our design team

From your initial design to full fit out, our team of designers, suppliers and
builders are here to take your F&B idea from concept to delivery.

Have a project in mind? Speak to our design team.

From your initial design to full fit out, our team of designers, suppliers and builders are here to take your F&B idea from concept to delivery.