What Does A Catering Engineer Do? The Full Lowdown

The term ‘catering engineer’ is bandied around a lot within the foodservice equipment industry. But what does it mean in real-world terms?

We spoke with one of our members to find out.

Grant Shaw, Operations Director at WV Howe, works closely with catering engineers from across the UK on a regular basis.

He gives us the full lowdown on:

The role of a catering engineer
Why catering engineers are invaluable to the industry
How the role of a catering engineer will evolve in the years to come.

What are the main reasons kitchen operators work with catering engineers?

The main reason is to meet regulatory requirements. If it’s unlawful for somebody to touch a piece of equipment if they don’t have the correct accreditation, that’s why you need a specialist catering engineer there to look at it.

The other critical reason to have a catering engineer on-site is that they can risk assess every situation and maximise safety within a kitchen environment. For example, if a catering engineer decides the operator isn’t stripping down a slicer in the safest way, they will point this out and put steps in place to minimise risk.

What does a catering engineer do besides what you just mentioned?

A catering engineer is responsible for a variety of areas.

Some of the typical jobs they carry out include planned preventative maintenance (PPM), a standard annual service, and any repairs that may be required. As I always say, a catering engineer is only as good as their last repair or PPM visit!

The benefits of these services include less downtime, lower potential repair costs, extended equipment lifespan, and enhanced efficiency.

It’s important to remember that every time a catering engineer walks onto a site, they’re walking into a negative situation, unless they’re carrying out routine PPM or a standard annual service. They’re working on something that’s failed or broken down.

That’s why trust is so important. Whenever I work with a catering engineer, I have to ask myself, ‘Would you approach a problem in the same way as I would, and can I trust you to represent WV Howe on one of our sites?’.

We’ve got 80 years of a reputation to uphold, which brings a certain level of pressure and expectation.

What qualifications do you look for in a catering engineer?

If they’re a gas engineer, then they must have the Core Commercial Catering Appliances 1 (COMCAT1) accreditation at an absolute minimum.

Most catering engineers are fully qualified electricians as well.

I have come across one rare case where a catering engineer is fully qualified in gas, electric, and fridge. As you can imagine, he’s got an almost godlike status in the commercial catering industry! We’re lucky to work with him.

An important point to make is that there’s a big, big difference between a standard engineer and somebody I would classify as a catering engineer.

The engineers who I value highly are the ones who will show me their RATIONAL certificate or their MEIKO certificate, the ones who’ve got ties to Welbilt. The ones who’ve been on every industry course you can imagine. Those are the engineers I want to work with.

What personal qualities are important in a catering engineer?

A good catering engineer will diffuse a difficult situation.

They understand that if they don’t move in the next few minutes, a chef will start throwing cake models at them.

From the minute they walk onto a site, a catering engineer has to absorb the situation. They have to soak everything up like a sponge.

They can’t walk in whistling while the chef is on edge because they need a piece of equipment to be back up and running.

The engineer has to reflect the urgency of that situation. Humility is a fundamental part of their role.

When a catering engineer doesn’t read the room well, that’s when certain problems can escalate.

As I said, they spend their working day in a negative environment. But if they’ve made everybody else happy when they walk out the door, then they’ve done their job.

Another thing every great catering engineer will do is listen to the user who works with that piece of equipment every single day.

Where some engineers have fallen down—and it’s been years since I’ve come across this, thankfully—is thinking, ‘I’m the engineer. I know best.’

They won’t listen to the chef who tells them about the quirks of a combi oven in their kitchen. But listening to them explain those little quirks and gaining additional insight might help them diagnose a fault much quicker.

How does WV Howe work with catering engineers?

When we work with catering engineers, we want them to represent us correctly. That’s the first thing.

Obviously, the importance of relevant accreditations and skillsets goes without saying. They have to submit a PQ document to us, and they must demonstrate some experience working with specific types of commercial catering equipment.

We also empower them by encouraging them to speak up. This is so important given the current rate of change taking place within the commercial catering industry.

There’s a race amongst manufacturers to make their equipment different from their competitors. Each manufacturer is constantly making improvements and adding new technology to their equipment.

With this in mind, we ask our engineers to always be one step ahead of us. They need to tell us what they want to know and where improvements can be made.

I always say to our engineers, ‘You tell me what you need from me. I’m not going to dictate to you.’ They can put the demands on us, and we’ll make sure we’re supporting them as best we can.

If an engineer says no to me, their word is final. They’re the one with the accreditation. I’ll never force them into making a decision because it makes commercial sense—we’ll make a decision that makes correct sense.

Our relationship with catering engineers is a two-way street. We view them as an extension of our team, not as independent entities.

Why are catering engineers so unique?

Catering engineers have to cross so many lines and perform so many important roles.

A catering engineer is your contracts manager, account manager, and business development manager rolled into one. They are all of these things on-site.

Not only do they have to be technically proficient, but they also need to be agile enough to adapt to different markets, and that’s a unique skill. You find that the engineers who are liked and respected can do this.

I think some people within the industry lose sight of how important catering engineers are—I really do. To me, they’re the difference between success and failure.

They’re like a contracts manager. That’s how important they are to me.

How important is it for catering engineers to be multi-skilled?

Very important, but there’s a difference between being multi-skilled and actually being capable.

For example, one of the engineers we work with is our go-to combi guy. If we have an issue with a combi that we can’t quite get our heads around, we know to reach out to him.

Generally, a good catering engineer will specialise in either combis or werewashers. Engineers always seem to be incredibly knowledgeable of one piece of equipment or the other. If you find someone who’s incredibly strong in both areas, you’ve got yourself a great catering engineer.

How do you see the role of a catering engineer changing and evolving in the years to come?

I sometimes fear the engineers who repair things are slipping out of the industry. In a society where we’re used to throwing things away, it’s very easy to diagnose a part and just replace it.

But the older guys are the ones who strip these things down and repair. I feel we’ve lost that mindset a bit within the industry.

Having said that, we’re seeing a big push for apprenticeship schemes. These apprentices are the new generation that will drive the industry forward.

They’re not going to be scared of new technology—they’re going to embrace it.

They’re going to educate and improve themselves. As the industry evolves, they’ll evolve with it.

I think that this push for more apprentices will make the maintenance industry much stronger. I’m seeing a lot of great kids coming through who will go on to become special engineers if they stick to it. The money is there for them, as well. It’s a great time for them to enter the industry.

Let’s face it—we’re seeing kids nowadays walking around with iPhones from the ages of seven, eight, and nine. What terrifies me as a 48-year-old is nothing to an 18-year-old today.

The reporting and diagnostic technology is also only going to become more advanced. Whereas years ago, equipment lent itself to repair, now it’s technology-based.

It’s going to be such an exciting time for our industry in the next few years. I’ll miss it when I retire!

About WV Howe

WV Howe is a Birmingham-based wholesale catering equipment supplier that was founded in 1945. A family-run business, it serves outlets across the UK in both the public and private sectors, with its roster including Birmingham City Council .

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