Crown Entertainment Complex boasts over 70 dining venues and bars, including function rooms, cafes and bars all under one roof. More than 30 restaurants reside in the Crown Melbourne complex, including many of Melbourne’s finest, delivering an extraordinary variety of constantly changing menus. It takes a huge number of talented chefs working in these kitchens to manage the daily food orders, over 380 chefs in restaurants and 100 in banquets, to create such quality and variety of cuisine that is unique to Crown.
The man behind the scenes overseeing this mammoth operation is Executive Chef of Food and Beverage, Anthony Hannan. Anthony’s task of managing various foodservice outlets within the Crown Entertainment includes, overseeing culinary operations of the main kitchen incorporating some of Australia’s premier banqueting and conference facilities, food production, supporting multiple restaurants and outlets across the complex including Cook Chill, Hot Production, Gardemanger, Pastry & Bakery production just to mention a few.
“The sheer volume of food that Crown produces is astounding, and the need to manage these large volumes and variety requires quality foodservice equipment to match,” Anthony explains.
When a new shelving, storage and transport solution was required Anthony looked straight towards Comcater and Cambro.
“Crown and Cambro have a relationship since the opening of Crown in Melbourne in 1994. Cambro behind the scenes looks after the storage and transportation of crockery and glassware, and Camshelving coolroom shelving back from 1994 is still in service throughout the premises.”
Anthony notes that a chef’s priority is food hygiene and food safety as well as the ability to maximise storage capacity.
“Space in kitchens is at a premium and the storage imputation is part of the process in a busy kitchen, it has to work. Crockery and stemware are expensive and it is important that they are well housed, to reduce breakages and handling. Crown is constantly renovating kitchens and restaurants and it is important that back-of-house is streamlined and efficient to create consistency in expectation from staff, no matter where they work.”
