10 Things We Learnt In 10 Years of Running Kitchens

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Discover 10 hospitality and restaurant management lessons from Original Flava Kitchen on commercial kitchen operations, efficiency, hygiene standards and P&G PRO cleaning.

10 Things We Learnt In 10 Years of Running Kitchens | P&G PRO

10 Things We Learnt In 10 Years of Running Kitchens  | P&G PRO

P&G PRO met with Craig and Shaun McAnuff recently to speak about their learnings over 10 years in the hospitality industry. Best-selling cookbook authors and founders of Original Flava Kitchen, they are a Caribbean food brand built from the ground up. 
From supper clubs to 200-cover events, from residencies to cookbook launches, their journey in hospitality has been hands on, high pressure and full of lessons. 
If they could do it all again, this is what they would do.
 
Here are 10 things they have learnt in 10 years of running kitchens.
 
<ol><li class="mb-40">There Is No Perfect Time To Start. Just Start. Ten years ago, we were not 100 percent ready. No restaurant training. No real business systems. No deep understanding of professional kitchen operations. Just a dream and a passion to serve people good food. Our first event was a 200-person Caribbean Christmas dinner and dancehall party. We hired chefs we had never worked with, the kitchen flow was off, and we used household cleaning products that couldn’t keep up with the professional demands. We did not yet understand the difference between domestic and professional standards. But it was the best learning curve we could have asked for. Being thrown in at the deep end forced us to level up fast; if we had waited until we felt ready, we would still be waiting. There is no perfect time, just start. </li><li class="mb-40">Show Up Relentlessly Running a professional kitchen is about consistency. There were days when staff did not turn up, cooking equipment failed mid-service, and deliveries were delayed. We were exhausted, but we showed up. Hospitality rewards discipline. It is not just about cooking good food. It is about properly resetting the kitchen after service, maintaining hygiene standards, and preparing efficiently for the next shift. Consistency builds reputation. And reputation builds longevity. </li><li class="mb-40">Build Strong Foundations Before You Scale Before residencies and packed events, it was family around the table tasting recipes. Those early stages are where you refine your product, your recipes, your flavour balance, your workflow. When starting a restaurant or professional kitchen, it is tempting to grow quickly, but scaling without a structured approach creates stress. Clear processes, defined roles of a chef, kitchen porter and waiter, clean workflow and strong foundations make growth sustainable.</li><li class="mb-40">Learn The Business Side Of Hospitality Early Cooking is creative. Hospitality is commercial. If you are running a professional kitchen, you must understand your numbers. Food cost, labour time, utilities, waste, cleaning supplies, equipment maintenance, the list goes on. 
Every plate has a true cost behind it. Profit is not what is left in the pot; it is what remains after. Operational inefficiency reduces margin. Slow prep, poor systems and using products not built for professional volume all increase hidden costs. It can be tempting to cut costs on cleaning products, but it never pays off in the end, especially as it puts your hygiene rating at risk. Investing in professional products, like Fairy PRO, that last longer and clean more efficiently are worth the investment.
</li><li class="mb-40">Protect Your Health And Your Team The hospitality industry is intense. Long hours, physical strain and constant pressure are part of kitchen life. We experienced burnout, stress, weight gain and mental fatigue. 
Running a sustainable professional kitchen means protecting your well-being. A well-organised, clean and hygienic environment reduces chaos. When your team sees high-quality products from brands they know and trust – such as those from P&G PRO - in their cleaning toolkit, their motivation and efficiency naturally scale up. High standards protect both your team and your customers. Healthy operators build healthy businesses.</li><li class="mb-40">Build Community, Not just Customers Community is everything in hospitality. Customers today want more than food. They want connection, trust and transparency, and they want to know the standards behind the scenes match the quality on the plate. We built our brand by listening, reading comments, sending newsletters and asking questions. When people feel part of your journey, they support you long term. Community builds loyalty in ways marketing cannot.</li><li class="mb-40">Embrace Feedback As A Growth Tool Feedback is part of running kitchens. Some reviews highlight service gaps; some expose operational weaknesses, some simply challenge your standards and some can even call out cleaning issues. You can defend your ego, or you can improve your business. Professional kitchens evolve by responding quickly and improving workflow. Upgrading systems, training staff and raising standards allow your restaurant to flourish. Growth lives on the other side of discomfort.</li><li class="mb-40">Keep Evolving Your Systems And Standards Hospitality never stands still; Costs rise, customer expectations increase, trends shift, and platforms evolve. To stay competitive, you must invest in learning and improvement. Look to study marketing, or refine your menu. Alongside this, upgrade equipment, invest in professional cleaning products you trust to deliver impeccable cleaning, like Fairy PRO and Deepio PRO, improve the restaurant layout and workflow. A professional kitchen is a living system. The more efficient your operations, the more space you create for creativity and service. Staying sharp keeps you relevant.</li><li class="mb-40">Never Forget Your Why For us, it was culture, family, heritage. We wanted to show that Caribbean food is layered, refined and worthy of centre stage. It is more than jerk chicken. It is history and pride on a plate. Purpose gives you resilience. When pressure rises, remembering why you started keeps you grounded. Purpose creates longevity. </li><li>Invest In Professional Standards From Day One If we could rewind, we would invest in professional standards earlier. Platforms like NCASS are fantastic for establishing and maintaining health & safety management. Using household products in a commercial kitchen also slows everything down, they are not designed for heavy grease, high-volume service or continuous use. When we started out, we were using the same cleaning products as we did at home which ultimate led to repeated scrubbing, wasted water, and a backup at the sink that slowed us down. Once we shifted to Fairy PRO and Deepio PRO, we saw a noticeable difference with the products able to tackle the built-up grease far more effectively, getting us out of the kitchen more quickly. In a professional kitchen, time is money. Efficiency protects margin. High standards protect reputation. Quality over quantity, every time.</li>
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10 Things We Learnt In 10 Years of Running Kitchens-text

As part of my role at The Nationwide Caterers Association, I advise members on how to run safe and compliant food businesses. Many members want reassurance that their set-up will be approved by their Local Authority Environmental Health Officer (EHO) and won’t negatively impact their Food Hygiene Rating. We support businesses in preparing for inspections and ensuring they meet legal requirements.