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Hot lunches your members stay in for. No kitchen. No chef.
Chef-made meals, hot in 3–10 minutes. Whoever is on the community desk or the café scans the pack, and the station runs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave on the right setting. A proper hot menu all day, not a fridge that's empty by 2pm.
No long contract. Nothing to defrost. Delivered anywhere in mainland UK.
- 80+chef-made dishes on rotation
- 3–10 minto cook, straight from frozen
- 0chefs or kitchen fit-out needed
- Nothing binnedcook only what’s ordered; the rest keeps 12 months
Members want something hot.Sandwiches and salads only go so far.
Most co-working cafés run on sandwiches, soups, salads and snacks. Members are happy with them until they want a hot lunch, or the fridge runs low after 2pm and they go out to eat. A kitchen and a chef don't pay their way in a members' café. Chef-made food your community team can finish does: hot dishes all day, cooked to order, and nothing wasted on a quiet Friday.
Co-working and flexible offices
A hot lunch menu that keeps members in the building and makes the café part of the membership.
Multi-site operators
The same menu and the same plate at every location, run by the team already on site.
Meetings and member events
Catering packs for meetings, launches and member socials, planned to headcount.
Out of hours
Hot food when nobody is on the café? See hot food vending machines.
Three busy moments.One counter covers all of them.
- 8–10amBreakfastSausage and omelette rolls for members on their way to their desks.
- 12–2pmLunch rushCurries, teriyaki, miso salmon and carbonara, cooked to order as members come down.
- After 2pmAfternoons and eveningsHot food keeps going after the lunch rush, for late meetings and members working into the evening.
What's on the counter.Proper lunches, not another meal deal.
A selection from our range of 80+ chef-made dishes. We build your menu around your members, your peaks and your counter space, and it rotates so regulars see something new.
Allergen information comes with every dish. Chicken, beef and lamb come from a certified halal supplier, and the few pork dishes are clearly labelled.
The station does the cooking.Your community team does the serving.
Staff scan the barcode on the pack, and the Scan-to-Cook Station programs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave and runs the right setting. It fits on a café counter, needs no extraction, and anyone on shift can run it after one training session.
- No settings to learn: the pack tells the station what to do
- The same result on a quiet Tuesday as on a packed Saturday
- Cooked to order, so nothing sits under a heat lamp or goes in the bin
How it works.Tasting. Menu. Set-up. Deliveries. Service.
- 1Free tastingWe come to your space, cook a selection on site and your team and members taste it. No commitment.
- 2Your menuWe choose dishes around your members, your peaks and your counter space, from 80+ chef-made dishes.
- 3Set-up and trainingThe Scan-to-Cook Station goes on your café counter, next to a freezer. One training session for the team.
- 4DeliveriesFrozen, anywhere in mainland UK, usually within 3–5 working days. Orders from £500.
- 5ServiceScan the pack. The station runs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave on the right setting. Plate and serve.
Two formats.One for the café, one for the meeting room.
| Individual portions | Catering packs | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Café counter, lunch, à la carte | Meetings, launches and member events |
| Serves | 1 per portion | 6–7 people per tray |
| Cook time | 3–10 minutes | 20–40 minutes (combi oven) |
| Staff | 1 person on the desk or café, no cooking skill | 1 person, no cooking skill |
| Waste | None: cooked to order | Minimal: planned to headcount |
Already running in flexible offices.Halkin, Paris Garden, London.
Halkin, the London flexible office operator, has run a Nova Chef member meal service at its Paris Garden building since September 2026. Workplace canteens, hotels and serviced apartments serve the same food with no chef in the kitchen.
chef-made dishes
training session for staff
chefs on shift
What operators say about Nova Chef
“We found the food absolutely amazing. The food was exquisite.”
Buyer, Makita Manufacturing Europe
“I was a little bit sceptical about frozen food… I have to say I’m really impressed with what I’ve tried today.”
Facilities Manager, ACO Technologies UK
“Well-seasoned, well-cooked, not overcooked. All of the dishes were really nice.”
Site team, English Provender Company
“It tastes amazing. It’s zero labour, and it’s so easy.”
F&B Director, Hilton Hotels UK & Ireland
“An unbelievable product — you’d never know, from frozen to the plate, it comes out so good.”
Executive Chef, Pullman London St. Pancras
“The food is absolutely amazing, with great feedback from everyone. Highly recommended — a very professional company to work with.”
General Manager, Fraser Place Canary Wharf, London
What to expect.The questions operators ask first, answered.
| Kitchen | None needed. Counter space, power sockets and room for a freezer. No extraction, no gas, no fit-out. |
|---|---|
| Who cooks | Whoever is on the community desk or café, after one training session. |
| Meetings and events | Catering packs serving 6–7 people a tray, planned to headcount, ready in 20–40 minutes in a combi oven. |
| Minimum order | From £500 per delivery. We confirm your free-delivery threshold when you enquire. |
| Contract | No long-term contract and no monthly minimum. One-month rolling. |
| Delivery | Frozen, anywhere in mainland UK, usually within 3–5 working days. |
| Storage | 12 months frozen. Nothing needs defrosting: everything cooks from frozen. |
| Equipment | The Scan-to-Cook Station, to buy or hire, installed with staff training. |
| Allergens and halal | Allergen information for every dish. Chicken, beef and lamb from a certified halal supplier; pork dishes clearly labelled. |
Book a free tasting. We bring the food, your team cooks it, everyone tastes it.
Tell us about your space and roughly how many members are in on a typical day. We'll be in touch to arrange a tasting at your space.
- Free tasting at your venue, no commitment
- No long-term contract, one-month rolling
- Delivered frozen anywhere in mainland UK
Questions co-working operators ask Nova Chef
Do we need a kitchen to serve hot food?
No. Our chefs cook everything in our London kitchen and it arrives frozen. On site you need counter space, power sockets and room for a freezer. No extraction, no gas and no kitchen fit-out.
Who cooks the food?
Whoever is on the community desk or the café. They scan the barcode on the pack and the station programs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave and runs the right setting. One training session is enough.
How long does a hot meal take?
3–10 minutes to cook from frozen for individual portions. Catering packs for groups take 20–40 minutes in a combi oven.
Can you cater for meetings and member events?
Yes. Catering packs serve 6–7 people a tray and are planned to headcount, so a launch for 20 is three trays. They take 20–40 minutes in a combi oven, straight from frozen.
Will the café run out by mid-afternoon?
No. Everything is kept frozen and cooked only when someone orders, so the full menu is still there at 4pm, and nothing is thrown away at the end of the day.
What about allergens and halal?
Allergen information comes with every dish. Chicken, beef and lamb come from a certified halal supplier, and the few pork dishes are clearly labelled. There are vegetarian and vegan dishes too.
What is the minimum order, and is there a contract?
Orders start from £500 per delivery, and we confirm your free-delivery threshold when you enquire. There is no long-term contract and no monthly minimum: it runs month to month.
Where do you deliver, and how fast?
Anywhere in mainland UK, usually within 3–5 working days. The food travels frozen and keeps for 12 months in your freezer, so you order when you need to, not every few days.
Can we try it before we commit?
Yes. Book a free tasting and we'll come to your venue, cook a selection on site and let your team taste it. No commitment.
Feeding a staff canteen? See workplace canteen food. Hot food out of hours? See hot food vending machines. Want the full price list? See catering food supplier.