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Hot food your café can serve all day. No kitchen. No chef.
Chef-made meals, hot in 3–10 minutes. Whoever is on the café counter or reception scans the pack, and the station runs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave on the right setting. Hot food for pools, ice rinks, tennis centres, trampoline parks and soft play.
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
Parents wait. Players stay.The hungry crowd is already in your building.
Swimming lessons, skating sessions, matches and parties keep families on site for an hour or more. Most venues meet them with a vending machine and a coffee. A kitchen and a chef rarely pay their way between the busy hours, so the café is the part of the building that loses money or closes. Chef-made food your existing team can finish changes that: real meals on the counter, cooked to order, and nothing wasted when it's quiet.
Leisure centres and pools
Hot food for parents during lessons and for families after a swim. Breakfast rolls for early lane swimmers and class-goers.
Ice rinks
Warm food for cold spectators, between sessions and after public skating. Catering packs for birthday groups.
Tennis and racquet centres
Post-match plates and lighter bowls for members, and family food on junior coaching days.
Trampoline parks and soft play
Chicken strips, burgers and chips for the children and proper food for the adults, cooked to order so nothing sits under a heat lamp.
Three busy moments.One counter covers all of them.
- MorningEarly sessionsBacon rolls and sausage and omelette rolls for early swimmers, class-goers and parents on the school drop-off.
- WeekendsLunch and partiesBurgers and chips, crispy chicken and pasta for families, and catering packs for birthday parties and team groups.
- After schoolLessons and eveningsHot meals for parents waiting on lessons, power bowls for members after a session, and plates for league nights.
What's on the counter.Food children ask for, and food adults stay for.
A selection from our range of 80+ chef-made dishes. We build your menu around your sessions, your visitors 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 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. Whoever is on reception or the café can do 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 venue, cook a selection on site and your team tastes it. No commitment.
- 2Your menuWe choose dishes around your sessions, your visitors and your counter space, from 80+ chef-made dishes.
- 3Set-up and trainingThe Scan-to-Cook Station goes on your counter, next to a freezer. One training session for whoever runs the café.
- 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 counter, one for the party room.
| Individual portions | Catering packs | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Café counter, between sessions, à la carte | Birthday parties, team groups, events |
| Serves | 1 per portion | 6–7 people per tray |
| Cook time | 3–10 minutes | 20–40 minutes (combi oven) |
| Staff | 1 person, no cooking skill | 1 person, no cooking skill |
| Waste | None: cooked to order | Minimal: planned to headcount |
Already running in sports venues.From no food at all to an all-day menu in two weeks.
PadelHub was a pure sports facility with no food outlet. We built a breakfast menu, protein-focused bowls for players and evening comfort food, set up the equipment and trained the existing team. Members now get food from morning to evening, run entirely by the club's own staff.
from go-ahead to opening
to train a team of six
chefs on site
What operators say about Nova Chef
“It looks like this is probably one of the best, if not the best option that we can possibly go for.”
Head of Operations, Pure Padel
“The quality of the food is exceptional. What a great system as well.”
Director, Link Golf UK
“The quality of the food is absolutely excellent and the taste was fantastic — I’d really encourage you all to give Nova Chef a go.”
General Manager, Pinner Hill Golf Club, London
“It tastes amazing. It’s zero labour, and it’s so easy.”
F&B Director, Hilton Hotels UK & Ireland
“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
“An unbelievable product — you’d never know, from frozen to the plate, it comes out so good.”
Executive Chef, Pullman London St. Pancras
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 | Anyone on shift, after one training session. |
| Group catering | 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 what kind of venue you run and roughly how many visitors you get a day. We'll be in touch to arrange a date for a tasting at your venue.
- Free tasting at your venue, no commitment
- No long-term contract, one-month rolling
- Delivered frozen anywhere in mainland UK
Questions leisure 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 café or reception. 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 birthday parties and team events?
Yes. Catering packs serve 6–7 people a tray and are planned to headcount, so a party of 20 is three trays. They take 20–40 minutes in a combi oven, straight from frozen.
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.
Running a gym or health club? See food for gym cafés. Running a club with a clubhouse? See sports club catering. Want the full price list? See catering food supplier.