Whitemead Forest Park - Royal Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
“Working with Target was a seamless experience from start to finish. They took our ideas and made them a reality, guiding us through every step of the process. The new café has not only met but exceeded our expectations, and we’re excited to see how our guests respond this summer.”
Whitemead Forest Park, an independent holiday park destination nestled in the picturesque Royal Forest of Dean, has experienced significant growth since the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks in part to the rising popularity of staycation holidays. To meet the evolving needs of guests and enhance its facilities, Whitemead recently partnered with Target Catering Equipment with a view to upgrade various aspects of the park’s amenities. This collaboration began with a kitchen overhaul and has since expanded to a new quick serve kitchen café development, aiming to deliver an enhanced experience for guests and create an additional revenue stream for the business.
STAGE 1: UPGRADING THE EXISTING
The relationship between Whitemead and Target started with the goal of modernising the park’s main kitchen. The initial project involved eliminating gas from the kitchen and upgrading to a fully electric cookline. This shift not only improved kitchen efficiency and speed but also resulted in reduced energy costs.
Building on this success, Whitemead further collaborated with Target to revamp the wash-up area, equipping it with a high-capacity Meiko pass-through double basket dishwashing machine and bespoke Target dishwash tabling system with the capacity to handle the park’s busy operations. These upgrades significantly enhanced the kitchen’s functionality, enabling staff to meet peak demand with ease.
BEFORE…
AFTER…
STAGE 2: EXPANDING THE VISION - A NEW DOG-FRIENDLY CAFÉ CONCEPT
Following the success of the kitchen renovation, Whitemead once again partnered with Target to undertake a new and ambitious project: converting an unused outbuilding into a dog-friendly café.
This initiative aimed to cater to guests with pets who were unable to access the indoor dining facilities, while simultaneously adding a new revenue stream for the holiday park.
The goal was to create a seamless extension of the park’s indoor ambiance into the new outdoor café.
PROJECT PLANNING AND DESIGN
Target’s involvement began with an initial site visit to assess the outbuilding and understand Whitemead’s vision. With a clear understanding of the requirements, Target developed a comprehensive design proposal.
The initial layout was adjusted to optimize the use of the limited space, with considerations for seating, kitchen equipment, and overall flow.
The final design emphasized a focus on reheated goods, grab-and-go options, and coffee and cakes, while leveraging the main kitchen for food preparation.
CUSTOMISED SOLUTIONS AND QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP
To maintain consistency with the park’s existing interior design, Target crafted a bespoke café counter that reflected Whitemead’s desired aesthetic. The counter featured a specially selected stone top, sourced from local supplier Tudor Granite, ensuring a unique and high-quality finish. The café was also equipped with high-performance equipment, including a carefully chosen high-speed oven that was tested and demonstrated to meet the needs of the new operation. Following these trials, an additional unit was installed in the main kitchen to further enhance service capabilities.
For the wash-up facility, the café was fitted with the latest undercounter dishwasher from Classeq, simplifying both user and maintenance. Target also provided custom back-of-house fabrications, including handwashing stations, open and enclosed storage solutions, ensuring the café’s operations ran smoothly.
“We’ve had the pleasure of working with Whitemead Forest Park, a renowned local Gloucestershire business, to support them through various stages of their business development.
After proving the success of their original holiday park concept, Whitemead made a brilliant decision to reinvest in their future by building on their already thriving foundation.
At our core, we specialise in delivering tailored solutions, and we’re delighted to have helped bring their vision to life. From the revitalisation of the main kitchen at the ‘Foresters Bar’, to the creation of the dog-friendly ‘Wild Boar Café’, it’s been exciting to see these ideas come to fruition.”
From Concept to Completion
Throughout the project, Target’s team worked closely with Whitemead from the design phase through to manufacture and installation, ensuring the café was completed on time and within budget. The project concluded ahead of the park’s summer 2025 opening, providing Whitemead with a fully operational café that aligned with their original vision.
Conclusion
The Whitemead café project showcases how a well-coordinated partnership can transform underutilized spaces into valuable assets. Through innovative design, customized solutions, and close collaboration, Target successfully delivered a dog-friendly café that complements Whitemead’s offerings, enhancing guest experience while driving additional revenue for the holiday park.
Cotswold Halt - Toddington, Gloucestershire
The owners of Cotswold Halt, a coffee shop that primarily serves visitors to the Great Western Steam Railway in the Cotswolds, approached Target for help transforming their struggling, outdated establishment. Once a truck-stop style venue, the goal was to create a warm, inviting space that could cater to both regular customers and special events, such as steam train enthusiasts and tourists attending the railway’s themed events.
Target collaborated closely with the railway committee to create a clear vision for the space. After in-depth consultations, Target developed a tailored proposal that balanced modern commercial kitchen technology with the specific needs of the coffee shop’s diverse clientele.
BEFORE REFURBISHMENT…
Key Solutions:
Bespoke Front-of-House Design:
The design for the front-of-house space centered around a welcoming and efficient service area that could handle both everyday customer needs and high traffic events.
This included:
Custom-Designed Service Counter: A tailored serve-over counter featuring hot and cold display units from Cossiga, ideal for showcasing baked goods, sandwiches, and beverages.
Beverage Equipment: High-performance equipment from Lincat and Bravilor to ensure consistent quality and speedy delivery, essential for serving hot drinks during peak times.
Ambient and Refrigerated Storage: To support the diverse range of offerings and maintain efficiency and quality during service.
Back-of-House - Quick Serve Kitchen Concept:
The Quick Serve Kitchen Concept was the perfect fit for the back-of-house area, providing a simple to use, compact, efficient, and versatile solution.
Key equipment included:
Convotherm Mini Combi Oven: A space-saving oven with built-in ventilation hood, offering maximum cooking capacity within a minimal footprint. This allowed for versatile food preparation, from pastries to hot meals.
Duke Hot Holding Units: Flexible tray options allowed for maintaining the consistency and quality of various dishes, crucial during busy service periods.
High-Speed Ovens: These advanced ovens ensured fast heating, enabling quick service during events like the Santa Express and Cheltenham Race Week, where demand peaks sharply.
DURING THE TRANSFORMATION…
Wash-Up Area Transformation:
An often-overlooked part of a kitchen, the wash-up area was a particular challenge in this project due to the limited space available. Target’s in-house design and manufacturing team designed a custom solution that transformed a previously unused room into a highly efficient wash-up area. A Welbilt passthrough dishwasher was installed to ensure fast, thorough cleaning, supporting the cafe’s high turnover during peak events.
BEFORE…
AFTER…
Implementation and Training
Once all equipment was installed, comprehensive training was provided by Brand Managers and Development Chefs to ensure the team could fully utilise the advanced technology. Each piece of equipment was configured to align with the cafes specific menu and service requirements. The training sessions ensured that all staff were proficient with the new systems, resulting in smoother, more efficient operations.
Today, Cotswold Halt, is thriving, with its modern kitchen setup and revamped service areas supporting a high volume of customers during major events such as the Santas Express and Cheltenham Race Week. The transformation has not only improved the cafe’s daily operations but also elevated its ability to serve the railway’s special events, ensuring a welcoming atmosphere and efficient service.
Conclusion
Target’s expertise in kitchen design, equipment selection, and custom manufacturing enabled Cotswold Halt to successfully transition from an outdated coffee shop to a modern, event-ready venue. The combination of advanced technology, personalised service, and hands-on training resulted in a kitchen that meets the demands of both daily customers and large event crowds, contributing to the cafe’s revitalised success.