Hot food without a kitchen comes down to storing cold and heating on site. It will not be a restaurant plate, but your people eat hot, even at three in the morning or on a winter morning on site. What a fresh range asks in practice is covered in fresh meals. This page is about the hot dish itself, the microwave, and what is better left cold.
A sandwich fills you up too, but after a hot meal the break feels like a real break. Shifts that work at night, outdoors or physically notice that most. What does and does not work at night is covered in night shift meals.
Without a kitchen, hot food needs two things: a dish made to be reheated, and a microwave nearby. The first comes from a caterer or ready-meal producer you choose; the second is already in most break rooms. Not every dish is made for it: a pan-fried piece of meat or something crispy turns tough or soggy in the microwave, a stew simply gets hot. Anyone offering fresh dishes also has to handle cooling and rotation; see fresh meals at work.
| Canteen | Machine with oven | Frozen + microwave | Chilled fridge + microwave | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ready in | Immediately, during kitchen hours | A few minutes per portion | Long heating or thawing | A few minutes |
| Choice | The daily menu | Whatever is in the slots | Limited | Several dishes side by side |
| At night | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Feels fresh | High | Medium | Low | Prepared and chilled |
The right-hand column is what we make, so weigh it with that in mind. The machine with a built-in oven is covered in meal vending machines for businesses.
Pasta, curry and casseroles handle reheating well and stay tasty. That is why they form the core of the hot range.
A light start to the break, or a warm bowl for anyone who does not want to eat heavily at night.
Salads, bowls and dairy stay cold. So there is also something for anyone not in the mood for hot food.
How long a dish needs in the microwave is on the pack. We do not give nutrition or health advice. Nutritional values and allergens are on every pack; for individual questions, a dietitian or your occupational health doctor is the right place to go.
In the break room or rest area. How to set up that room is covered in setting up a break room.
If everyone eats hot at the same time, a second microwave is often the cheapest improvement.
If one is not allowed, keep the range deliberately cold.
On a shop floor, the microwave goes by the break room, not on the floor itself. More in smart fridge for the shop floor.
What a fridge with hot dishes costs depends on your people and hours; see what a smart fridge costs.
That is on the pack of each dish, and it varies by recipe and portion. Usually it is a few minutes, which fits into a break.
Yes, soup can be part of the range, especially as a light start to the break or for the night. Adjust the quantity to what sells.
Follow the instructions on the pack. A prepared meal is meant to be heated once and eaten straight away. Whatever is not eaten does not go back into the smart fridge or the break room fridge.
Then keep the range cold: salads, bowls, sandwiches and dairy. When planning the installation, we first look at whether there is a spot where a microwave is allowed, such as the break room.
Yes, by putting the microwave in the break room or rest area rather than on the floor. The fridge itself cools and gives off no smell; heating happens where people eat.
Eight short questions about your shifts, hours and break room. We will tell you whether a fridge with hot dishes suits you.
Takes about 90 seconds · no obligation · no contact details until the last step