NICs and Energy Costs Lead to More Valoriani Commercial Pizza Oven Enquiries

The core issues affecting the hospitality sector in the UK in spring 2025, whether that is a restaurant, pizzeria or hotel, are keeping the Orchard Ovens’ team busy with enquiries, as our pizza ovens are presenting more than one solution for beleaguered caterers.

The hospitality sector has had to absorb a hike in labour costs of what is around 10% per person.  This is down to the rise in National Insurance Contributions, from 13.8% to 15%, plus the reduction in the earnings threshold from £9,100 to £5000 and a 6.7% rise in the Living Wage.

Overcoming impacts of wage and NIC hikes in commercial kitchens

With a single full-time minimum wage employee likely to cost more than £24,000 a year, and more energy bill increases anticipated by the end of 2025, wise hospitality establishments are focusing on three things.  These are: labour-efficient equipment solutions, food profit margins and equipment that will reduce energy consumption.

Orchard Ovens is well-placed to deliver on each of these, thanks to its range of first-class Valoriani pizza ovens, which come as wood-fired, gas-fired or electric ovens.

Labour efficiency and profit margins are coming together, to drive our commercial pizza oven enquiries.  Eateries are recognising that one of the best profit margins to be had on a menu comes from pizza, which is also almost guaranteed to sell well, due to its popularity, if the quality of the pizza served is top-rate.

Labour-efficient pizza oven

This is bringing business enquiries to our door, because Valoriani ovens have an unrivalled reputation for the quality of the product they produce, whether pizza or other food items.  However, the other key thing is that there is an oven with a highly labour-efficient solution, for those that want it.

This is the Rotativo (or Rotante) oven, which removes the need for manual turning of pizzas and automates that process via rotating floor and control panel. Eight or nine pizza can be perfectly cooked simultaneously, without the need for any chef to watch over them, and all can be removed, when the oven issues an audible signal to suggest they are ready.

Energy-efficient pizza ovens

For some, the cost-cutting focus is more on energy bills, which is where Valoriani’s patented RHS Evolution heat technology is proving a compelling feature.  This is fitted in oven’s such as the electric Maximo oven, where it optimises the energy usage in this oven and creates air flows that maintain the proper level of humidity.  It is also featured in commercial pizza ovens such as the gas-fired Verace, controlling emissions, through less fuel consumption, and creating extreme energy efficiency during food service.  

For those commercial kitchens wanting to cut both labour and energy costs, the great news is that this oven also features the patented RHS heat technology.

Pizza’s menu appeal

The other important thing to mention, of course, is that the dining-out public is also facing financial struggles.  By putting pizza on the menu, venues can not only generate a good profit margin, but also provide a menu item that will not break the bank.  This affordability means they can still attract diners, who might struggle to shell out for something such as a steak or even a gourmet fish and chip supper, given the price of meat and fish.

Longest lifespan for a pizza oven

Out of adversity comes triumph, in the form of viable solutions that can ease hospitality pain-points and deliver a way forward that is profitable and brand-building.  A Valoriani pizza oven can do this and, as importantly, provide a venue with a great rate of return on investment, because of its longevity and lifespan.  A Valoriani oven could be with a venue for 15 or 20 years, so it pays its way in any commercial kitchen.  Its robust construction and the use of quality materials also mean it is not constantly under repair, so downtime is not an issue.  

Finding a pizza oven for your commercial kitchen

Add all these things up – and weigh them up in the context of today’s commercial kitchen challenges – and you can soon appreciate why our enquiries are going up.  If you want that mix of great food service margins, lower labour and energy costs and a menu item almost guaranteed to sell, so long as you can turn out a great product, you should call us on 07743 847647.  We’ll help you choose the right pizza oven for your commercial kitchen, whether you go wood-fired, gas-fired or opt for an electric-powered oven with the capacity to cook authentic Italian pizza just like mamma made.

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Editors notes

Orchard Ovens is the domestic and commercial pizza oven supplier in the UK of Valoriani, based in Reggello, Tuscany - the manufacturer of Italy's hugely respected Valoriani pizza ovens, known as the Maserati of pizza ovens and the kings of clay. These ovens are made from superb refractory clay - cotto clay - found in the family's quarry and unique, thanks to having just the right alumina. This allows Valoriani ovens to heat up quickly and retain heat superbly, bring huge advantages to homeowners, as well as restaurant owners, hotels, pubs, mobile caterers, pizzerias, takeaways and more.

Orchard Ovens supplies some of Britain's best-known restaurants and chefs, whilst it is also a specialist creator of outdoor kitchens and wood-fired oven builds for the rich and famous, as well as everyday homeowners wishing to add value to their home and enjoy an outdoor lifestyle to the full.