My 3 Reasons I’m a Catering Equipment Service Engineer Now
Why should you become a Catering Equipment Service Engineer?
To find out reasons that might convince you that becoming a Catering Equipment Service Engineer is the job for you, we asked eight Catering Field Services Engineers one simple question,
What are your 3 Reasons for being a Catering Equipment Service Engineer now?
Here are their answers.

The reward when you work as a Catering Equipment Service Engineer
Pell Sutherland, Catering & Refrigeration Engineer, A&P Contracts

Pell Sutherland is a Catering & Refrigeration Engineer and works for A&P Contracts based in London.
My main 3 reasons I am a Catering Equipment Service Engineer
These are my three reasons.
- I enjoy working in different restaurants solving problems on their equipment.
- It’s always a pleasure when repairing equipment and seeing the smile on the chef’s face as they can carry on with their day.
- It’s always something different every day and you get to see the country with the travelling.
Mark Carenduff, Lead Commercial Catering Engineer, Assure Catering Engineers

Mark Carenduff works for Assure Catering Engineers and is based in Scotland. Assure work within the hospitality industry and provide maintenance, service and repair work to all commercial Catering appliances.
My main 3 reasons I am a Catering Equipment Service Engineer
There are many reasons that keep us going as engineers but my main three will have to be as follows.
- I left school when I was 15 and started working almost straight away. I was an apprentice Commercial Catering Engineer and qualified when I was 19. Then was out in a van doing jobs almost straight away. The trust that was given to me at such a young age made me mature quickly. Although I’m still learning to this day, it made me find my own way of getting a task completed efficiently.
- At only 23 years old I feel privileged on how far I have come in my role. I have been promoted to Lead Engineer and the team I have around me here at Assure is ever growing and I trust everyone here. Being a Field Service Engineer is not only about fixing equipment and going home; you need to be a good people person and be able to put the customers at ease and have the talent to back up the promises you have made. If any of the engineers have a problem, we will all work together to figure out a solution on the day. As well, we adapt to any situation that may arise.
- The problem and the solution is probably my favourite thing as a Field Service Engineer. For example, when I arrive in a kitchen and find a chef stressing about a crucial piece of equipment that has broken down. I then carry out extensive testing and come up with a solution to get the kitchen back working within the quickest time possible. The relief on a customer’s face when you tell them you have managed to repair a machine that wouldn’t even turn on is almost as if you have saved the day. Then the satisfaction you feel is unbeatable.
Justin Ring, Team Leader, Gratte Brothers Catering Equipment Ltd

Justin Ring is a Team Leader of the service side of Gratte Brothers Foodservice Solutions Ltd. I also have the privilege of representing my company within Ceda (Catering Equipment Distributors Association) where I with other amazing people are given opportunities to represent our sector.
My main 3 reasons I am a Catering Equipment Service Engineer
My three reasons I am a commercial catering engineer are as follows.
- The People
I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing people. Those who push me to do better, those who inspire me, and the characters and personalities I’ve met along the way. The diversity from this sector truly shapes you as an individual professionally and personally. - Fulfilment
Every day is different and requires solving a new problem. Methodically fault finding and developing solutions for customers: the fulfilment in repairing and preventing faults is remarkable. - Opportunities
I came into this industry fresh faced and have grown up with it. I started out with a sink or swim push, which accelerated my learning and need to expand my technical knowledge.
I started my own family which gave me the push to dive more into the industry and offerings. I remember attending my first commercial catering conference (thank you to ceda) and being motivated and inspired to be in a position to help people and give them a simpler time in this sector.
Dean Moore CFSP – MD Catering Solutions Ltd

Dean Moore CFSP is a Commercial Catering and Bakery Engineer. He has his own company – MD Catering Solutions Ltd and is based in Trysull.
My main 3 reasons I am a Catering Equipment Service Engineer
Here is a summary of my three main reasons.
- I love getting things working that are not working.
- I like being out and about and feel I couldn’t just do an office job.
- Meeting different people is really great.
Ross Elliott, Refrigeration Technical Supervisor, Catercall Ltd

Ross Elliott is a Refrigeration Technical Supervisor and works for Catercall Ltd. His work involves overseeing a small team of fellow refrigeration engineers working mainly based within the commercial catering sector. He has a wide range of knowledge and experience with working on an array of the manufacturers who produce refrigeration for the purpose of commercial catering environment.
My main 3 reasons I am a Catering Equipment Service Engineer
Here are my three reasons.
- Every job and environment is different. From the equipment you work on to the people you engage with.
- The refrigeration compression cycle is something of magic to many. To understand it and apply my knowledge gives me a sense of pride and enjoyment.
- The feeling of fixing something that isn’t operational and the praise that comes with it is a very euphoric feeling. Not only from the customer, but even more so when you are working in kitchens that may be serving the older generation or those who are in need.
James Moustafa, Field Services Engineer, Network (Catering Engineers) Limited

James Moustafa has only been in the industry for 9 months and so is pretty new to the role of being a Field Service Engineer. He worked for McDonald’s for just shy of 16 years working up to Assistant Manager. James then naturally gravitated towards working on the equipment. He works for Network (Catering Engineers) Limited and is based in Leicester.
My main 3 reasons I am a Catering Equipment Service Engineer
My reasons for becoming a Catering Field Service Engineer are as follows.
- I always admired the work the engineers did when they visited the places I worked in. So, I would try and learn as much as possible, and their knowledge intrigued me.
- I feel like I’m learning skills I never had the opportunity to in my previous career and can apply these to other areas in life.
- To be honest, I simply like taking things apart, putting them back together and learning how they work.
Stuart Edwards, Senior Service Engineer, Stephens Catering Equipment Ltd

Stuart Edwards is a Senior Service Engineer at Stephens Catering Equipment Ltd and is based in Belfast.
My main 3 reasons I am a Catering Equipment Service Engineer
My three reasons are as follows.
- I love working on different appliances. Our industry has moved so fast over the past few years with cooking technology ensuring that everyone in the kitchen not just the chef can use the equipment and still have a first-class end product. A perfect example of this is the rational oven. Being a catering engineer, you never know what the next call is, it could be a refrigeration job, coffee machine, microwave, gas or electric oven. It makes the working day a lot more interesting.
- Problem solving! It keeps the mind active and gives a real sense of accomplishment when you’ve fixed the appliance and the customer is happy.
- I love being out on the road as a Field Service Engineer, seeing new places and meeting new customers. As well, developing relationships with customers so that you’re the first point of call whenever they have a breakdown. They know that no matter the distance you’ll travel it to get them sorted.
Mark Symington, Director, Catering & Beverage Services

Mark Symington is a Director at Catering & Beverage Services and based in Belfast.
My main 3 reasons I am a Catering Equipment Service Engineer
There are a lot of reasons, but these are my main three.
- The love of helping people. As an engineer you’re faced with someone else’s problems and being able to fix that gives a really good sense of satisfaction
- Being faced with a problem and having to think about the problem. It’s not always what’s right in front of you. For example, what seems like an electrical issue to finding out if it’s a small leak causing the problem. Ultimately getting to the cause of the fault.
- I’d say the freedom of being in such different environments across so many different sectors all around the country. This introduces you to new people and places all the time. Life is never dull and it’s always a learning experience from the challenges faced not only with the repairs themselves but the environment too.
Further information
Foodservice Equipment Association
CSFP (Certified Food Service Professional)
Ceda (Catering Equipment Distributors Association)
Further reading
Field Service Technician for Miele
Life of a Field Service Technician at Fisher and Paykel
Responses