Have any questions? Our friendly team are always here to help. However, you may find your answer in the list of FAQs below that have come from questions asked by customers just like you.
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Frequently asked questions.
We also have plenty of helpful information on our loan equipment, as well as training advice, and lots of informative downloads. Check out the individual pages for our Pasta King range or Street Kitchen range for a full list of sauces available. If you have any further questions, contact our team.
General.
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Can Pasta King products be frozen?
Yes, all our sauces can be frozen for up to 3 months. You will need to allow up to 48 hours to defrost. Sauces should be used within 24 hours of defrosting.
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Do you offer free training?
As part of our service, we offer free training and support for all our customers. You will be assigned a dedicated Business Manager. They will visit your site and train you and your team on how best to cook and serve our sauces, along with how to use our equipment too.
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Do you offer taster days?
Yes, we offer all our customers taster days. These are great to allow people to try new sauces, provide customer engagement and gain feedback.
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How long does it take to set up an account with Pasta King?
Ideally a 10-day lead time, from the initial account consultation with one our business managers and submission of account forms.
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What it the lead time on ordering sauce?
Order on day 1 for delivery on day 4. All our sauces are made fresh to order, we don’t start making your sauce until we receive your order.
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How does Pasta King fit with Food For Life?
We use only farm assured meat that is fully traceable, healthy, and free from any nasty additives, so that our food fits with Food for Life.
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Why do I need a brand? Isn’t it cheaper to make my own sauce?
Good question. It’s true that anything you make in house will seem cheaper than a bought-in version. But there are a couple of reasons why this could be a false economy at the pasta bar.
The point of a reliable, trusted brand like Pasta King is that everyone knows exactly what to expect and it never lets them down. Serving our food means satisfied customers and no wastage. Pasta King stands for consistently great food, that’s the same quality every time.
It means good value for catering teams too. A standard pack of Pasta King sauce plus pasta serves approx. thirty good portions, so it’s easy to budget. Time is precious, and there are more profitable ways for the catering team to spend it. We’ve seen this with customers who have experimented with different options. Making their own tray bakes to sell at break time, for example, usually contributes a lot more than they can save by making their own pasta sauce. So if staff time is limited – then it’s important to spend it on the things that really add value and make the biggest difference.
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Why choose Pasta King?
With 30 years’ experience we know all the different challenges catering teams are up against, which is why we’re here to support as an extension of your team.
First, there’s our food. A fantastic range of sauces covering everything from traditional favourites to exciting new tastes, all carefully sourced to ensure great taste and all meeting nutritional standards. Special dietary needs are well covered too. Our sauces come with a superb pasta that holds its shape or premium basmati rice.
We also supply pasta bars in a range of shapes and sizes to make it easy to prepare and serve, and to act as an extra serving point. In fact, we supply just about everything you’ll need, including utensils, posters and point of sale material, to make life simpler, all free on loan to our regular customers.
Then, there’s our expertise. We are specialists in catering. Our food is all carefully balanced to meet the nutrition and budget requirements of various sectors. The Pasta King customer service team are talking to different caterers every day. They know all the challenges that catering teams have to cope with, and they’re always willing to help where they can.
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Do I have to have Pasta King branding?
No, certainly not. What matters most to us is that as many people as possible get served a good tasty wholesome meal that they’ll enjoy and purchase again.
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Is the pasta frozen/ fresh/chilled or ambient?
Our pasta and rice is ambient. If you require frozen pasta or rice, speak with your Business Manager
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What are the Benefits of using PK?
These are some of the many benefits in using Pasta King:
- Wide choice – over 40 different sauces to choose from to help keep your menus fresh and exciting.
- Healthy & Nutritious – Government compliant, our core range of meals meet PHE salt level targets, are low in sugar and sat fat, have no additives and our tomato-based sauces contribute to one of your five a day.
- Dietary needs catered for – we have an extensive range of Vegetarian, Vegan and Halal sauces. All our sauces are clearly highlighted with any allergens.
- Ethical and Sustainable – our meals are free from palm oil, all our meat is sustainably farmed and British meat is red tractor assured. Our pasta and sauce is made in the UK.
- Manage food waste and portion control – with our serving measures and pots as well as a choice of pouch sizes.
- Save on labour – we’re an extension of your team. Handmade, fresh to order in our kitchen, simply served from yours. Limited skill set required.
- Consistent quality and flavour every time. Customers are satisfied which encourages repeat purchase and loyalty.
- Affordable for customers – our meals are excellent value and full of flavour, which encourages meal uptake. You’ll make great profits.
Pasta King sauces.
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Can Pasta King sauce be frozen?
Yes! While we typically deliver our sauces chilled, we can also deliver them frozen if that is your preference. To ensure they are thawed in time for use, we recommend that you leave them refrigerated for up to 48 hours before cooking with them.
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Can I reheat leftover sauce for the following day?
No, we don’t not advise that your re-heat or re-use our sauces that have previously been cooked the following day.
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What ways can I heat the sauce?
There are various ways to heat our sauces. You can either boil in the pouch, use a combi oven/ steamer or simply decant and boil on the stove/hob! All our sauces need to be brought to a temperature of 82 degrees before service.
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What is the shelf life of sauce from Pasta King?
Once delivered, our sauces have a 10-day shelf life in the fridge or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
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What is in a box from Pasta King?
Each case of sauce is 7kg and is made up of the following pouch sizes, choose form either:
4 x 1.75 kg or 2 x 3.5 kg
With every case of sauce you will receive a free 3kg box of pasta or rice.
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Does the sauce come fresh or frozen?
All our sauces are delivered fresh. But can be frozen upon delivery. If you require your sauces to be delivered frozen speak to your Business Manager at your initial meeting.
Equipment.
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Is the equipment free?
Yes, all our equipment is free on loan when you regularly order pasta king sauces. Pasta King reserve the right to claim back equipment if orders are not maintained.
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What is the return on investment (ROI) for on-loan equipment?
Whilst there is no set ROI for equipment, we expect customers to be ordering regularly (weekly/ fortnightly) to warrant the use. This is something that will be agreed on a site-by-site case with our Business Managers. Pasta King reserves the right to claim back any equipment from sites who no longer order from us. The equipment should only be used to serve Pasta King products from.
Delivery.
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How many delivery days can I have?
All sites have at least one dedicated delivery day each week. This is agreed and confirmed when you become a customer.
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How frequently do you deliver?
We make deliveries every day of the the working week (Monday – Friday). When you become a customer you will agree a delivery day or days with your Business Manager.
Pricing.
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Is Pasta King worth the price?
We like to think so! However, this really does depend on various factors and individual challenges such as your current spend, meal numbers and staff efficiency. Pasta King tick many boxes to help caterers’ deliver great quality food, consistently every time. By working with Pasta King, you can be in complete control with your costs. Our Business Managers will work with you on meal numbers, portion controls and budgets, so you’ll know exactly where you are. So, we like to think it’s worth the cost by helping ease your pressure in the kitchen and ensuring you achieve your margins and goals!
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What price should I set for meals from Pasta King?
There is no set price to sell our meals at. This will vary based on the sector, portion size and budgets.
We sell our sauce to you at an agreed price, then you will price accordingly to deliver the numbers you need. Our Business Managers will discuss this with you when going through costings to help advise and recommend.
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How much does it cost to buy your products?
This all depends on which products you buy and is something that our Business Managers will discuss directly with you. But rest assured, you will make good margins on our products!
Education.
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What have you got for school breaktime?
We have our PK Pizza Pockets which are essentially folded hand held pizzas. We provide a variety of flavours.
You might also think about putting the pasta bar on at break, especially if your lunch break is short. Our hand-held pot meals are grab & go for the children, and quick and easy to serve, to help you capture the ‘early lunch’ brigade. Some people pot them up in advance with lids, to make it even faster. This will ensure that pupils who visit the dining hall only at break do have the option of a filling, nutritious main meal, which is better for them and helps maximise your break time revenue.
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My problem is falling numbers – can you help with increasing uptake of school meals?
You’re not alone. It’s a common problem. Shorter lunch time breaks are a challenge, which can result in long queues. A reduced number of service points causes queues too and some customers will simply walk away. On top of that, some people may be reluctant to sit down and eat a hot plated meal, preferring to eat on the go outside with their friends. Some children come with a negative view of school catering, or are fussy eaters and think they won’t find something they like. So it’s essential to serve really appetising food that meets their exacting standards, and to do it fast.
Both Pasta King food and our serving equipment can help our customers overcome the challenge of falling uptake. Our pasta and sauce range is quick to serve in our grab & go pots, reducing queues.
Many customers use our pasta bars to create an entirely new serving point. The equipment comes in a range of size, counter-top and free-standing, and is loaned free of charge.