Heather Moors

Background and Context

The project came to Upgreat through an online inquiry from a British client who wanted to develop a premium restaurant and bar project on a property in Estoril.

The concept was divided into two main areas. In the front section, a British Bar with an outdoor deck was designed to welcome customers in a comfortable and sheltered environment. In the rear area, a fine dining area was planned for a more demanding, differentiated, and exclusive service offering.

Since the property had been used commercially before, some equipment and structural elements were already present on site. Before finalizing the solution, Upgreat's team conducted a thorough layout evaluation on the ground to determine what could be safely integrated and what needed to be replaced with new high-performance machinery.

Operational Challenge

The main challenge was to create a complete technical solution for a project with multiple distinct areas and different operational demands, while respecting the space's architectural layout.

It was necessary to equip two independent professional kitchens, prepare a linear bar of about 11 to 12 meters, integrate existing equipment in good condition, and supply new solutions for cooking, refrigeration, washing, food presentation, bar service, support laundry, and contract furniture. Additionally, the project required close coordination between Upgreat, the architectural team, the site managers, and the extraction system specialists.

The second kitchen also required a dedicated extraction system, which had to be technically calculated and coordinated to respond effectively to the thermal and operational needs of the installed equipment.

The Upgreat Solution

Upgreat began by cataloging and testing the existing equipment. Stainless-steel worktables, some cold storage cabinets, a blast chiller, and other specific units in good working condition were successfully integrated into the new layout, optimizing the client's budget.

For the rest of the project, a complete set of new equipment from top brands was planned and supplied. Two professional kitchens were set up: the first oriented to support the British Bar, equipped with ovens, fryers, preparation and dishwashing areas; and the second kitchen geared towards the fine dining service, featuring advanced cooking units, a grill, griddle, charcoal oven, integrated refrigeration zones, a robust central island, and heated pass tables.

The 12-meter bar was fully equipped with refrigerated undercounters, ice makers, functional bar workstations, beer taps, and support accessories. Beyond the technical cooking and bar areas, Upgreat also supplied contract B2B furniture (sofas, tables, chairs, and bar stools), custom tableware, glassware, cutlery, kitchen utensils, and professional cocktail utensils.

A small support laundry was also installed with high-capacity washing and drying machines, allowing autonomous in-house treatment of towels, napkins, and other linen.

In selecting brands, professional reliability and performance were prioritized: professional ovens from UNOX, cooking equipment (fryers, range, griddle) and hood-type dishwasher from ATA, refrigerated bar counters from Amitek, wine displays from Saro, ice makers from Barline, potato peeler from Fimar, refrigeration units from Edenox, preparation appliances from Santos, washing and drying machines from LG for the support laundry, along with custom stainless-steel furniture.

Upgreat's Role & Technical Coordination

Upgreat acted as a technical partner for the client throughout an extended process, supporting the project development for about two years.

The work ranged from the CAD layout design and 3D modeling of the kitchens to the detailed planning of the bar areas, equipment selection, and furniture supply. The core added value was the ongoing technical coordination with the architects, direct site assistance, and the alignment of extraction system requirements with the installer, ensuring the premium F&B concept materialized without technical deviations.

Operational Results

The result was an integrated global supply with a high level of detail, covering almost every operational area of the restaurant and bar.

This project illustrates Upgreat's capability to manage complex F&B investments, demonstrating that a premium hospitality venue relies on the seamless connection between functional technical layouts, reliable cooking and cooling equipment, and aesthetic coherence in contract furniture and tableware.