Does Your Café Need a Grease Trap? 

So, you run a bustling café, the customers are coming and going and delicious food and drink is flowing out of your kitchen at a rate of knots; brilliant! But what about your grease management system? Do you have one? Do you even need one? How is it maintained?  

Don’t worry, we’ll answer some of these questions and more in this blog post, so stick with us. 

What is a Grease Trap?  

In the simplest terms, a grease trap is a big box that sits between your wastewater line and the public sewer. It has an inlet and an outlet, and in between them, a series of baffles. The water from your kitchen sinks flows into the trap where it’s slowed by the baffles. This allows any fat, oil or grease (FOG) to rise to the top and become trapped; hence, grease trap.  

The reason for this is to prevent FOG materials from entering the public sewer network, where they will solidify and require costly cleaning processes at the taxpayer's expense. Check out this blog post to learn more about the notorious Whitechapel fatberg of 2017 that was caused by improper FOG management from local businesses.  

Do I Need a Grease Trap for My Café?  

According to the Food Standards Agency, “All food businesses must dispose of waste securely and properly.” Businesses that don’t carefully manage their FOG output can risk prosecution.  

So yes, you do need a grease management system for your café. Without one, you risk not only blockages and some seriously unpleasant smells from your drains that’ll be more than enough to drive your customers away, but also prosecution and serious damage to your business’s finances and reputation.  

For cafés specifically, we also recommend the installation of systems to catch coffee grounds in your wastewater, as these can also lead to sewer problems that could land you in hot water.  

How Do I Maintain My Grease Trap?  

At this point, you might be thinking that it’s all well and good trapping your FOG and preventing it from entering the public sewer, but then what? Aren’t you left with a tank full of grease?  

Well, yes, you are, which is where a grease trap partner like Goodflo comes in. Not only can we install your new grease trap, but we can also help you keep it clean and functioning and help dispose of the contents, keeping your kitchen legally compliant and blockage-free.  

While we’re at it, we can also ensure the overall health of your kitchen drainage system and supply additional equipment such as dosing systems to help prevent blockages.  

Find out more about our grease trap maintenance services here.  

How Do I Get Grease Trap Installation?  

Short answer? Contact Goodflo. For more than 20 years, Goodflo has been installing and maintaining grease management systems of all kinds. Whether you need a massive underground system for your bustling industrial kitchen or a smaller system for a five-cover café, we can help.  

Our systems are designed to keep your business legally compliant, hygienic and odour-free. Good kitchens use Goodflo. Contact us today using our online form, by calling us on 01926 334466 or by emailing us at sales@goodflo.com.