Why Supermarkets Use Speed Ovens for In-Store Food

Across Europe, supermarkets are no longer seen only as retail spaces for ingredients.

 

For many consumers, they operate as part of the foodservice chain, offering food to eat during shopping or to take away for immediate consumption at home or elsewhere. 

This shift has changed expectations around freshness, speed, and product availability within the store.

Read on to see how this evolution is influencing supermarket operations and how Speed Ovens support in-store foodservice.

Supermarkets in Europe and in-store foodservice

European supermarkets have long been a global reference for freshly accessible bakery items and high service standards. 

In-store bakeries, self-service bread slicers, and ready sandwiches are already part of the customer journey.

Beyond bakery, many European stores also offer rotisserie products and ready-made foods prepared locally, reflecting a strong focus on quality, freshness, and convenience. 

These offerings position supermarkets as destinations for complete meals, not only ingredients.

Speed Ovens extend this model by allowing stores to serve hot sandwiches, crisp bakery items, and finished dishes on demand. 

This can be achieved without the complexity and cost associated with full kitchen installations, while maintaining control over operations and scalability.

What are Speed Ovens?

Speed Ovens are compact, ventless pieces of equipment designed to heat, finish, or gratinate food quickly and consistently at the point of sale. 

They combine microwave energy with convection and impinged air to deliver hot, well-finished products in seconds rather than minutes.

In supermarket operations, Speed Ovens are used to support bakery to go, sandwiches, ready-made meals, rotisserie finishing, cafeteria offers, and pizza-style products, integrating foodservice capabilities into retail environments.

Operational efficiency and customer flow

Queues directly affect sales and customer satisfaction, especially in bakery to go, rotisserie, and cafeteria areas. 

Speed Ovens reduce finishing times and allow hot food to be prepared on demand, even during peak hours.

Faster service improves customer flow and supports impulse purchases.

It also helps avoid congestion at service counters without increasing staff levels. 

By serving food quickly and consistently, supermarkets can raise average ticket value while maintaining control over quality and food safety.

Compact footprint and ventless installation

Space constraints remain a constant challenge in supermarket layouts, where every square metre has a measurable cost. 

Speed Ovens feature a compact design and can be installed directly on countertops, close to customer flow and fully visible.

This positioning reinforces freshness perception and transparency.

It also supports impulse buying by keeping food preparation in the customer’s line of sight.

Ventless operation removes the need for complex extraction systems to manage heat, vapour, grease, smoke, or odours. 

Catalytic filtration allows installation in front-of-house areas without structural changes. 

This reduces investment, installation time, and ongoing maintenance.

Workforce flexibility and ease of use

Many supermarkets avoid hot food preparation due to workforce limitations and high staff turnover.

 

Speed Ovens address this challenge through intuitive interfaces and pre-programmed menus.

Any trained attendant can finish products with consistent results. 

This reduces reliance on specialised kitchen staff and shortens onboarding time. 

Operational risk is lowered while output remains stable throughout the day.

Centralised control and standardisation

Supermarket groups often operate multiple stores and require consistent standards across locations. 

Speed Ovens connected via IoK allow recipes, cooking parameters, images, and product libraries to be created, updated, and organised remotely through Wi-Fi.

A single professional can manage multiple units using a desktop, tablet, or mobile device. 

This ensures identical visual results, portion quality, and finishing standards. 

Central control also simplifies training and supports the rollout of new products without constant on-site supervision.

Bakery and bakery to go

Speed Ovens are well suited for heating or finishing baked goods and patisserie items. 

Many customers prefer to take products home warm or consume them immediately after purchase.

Impinged air technology supports crisp crusts, warm fillings, and controlled cheese melting. 

Colour adjustment is simple, allowing lighter or darker finishes according to customer preference.

Sandwiches remain the core bakery to go category. 

With Speed Ovens, they can be served hot, with crisp bread and evenly heated fillings. 

This increases perceived value at the point of sale.

Pizza portfolio

Pizza and pizza-style products represent an additional sales opportunity within supermarkets. 

The Forza Express Speed Oven uses only impinged air and supports fresh dough, frozen pre-baked, or fully frozen pizzas.

These can be offered for takeaway, in-store consumption, or delivery, enabling a dedicated foodservice area within the store.

Rotisserie and ready-made meals

Ready-made meals for takeaway benefit strongly from Speed Oven use.

Instead of relying on extensive hot displays, supermarkets can prioritise cold storage and finish or gratin portions only when ordered.

Cold storage keeps food safer for longer periods and reduces waste. It also avoids quality loss associated with prolonged hot holding. 

Chilled foods heat faster and more predictably than frozen products, which supports just-in-time service with consistent results.

This approach helps maintain food safety while delivering hot, well-finished meals on demand.

Cafeteria and in-store dining

Speed Ovens support supermarket cafeteria concepts by finishing sandwiches, pastries, bakery items, and ready meals. 

These items can be served alongside coffee, soft drinks, or other beverages.

The same equipment can support multiple food categories throughout the day. 

This flexibility allows supermarkets to meet customer demand for quick meals during shopping without increasing equipment count or operational complexity.

Energy efficiency and sustainability

Speed Ovens are designed for targeted heating and short cooking cycles. 

This reduces idle energy consumption compared with traditional ovens kept at temperature for long periods.

High insulation and efficient heat transfer support lower energy use. 

This is particularly relevant for supermarkets operating extended opening hours in European markets with high energy costs.

A controlled approach to hot food sales

Speed Ovens allow supermarkets to expand hot food offerings using compact, ventless, and digitally connected equipment. 

They support consistent quality, operational control, reduced waste, and food safety.

This combination aligns with the evolving role of European supermarkets within the foodservice landscape and supports profitable in-store food operations at scale.

See other products that can be finished with Speed Ovens in related content.