Pubs · Restaurants · Hotels
Dumbwaiter and Food Lift Repairs, Servicing and Installation in Essex, London and Nationwide
When a dumbwaiter stops, food stops moving between floors and service slows to a crawl. Future Lift Services carries out dumbwaiter repairs, servicing and installation, and looks after food lifts of all makes, for pubs, restaurants, hotels and care homes across Essex, London and the South East, and nationwide.
Tell us about your lift
Dumbwaiter, food lift or service lift?
They are the same kind of lift under different names. Kitchens tend to say “dumbwaiter” or “food lift”. The lift trade says “service lift“. Whatever yours is called, it is a small goods-only lift that carries food, crockery, laundry or stock between floors, and we look after it, from food lift repairs to regular servicing.
Dumbwaiter repairs
Most call-outs come down to a small number of faults:
- the car will not move, or stops between floors
- a hatch door will not close or lock, so the lift will not run
- call buttons or indicator lights have stopped responding
- the car does not stop level with the serving hatch
- the lift has become noisy or slow
For dumbwaiter repairs, our engineers find the fault, tell you plainly what it is and what it will cost to put right, and repair it. We work on all makes of dumbwaiter and food lift, whoever installed them. You can see how faults like these stop a lift in our interactive How a Lift Works guide.
We attend dumbwaiter breakdowns out of hours as well as during the working day, at any hour.
- new hatch doors and entrances
- replacement control and selector boards
- re-roping
- replacement lift cars
Photo: N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
Dumbwaiter servicing and maintenance
A dumbwaiter in a busy kitchen can make hundreds of journeys a week. Regular dumbwaiter servicing finds worn parts before they fail in the middle of service.
A service visit covers the drive and controls, the car and its guides, the hatch doors and their locks, and the safety devices. We recommend a service every six months. A busy site may want one more often, and we will set the visits to suit you. We can look after dumbwaiter servicing for a single site or every lift across a group of sites, on a planned maintenance contract.
Thorough examinations (LOLER)
A dumbwaiter used at work is lifting equipment under LOLER. It needs a thorough examination by a competent person at least every 12 months, or as its written examination scheme says. We arrange LOLER thorough examinations, carried out by an independent examiner, so every examination stays impartial. If the examiner’s report lists defects, we can carry out the repairs.
Who we work for
Our experience
Dumbwaiters and food lifts are a large part of our work. We look after them for restaurant groups with branches across London and the South East, for hotels and pubs, and for charity retailers whose shops rely on a small goods lift to reach the stock room.
A restaurant in central London reported a dumbwaiter that kept going out of service. Our engineer traced it to a door lock contact that had moved out of line, which meant the lift could not be relied on to know its hatch was locked. We took the lift out of use straight away, repaired and realigned the lock, tested it repeatedly, and only then handed it back.
New and replacement dumbwaiters
When dumbwaiter repairs no longer make sense, we supply and fit new dumbwaiters and replace old ones, in new buildings and existing ones. We visit, measure the shaft or the space for one, and give you a written quote. Sizes range from small counter-height food lifts to floor-level trolley lifts.
Modernising is often an option too: a new control board, new ropes, new hatch entrances or a replacement car can give an older dumbwaiter years more service without replacing the whole lift.
From our recent jobs
Real photos from our engineers’ visits.
Why choose Future Lift Services
- Any make, any installer. We repair and service all makes of dumbwaiter and food lift, whoever fitted them.
- Out-of-hours call-outs, at any hour. When it breaks mid-service, we still come out.
- Clear price before we start. We find the fault, tell you plainly what it is, and price it before any work.
- Free lift survey and quote.
- Trusted by restaurant groups, pubs, hotels and charity retailers.
- Rated 4.8 out of 5 on Google, and CHAS, SafeContractor and SMAS Worksafe accredited.
Questions we are asked
How quickly can you attend a dumbwaiter breakdown?
Our emergency line is answered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A dumbwaiter that stops mid-service is treated as urgent, and maintenance contract customers come first. Call 01708 986845 and tell us which lift it is and what it is doing.
What should kitchen staff do if the dumbwaiter stops?
Stop using it and keep everyone’s hands out of the shaft. Do not force a hatch door or try to free a stuck car. Note what happened (where the car stopped, any noises or lights), then call us. A dumbwaiter can move without warning while someone is working on it, so dumbwaiter repairs must only be done by a trained engineer.
How much do dumbwaiter repairs cost?
It depends on the fault and the parts needed. Many breakdowns are put right on the first visit. Call-outs and parts are charged separately from a maintenance contract, and we always quote for parts and larger repairs before we start.
How often should a dumbwaiter be serviced?
As a guide, we recommend dumbwaiter servicing twice a year. A dumbwaiter in a very busy kitchen may benefit from more frequent visits, and we will advise after a free lift survey. Regular servicing means fewer breakdowns in the middle of service.
Can you repair a dumbwaiter you did not install?
Yes. We repair and maintain all makes of dumbwaiter and food lift, whoever fitted them.
Can you replace an old dumbwaiter?
Yes. Before replacing anything, we check whether dumbwaiter repairs would do the job: often the hatch doors, controls or car can be replaced and the rest kept. When a full replacement makes more sense, we will quote for a new dumbwaiter and remove the old one.
Does a dumbwaiter need a LOLER examination?
A dumbwaiter used at work needs a thorough examination at least every 12 months. We arrange it with an independent examiner.
Do you cover my area?
We are based predominantly in London, Essex and the South East, and we work nationwide.
Speak to us
Tell us the make of the lift and what it is doing. If you are not sure of the make, a photo of the hatch and the control buttons is enough.