Archive for October, 2009
Competing in a Busy Restaurant Market
When I decided to open a diner in the downtown area of my small city, there was no shortage of breakfast and lunch joints. The main difference was that most of those greasy spoon joints used prepackaged ingredients and paid their employees a pittance. You can’t expect to put out an admirable product and bring customers back by the hundreds if you don’t put your heart and soul into the endeavor.
With little more than a commercial griddle and a dream, I approached local farmers and butcher shops about the idea of cooking and serving local ingredients. I figured this plan would set me apart from the competition. It proved to be the right choice as word quickly spread throughout the city. Most restaurants lose money in their first year of operation, but I’ve been lucky so far. As long as I continue to exercise my passion for food, I’m confident things will work out.
Nothing Beats Great Fried Food-Energy Efficient Commercial Fryers
All too often, getting fabulous tasting, crisp golden fried food can be as chancy as a game of roulette. Old inefficient fryers can be a major factor of poor quality products and output in addition to an indifferent attitude by operators and other factors that affect quality food products and ineffective “green” environment solutions.
Today, conscientious manufacturers like Frymaster and Dean not only produce energy efficient commercial fryers that are environmentally friendly, offering green benefits that range from reduced oil use to using less energy to operate, they also help operators meet customer demands for great-tasting, healthier foods by generating cost savings that offset the higher cost of trans fat-free oils.
By utilizing efficient commercial kitchen equipment along with an on-going, effective operator training/maintenance program, your chances of producing quality food and a “greener” environment improve measurably.
So You Want to Open a Restaurant?
From renting a building with kitchen space to writing the menu, entrepreneurs have their work cut out for them when they enter the restaurant industry. On the one hand, food service is one of the few industries that isn’t going belly-up thanks to the economic recession. On the other hand, competition can be fierce and running a restaurant isn’t always a fun and glamorous proposition.
After securing a rental space, putting up appropriate decorations and hiring a knowledgeable, competent staff, your first priority should be to install some high-quality food service equipment. While it might be possible to get by using old, secondhand equipment, there’s no guaranteeing how long it will last without going on the fritz. When preparing food is your primary business, there’s no sense taking unnecessary risks.
Energy Efficient Cooking Equipment-In The Eye Of The Beholder
No matter what type of new commercial refrigerator or perhaps a shiny new toaster oven you may purchase, it doesn’t automatically guarantee you the full benefits of energy cost savings and increased profits.
Today, there are hundreds of models and styles of qualified energy efficient commercial convection ovens, refrigerators, steamers, fryers etc. There are indeed savings associated by the sheer nature of these new pieces of equipment, but the real environmental contribution and energy cost reduction comes from a commitment by the owners and their personnel to handle and operate the equipment correctly with respect and care.
All too often in a commercial environment, cooks, servers and other foodservice employees have an indifferent attitude toward operating and handling equipment correctly. Think about it, how often are both electrical and gas equipment turned on, sometimes hours before it is needed or used; or refrigerator doors propped open for extended periods of time or are not shut closed completely?
If you answer “too often” then quick action is required. If you want to reap the true benefits of energy efficient commercial cooking equipment you yourself must be committed to handle and operate the equipment correctly with respect and care and explain and train your personnel to do the same. The energy savings are then indeed in the eye of the beholder.