By Carla Landi

 

WHAT'S HOT! WHAT'S COOL! What Works!

Do you want to see what’s in store for the foodservice industry in 2019? Check out the 2019 NAFEM Show, February 7-9, 2019 in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center. NAFEM is always a great way for foodservice professionals to network and learn about new equipment, supplies, innovations, trends, and opportunities available.

 

This year NAFEM is featuring Success Story Lounges featuring innovative equipment and supplies with specific illustrations of the impact they had on actual foodservice operations.

 

Here are some of our favorite foodservice equipment & supply manufacturers and their stories as told by NAFEM.

 

Cadco, Ltd. – BakerLux™ Convection Oven

A Las Vegas brunch destination needed equipment that could help them keep pace with customer demand, deliver a quality ROI and expand – all while maintaining a small footprint. The solution? An innovative new convection oven from Cadco that cut bake times by 30 percent and energy consumption by 20 percent – and demonstrated a faster ROI compared to similar equipment.

Cambro Manufacturing Co., Inc. – Ultimate Sheet Pan Rack

The executive chef of an event catering company needed more effective speed racks for his fast-paced, demanding kitchens. After partnering with Cambro Manufacturing Company to test more durable racks made from composite plastic, the chef and his staff noticed major operational improvements, thanks to the new racks’ ability to withstand heavy loads without warping and prevent pans from sliding.

Crown Verity, Inc. – Outdoor Gas Pizza Oven
A well-known celebrity chef struggled with limited seating at his popular Canadian winery. Searching for a way to indulge more diners, he found the solution in a high-volume outdoor pizza oven, customized by Crown Verity, which served as the foundation of a new restaurant and stand-alone menu. The chef successfully doubled his seating capacity – and elevated the dining experience with new menu offerings and direct access to beautiful outdoor scenery.

Delfield Company – Specification Line®
A Michigan crêpe café needed a cold storage solution that could keep up with their growing business – and fit within their limited kitchen space. Working with Delfield Company, they were able to identify and test a compact new refrigerator with a corresponding app – which offered advanced capabilities and saved the small independent operator hundreds in annual utility bills.

Duke Manufacturing Co. – Modular Production Center
A global QSR needed help reimagining a kitchen setup to deliver fresher food faster. After Duke Manufacturing designed and implemented a new layout, dedicated kitchen space was cut by 39 percent, employees traveled three-quarters of a mile less per shift and staff bottlenecks were eliminated, thanks to additional access points.

Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc. – SmartServe™ Blend in a Cup

A global frozen yogurt chain saw an opportunity to add treats to their menu that could be sipped through a straw. Partnering up with Hamilton Beach Brands to customize a new mixing solution, the chain installed self-operated, accessible blending machines in two test locations that allowed users to create their own, personalized yogurt blends. The new machines hit a sweet spot with consumers and improved the test locations’ year-over-year sales by three percent with no applied marketing.

InterMetro Industries Corporation, An Ali Group Company – PrepMate MultiStation
A small, unique Pennsylvania restaurant struggled with limited kitchen space and high customer volume. With menu items changing every day, workspace issues meant there was no room for adding a fixed prep table. Collaborating with InterMetro Industries – who conducted an assessment of the current workspace, layout and process – the restaurant tested a small-footprint, mobile, multi-functional prep station. Thanks to this piece of equipment, the restaurant saved hours of labor every day and increased productivity.

NEMCO Food Equipment, Ltd. – RinseWell Smart Eco Rinse
A busy coffee drive-thru needed a brewing solution that saved water and was easy to clean. An ecologically-friendly dipper well from NEMCO Food Equipment was tested and introduced, saving the chain 150,000 gallons of water annually across three locations.

Perlick Corporation – Tobin Ellis Cocktail Dispenser
A small, independent restaurant and bar known for all-natural “potions” needed help preventing the ingredients from separating and settling while inside the kegs. Perlick Corporation helped develop a customized cocktail dispensing system to give the owners the freedom to keep their potions flowing (without settling) and created additional space behind the counter.

Stoelting – Companion Cart Portable Cleaning System
A soft-serve vending equipment distributor needed a cleaning solution for a group of franchisees who did not have direct access to plumbing facilities. A portable cleaning system was developed by Stoelting, and proved to be an effective solution, resulting in less water waste and reduced cleaning time by 66 percent.

Vollrath Company, LLC – Modular Induction Dry Well Drop-Ins
A senior care facility, responsible for serving residents three meals a day, needed to improve the quality of their food. After serving as a field test location for new dry well heating technology from Vollrath Company, they were able to maintain the quality and temperature of several different foods in one unit, while reducing food waste. The change not only saved the facility money on water and labor – it enabled workers to serve up crisper, greener veggies and improve food quality overall.

Vulcan – Countertop Electric Fryer

A national quick-service seafood chain needed to improve fry times while maintaining food quality and reducing their kitchen footprint. The chain presented this challenge to Vulcan, and together they developed a more efficient fryer that can be mounted on refrigerator or freezer bases, improving workflow and kitchen storage. The chain tested the new fryer in their official test kitchen, and after multiple rounds of feedback – and some tweaks from the manufacturer – the restaurant implemented the new fryer and reduced fry times by a jaw-dropping 30 percent, thus saving an estimated $10,000 annually.

WELBILT – KitchenConnect

A restaurant management company needed help optimizing their fry stations to boost profits and serve consistently high-quality food – and to do that they needed a way to get large amounts of data from multiple locations quickly. Introducing WELBILT’s new fryers with remote monitoring capabilities meant the group could access crucial insights about their fryers’ operations from their multiple locations, including crew performance, oil usage, filtering and cleaning and more. This technology helped identify improvements that led to increased profits, higher quality fried food, and an annual 30 percent reduction in oil costs.

 

There’s always something to see and learn at NAFEM. Can’t wait to see what exciting and innovative products are on the front for 2019! See you there.

 

For more information about NAFEM visit www.thenafemshow.org