Best in Class Reports

For 17 years, FE&S published the results of Best in Class surveys, naming the top brands as named by readers.

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2012 Best in Class - Overall Winners

Our subscribing operators, dealers and consultants cast their votes for the best of the best among foodservice equipment and supplies manufacturers.

2012 Best In ClassOperating conditions in today’s foodservice industry are as tight as they have ever been. The cost of food, raw materials, labor and even fuel continue to rise, applying pressure to margins that were already razor-thin for all members of the supply chain. Further, consumers are more value conscious than ever, while operators continue to face the challenge of trying to drive greater revenues and efficiencies out of their existing four walls.

As a result, the pressure is on operators, consultants and dealers to pick manufacturer partners that will meet a variety of performance targets, including product quality, product value, product design and aesthetics, service and support, sales representation, product inventory and availability and product information availability.

Those are precisely the attributes we asked our subscribing foodservice operators, consultants and dealers to evaluate the manufacturer community as part of FE&S’ 2012 Best in Class study.

Individual results were then combined with those from other participants to create a composite score and identify those manufacturers that the readers of FE&S feel are the Best in Class for each product category.

While every foodservice equipment and supplies manufacturer contributes to the industry’s success in their own way, these comprehensive results highlight those factories that establish the benchmark for understanding and meeting the needs of the entire distribution channel.

Here we proudly present the winners from our 2012 study.

Best in Class: Overall

HEAVY EQUIPMENT Category Winner
Blast Chillers Traulsen
Braising Pans/Tilting Skillets Cleveland
Charbroilers Vulcan
Chef Counters - Prefabricated Delfield
Combi Ovens Alto-Shaam
Convection Ovens Blodgett
Conveyor Ovens Lincoln
Cook and Hold Ovens Alto-Shaam
Cooking Suites Montague
Custom Stainless Steel Fabrication Advance Tabco
Deck Ovens Blodgett
Dishwasher/Warewasher Hobart
Floor Mixers Hobart
Free Standing Floor Fryers Frymaster
Ice Makers Manitowoc Ice
Mobile Hot Food Holding Equipment Alto-Shaam
Ranges, Gas or Electric Vulcan
Refrigerated Prep Tables True Manufacturing
Steam Jacketed Kettles Cleveland
Steamers Cleveland
Upright Reach-In Refrigeration True Manufacturing
Ventilation Systems Captive-Aire
Walk-In Refrigerator Thermo-Kool

 

LIGHT EQUIPMENT Category Winner
Beverage Blender Vita-Mix
Coffee Brewers Bunn-O-Matic
Conveyor Toasters Hatco
Countertop Batch Oven Bakers Pride
Countertop Griddles Vulcan
Disposers Salvajor
Dual Technology Ovens Amana
Electric Food Processors Robot Coupe
Electric Slicers Hobart
Heat Lamps Hatco
Induction Cooktops Vollrath
Manual Food Choppers/Slicers Vollrath
Microwave Ovens Amana
Parts and Accessories Franklin Machine Products
Scales Edlund
Shelving Metro/InterMetro
Sinks, Prefabricated Advance Tabco
Underbar Fabrication Perlick  
Underbar Refrigeration True Manufacturing
Worktables, Prefabricated Advance Tabco

 

SMALLWARES Category Winner
Cookware Vollrath
Cutlery Forshner/Victorinox/Swiss Army
Food Storage Containers Cambro
Tabletop and Buffet Serving Accessories Vollrath
Thermometer/Sensors Cooper-Atkins

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