For Dubliners who want a little taste of the U.S. (or American tourists feeling a little homesick), the place to go is Thunder Road Café. It’s been an institution in the Temple Bar neighborhood of Dublin since 1995. “If you walk around the streets, ask anyone [if] they know Thunder Road Café. Pretty much 90% of the people you ask are going to know the restaurant,” says General Manager Patrick Gallagher.
A quick look at the Thunder Road Café menu and you might think you’ve stepped into an American fast casual restaurant. The menu features a full line of barbecue ribs, steaks, burgers, nachos and many other American specialties — all in hearty portion sizes. And it’s proven to be highly successful, with the restaurant serving more than 3,500 customers per week.
An American-style burger at Thunder Road Café.
Like most restaurants, Thunder Road Café was faced with a problem: how to find and retain skilled labor while keeping costs down and producing high-quality food. But Gallagher realized that equipment could help them meet that challenge. “We spent a lot of time researching what brands to use for the kitchen,” says Gallagher. “At the end of it, Alto-Shaam came out as the top option.”
At a cooking demonstration, the Thunder Road Café crew saw that Alto-Shaam had a number of solutions to help them run their café more efficiently — namely, the Vector® Multi-Cook ovens, the Cook & Hold Smoker oven and heated holding solutions.
The Alto-Shaam Vector H series ovens feature a compact footprint and can be placed almost everywhere, without the need for an exhaust hood. Thunder Road Café’s Vector ovens “do pretty much everything,” says Ronaldo Valentin, Head Chef. “We cook our burgers, we do our enchiladas and in busy times, we even use it for desserts.” With easy-to-use controls and Cheflinc™ capabilities, recipes can be programmed to ensure consistent results.
Alto-Shaam’s Vector oven helps the café produce a variety of items.
For their smoked items, such as brisket and ribs, Thunder Road Café relies on the Cook & Hold Smoker oven. It takes the place of several pieces of equipment, and saves labor by allowing food to be held overnight. Exclusive Halo Heat® technology cooks food gently while retaining moisture without adding humidity. That results in greater yields and increased food quality.
The heated holding solutions Thunder Road Café chose let them produce food before serving time, and hold it at the optimal temperature.
The Alto-Shaam equipment has made a big change in how the kitchen operates, says Gallagher. “It’s a more efficient process for the chefs. I think it’s enhanced their performance. They can show their skills because they just have a bit more time in the kitchen.”
The equipment is also helping Thunder Road Café save money, Gallagher says. “We like that they are low energy, waterless and ventless, meaning we save on energy and water bills.” Just as importantly, the ease and efficiency of the Alto-Shaam equipment means the restaurant can attract and keep talented staff. “We feel having the best kitchen technologies will allow us to retain and attract the best staff to our restaurant,” Gallagher says.
