Like many restaurant chains, The Salad Station has an ambitious expansion plan. But unlike other chains, The Salad Station continues to expand through the use of a robot — or more precisely, an automatic salad-making machine. The process starts when customers select their ingredient choices on a touch-screen on the front of the machine. Rotating canisters inside the machine then dispense the desired vegetables, dressing and toppings to produce a finished salad in a matter of seconds.
A connected kitchen is one where the operator has linked the various pieces of equipment to enable them to communicate pertinent information such as energy, maintenance, food quality, food safety, operational efficiency and more in a timely manner. The connected commercial kitchen concept is not a new one, but unfortunately, the foodservice industry has been slow to implement this approach.
Have you ever had a fire in your kitchen? Have you ever had a piece of equipment red-tagged? Has this put you in a financial bind, forcing you to make a hard decision?
Burt Bonilla, CFESA Master Technician, Coker Service Inc., learned about servicing foodservice equipment while on a ship at sea serving in the U.S. Navy from 1995 to 1999. “I was an electrician and worked on a lot of galley kitchen equipment,” he says. “I excelled at it and really liked it.” Bonilla’s time at sea gave him a lot of experience working with equipment in an environment where parts were hard to come by.
Well, that’s the goal, right? This time of the year, businesses large and small peer into their crystal balls for a look at the future to form an idea about what the coming year will hold.
Bill Marks began his foodservice career early, working at an ice cream shop outside of Philadelphia at the age of 16. While in college, he became the student manager for campus foodservice operations. He also worked for contract food management companies for 20 years and learned to
manage large multiservice operations.
In June 1998, I authored a Parting Shot installment warning that statistics pointed to a potential “brain drain” in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry resulting from the departure of knowledgeable industry veterans aging out. The proposed solution included establishing industry resources to document and promote best practices for future generations. Unfortunately, we have largely failed to heed that warning and we are now contending with the fallout.
To drive positive change in the foodservice industry, we at Parts Town remain on the lookout for our next major innovation. It’s part of our culture, which strives to inspire team members to bring their ideas forward, while also listening to customers and manufacturers. We then prioritize and relentlessly pursue the most compelling innovations. Often, but not always, these innovations are technology-related. Technology can be customer-facing, including unique web features. Alternatively, technological developments can be internal to drive safety, quality, customer experience or productivity gains.
Tim McDougald has always wanted to find a way to give back, specifically with the idea of a 5K in mind. He went to work to make that idea a reality after the annual Foodservice Consultants Society International conference, where attendees were challenged to tackle the issues of food waste and hunger. It became a chapter effort, and on October 5, the Pacific Northwest Chapter of FCSI The Americas will host its first-ever ERACE Hunger 5K run/walk event to raise money for HopeWorks. The nonprofit charity group assists low-income residents secure jobs, many of which are in the foodservice industry.
Martha Rardin has been in healthcare foodservice for more than four decades. As the foodservice director and dietitian manager for all of the Hendricks Regional Health facilities in suburban Indianapolis, she oversees a $3.5 million foodservice program, which produces about 1,300 meals per day and supports in-room dining, retail and catering programs. That includes about 50 meals per day for Hendricks’ senior center and another 130 to Meals on Wheels each week.
A special thanks goes out to everyone who made FE&S’ inaugural Tour the Trends event a big success.
The great national experiment toward the legalization of cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes continues to gain steam. In January of 2020, Illinois will join the growing (sorry, not sorry) list of states where recreational use is no longer a crime.
Kwik Trip’s retail foodservice program goes beyond what most c-store operators offer, making Paul Servais’ role as retail foodservice director a robust one. Among the offerings at the chain’s 600 c-stores: grab-and-go breakfast items, classic lunchtime fare such as sandwiches and pizza by the slice, and a newly redesigned beverage area that offers hot and cold specialty espresso drinks, such as cappuccino and frappes, in a self-service format.
Since 2010, Russ Meyer, former director of housing operations and dining services at the University of Nevada, Reno, has logged thousands of miles on his bike and raised thousands of dollars for the Clark DeHaven Scholarship Trust. The trust provides merit scholarships to students at institutions that are members of the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS). The students must be committed to pursuing careers in accredited programs in the foodservice profession or related areas. Since its inception, the trust has awarded 86 students and raised a total of $346,500.
Having worked in both foodservice operations and as a distributor sales rep, I’ve heard my fair share of complaining about health inspectors. They never showed up at a good time, their grievances — expressed as points on a checklist — always seemed trivial and I remember everyone viewing their presence as an unwelcome hassle in an already overwrought day.
As the senior director of Hospitality Services at NC State Dining, the foodservice arm of North Carolina State University, Randy Lait oversees a $46 million budget with annual sales volume at $49 million. The dining program serves 31,000 meals per day and employs 150 full-time employees and more than 1,000 part-time employees.
One of the biggest challenges corporate dining, also known as business and industry (B&I) foodservice, continues to face is remaining relevant in the eyes of the customer. These operations strive to keep a consistent customer engaged and productive, which is no easy task.
Throughout researching colleges, I never focused on their foodservice programs. On tours, as I walked through the dining hall, I would observe the setup, but for me the food never affected my decision. I ended up enrolling at Butler University and orientation was the first time I realized that there were only two dining halls on campus, plus a convenience store and a Starbucks.
Founded by hospitality industry veterans in 2004, Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE) supports children of food and beverage service employees who are navigating life-altering circumstances. The organization has raised upward of $5 million to date and helped more than 700 families.
2019 marks my 40th year as a foodservice design consultant. Naturally, when one reaches a milestone like this, there’s a tendency to look back and reflect on your career. I am no exception. As a young consultant, I was eager to meet, listen and learn from other consultants, especially those who worked in other firms or specialized in areas our firm did not. No matter which sector of the industry we are in, we all have experiences to share with our own colleagues and each other. It’s great to share the successes. Sometimes we can learn much from others and the issues they have faced and have solved.
