A Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization has sought to improve the culinary landscape as it pertains to health, nutrition and sustainability. Modeled after the industry-recognized, highly structured LEED certification process, the Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership (REAL) program aims to recognize and reward restaurants that take steps toward not only saving natural resources, but also offering healthier food options and supporting local, sustainable producers.
With the concept of sustainability becoming more top of mind for most everyone, buzz words like "green," "eco-friendly" and others now permeate all facets of the business and consumer worlds, from advertisements to product packaging to marketing and signage on company doors and windows.
While many foodservice design consultants work on projects based in or near large urban areas, countless others work with operators that serve remote areas of the country, from the farm-heavy Midwest to small, Southern towns on the Gulf coast, even throughout Alaska. So working on remote foodservice design projects has become pretty standard today. Still, this approach does not come without a few considerations that the customer and designer need to consider.
While they may want their customers to roll the dice, so to speak, casinos do exactly the opposite when specifying foodservice equipment. Their approach can best be described as thorough, calculated and effective. In this article, a veteran foodservice design consultant shares 10 characteristics casinos look for when buying foodservice equipment.
Some foodservice professionals consider pulpers a more eco-friendly alternative to garbage disposers. These units grind up waste and remove water to reduce a foodservice operation's waste stream. But deciding whether to purchase one of these units and which system is best can be tricky unless you have the right knowledge base. Read on to learn more about pulpers.
Whether it is for a scheduled maintenance visit or an emergency repair, service calls can be costly and time consuming. However, foodservice operators can take several steps to ensure that they get the most out of a service technician's visit while keeping the costs of these calls to a minimum.
Looking to spur growth within their existing concept, many restaurant operators turn to adding a daypart to their scope of service. Of course transitioning into a new daypart brings with it considerable operational and financial considerations. Here four foodservice industry veterans share their experiences.
A combi oven represents one of the more expensive pieces of equipment foodservice operators can buy, with large high-end units easily running tens of thousands of dollars. Such an investment demands care from the operator. Here are five guidelines on what to do — and not do — to keep a combi oven running properly.
As budgets become tighter inmate populations continue to rise and correctional foodservice operators need to enhance their menu diversity. To drive performance in this environment, these operators are turning to effective, multi-use equipment.
Once thought of as something that applied only to the quick-serve community, speed of service has become just as much of a priority for fast-casual and other segments of the foodservice industry. As a result, designers must strike that delicate balance between speediness and customer service.
A major renovation that turned an existing dining hall into a marketplace-style servery resulted in nearly $2 million in additional sales.
Pot and pan washers can save significantly on staff labor used to hand-scrub tough baked-on food remains.
In a consolidation effort geared toward saving money, Ramsey County Correctional Facilities in St. Paul, Minn., took over two juvenile operations, including a detention center and residential treatment facility, two years ago.
Operators should consider replacing older pot and pan washers, which may be less efficient and, as a result, cost more to operate. Here are five other indications that it may be time to replace a pot and pan washer.
As one of the country's smaller states, Rhode Island doesn't have county corrections facilities, but instead utilizes a unified system. Its prison facilities include an intake service center; maximum-, medium- and minimum-security prisons; and a women's correctional facility — are all located on the same campus in Cranston.
Unlike traditional warewashers, pot and pan washers can thoroughly clean heavily soiled, larger items.
