Hoshizaki urge operators to keep hygiene as high in the kitchen as on the front-line

Without good care from kitchen staff, caterers may not be allowing their commercial refrigerator to do its job to its best, says manufacturer

As the government continues to remind the British public that hand hygiene measures must be followed by all in order to tackle the spread of COVID-19, leading foodservice and bio-medical refrigeration brand Hoshizaki-Gram is taking the opportunity to urge caterers a to keep the hygiene of their refrigerator as high as they would equipment on the front-line.

“A commercial refrigerator is one of the most important pieces of equipment in the kitchen for keeping both raw and cooked foods safe and slowing the growth of bacteria. However, without good care and practice from the staff that use these appliances, caterers may not be allowing their commercial refrigerator to do its job to its best and safest potential,” says Simon Frost, director UK & Ireland, Hoshizaki UK.

Safe temperatures

“One of the best, yet overlooked ways a caterer can effectively prevent the growth of bacteria is to ensure that safe temperatures are maintained within their refrigerator, for example, by keeping the fridge door shut as often as possible. Likewise, caterers should try not to cram their refrigerators to full capacity as the cold air will not be able to flow freely and keep products at a safe temperature,” adds Frost.

“We also urge caterers, especially at this time, to regularly disinfect the surfaces, shelves and handles of their refrigerators in addition to regularly cleaning filters so that safe temperatures can be maintained.”

Further details:

With a wide portfolio of sustainable refrigeration and ice machine solutions in a whole host of designs and sizes, Hoshizaki-Gram products are central to the efficient and safe running of thousands of commercial kitchens around the world.

For more information on the Hoshizaki-Gram, or for further hygiene guidance, please see www.hoshizaki-europe.com or call 01322 616 900.

The ACS-800 minimises the need for kitchen porters to touch cutlery after being washed in a Wexiödisk warewasher

Having successfully conquered the European market, Wexiödisk is delighted to now be introducing their automatic cutlery sorter, the ACS-800, to the UK market.

Specifically designed to help operators improve hygiene standards, the ACS-800 minimises the need for kitchen porters to touch cutlery after being washed in a Wexiödisk warewasher. This is thanks to Wexiödisk’s clever logistics system, with a buffer band and sorter, which together work to automatically transport clean cutlery into a unique sorter which can be pre-programmed to separate up to 3,600 pieces of mixed cutlery per hour.

Optimal hygiene standards

By utilising this clever system to its full potential, caterers can guarantee optimal cutlery hygiene standards, particularly within public sector venues such as schools, universities and hospitals where the pupil/staff-member/visitor will be the first to touch the cutlery in the sorting box, after it has come out of the dishwasher, as David Glover, UK & Ireland country manager at Wexiödisk UK, explains:

“Many public sector and B&I venues operate a part self-serve/canteen-style catering regime which involves the customer picking up their own cutlery, hence why Wexiödisk’s hygiene-led ACS-800 is important, allowing operators to easily remove all points of human contact with the cutlery before being picked by the customer.”

As well as scoring on a hygiene front, the exceptional ACS-800 also scores from a time-saving and improved working environment point of view, as it eradicates the laborious requirement of sorting cutlery by hand.

When connecting the ACS-800 to a Wexiödisk warewasher, operators will also reap the various practical, hygienic and financial benefits of an unrivalled, fully automatic warewashing system.

Further details:

To find out more about Wexiödisk’s AC-800 cutlery sorter, or for more information about other appliances in the Wexiodisk range please visit www.wexiodisk.com/en or call 0845 643 0421.

Perlick’s brand new Next Day Delivery program means urgent replacement products arrive tomorrow

Our entire industry changed in the last month, prompting us to look at new ways to serve our customers during difficult times. Perlick understands that for those in the hospitality industry, refrigerators that are in poor condition or not operating at all can mean diminished operational efficiency and loss of profits, something operators cannot afford, especially now.

To help keep our customers profitable Perlick now offers Perlick Next Day Delivery: a replacement refrigeration stocking program that offers next day delivery to bars and restaurants in select cities.

Perlick is committed to helping our customers through this unprecedented time. Perlick Next Day Delivery is just one way to help bar and restaurant owners feel at ease, no matter the circumstances.

“The past month has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone in our industry. We understand many of you may come back to your bars and restaurants to products that may have issues after not being used for weeks. Perlick values our customers, and we believe the new Perlick Next Day Delivery program will continue to solidify the commitment to quality and reliable service we’ve shown to our customers for the past 103 years,” said Jim Koelbl, Perlick vice president, commercial sales.

“In October of 2019 we launched our successful Quick Ship program, which offers next day shipping if you order by 1 p.m. CST, reducing wait times. While Quick Ship can significantly reduce shipping time, it doesn’t guarantee delivery the next business day. Perlick Next Day Delivery does just that.”

Business as usual

Perlick Next Day Delivery is available for select products, and in select markets. Perlick’s two product warehouses, one at our corporate headquarters in Milwaukee, WI and another in Edison, NJ, have Perlick Next Day Delivery product in stock and ready to ship. If you order by 9:45 a.m. CST in both the Midwest Delivery Range and the Northeast Delivery Range (see maps below), you will get your product delivered the next business day, meaning it’s business as usual even if a product breaks down.

“We listen to our customers and value their input. They wanted quicker shipping. We launched  our Quick Ship program. They asked for next business day delivery, and we now offer the Perlick Next Day Delivery program. To ensure this program best meets each customer’s individual needs, we will listen to feedback and constantly reevaluate the program. We have been doing that since Quick Ship launched in October and the changes are benefiting our customers,” Koelbl said.

Further details:

A downloadable Perlick Next Day Delivery brochure, which provides a detailed list of all included products, is available on the Perlick website. All listed products are in stock and ready for delivery.

To find the Perlick products that best fit your business needs, visit perlick.com/commercial.

ABOUT PERLICK CORPORATION^®

Family owned since 1917, Perlick Corporation is a national manufacturing leader in customizable food and beverage storage and serving solutions. Perlick’s commercial line includes custom bar and beverage and refrigeration equipment, innovative underbar items, industry-leading beverage dispensing equipment and time-tested brewery fittings.

The company’s award-winning, luxury residential product line features indoor and outdoor undercounter refrigerators, wine reserves, freezers, freezer and refrigerator drawers, ice makers, and beer dispensers.

In 2018, the company brought its history of innovation to the full-size appliance category with the introduction of column refrigerators, freezers and wine reserves. A Milwaukee-based manufacturer, Perlick is dedicated to providing precision-engineered, quality, customizable food and beverage storage and serving solutions. To learn more, visit www.perlick.com or call 800-558-5592.

The award marks Continental Refrigerator’s second recognition as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year

Continental Refrigerator, a leading commercial foodservice refrigeration equipment manufacturer, is proud to announce that it has received the 2020 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for its exemplary commitment and dedication to leadership in energy efficiency and the ENERGY STAR program. This is Continental Refrigerator’s second recognition as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year.

“We are truly proud of our long-standing partnership with ENERGY STAR,” said Brian Kelly, president of Continental Refrigerator. “Such recognition proves that we are moving in the right direction by designing and producing innovative energy-efficient foodservice equipment, while remaining committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the environment. We’re honored to serve as an industry leader and are thankful for ENERGY STAR’s recognition.”

Energy efficiency

“I salute the 2020 ENERGY STAR award winners,” said Anne Idsal, EPA principal deputy assistant administrator for air and radiation. “These leaders demonstrate how energy efficiency drives economic competitiveness in tandem with environmental protection.”

The ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award recognizes ENERGY STAR partner businesses and organizations in good standing that demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, and commitment to environmental protection through energy efficiency and ENERGY STAR.

For a complete list of 2020 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

About Continental Refrigerator:

Established in 1989, and among the leaders in commercial foodservice refrigeration equipment, Continental Refrigerator has earned a reputation for innovation and excellence through our commitment to teamwork, technology-focused product strategies and to our policy of always placing customer satisfaction above all else. Our products are American-made and engineered for food safety, optimal performance and built to last.

The team at Continental Refrigerator takes pride in the products we sell and in knowing what our customers demand. We embrace it as a philosophy for our operations and planning. We know the “real world” operations of commercial kitchens and build that knowledge into every unit we make. That’s why we engineer to a higher standard, by testing all our equipment in higher ambient temperatures and customizing our product line to create flexible solutions for a variety of kitchen applications. For more information, visit www.continentalrefrigerator.com

About ENERGY STAR:

ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations — including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500 companies—rely on their partnership with EPA to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions.

Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its thousands of partners helped American families and businesses save more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions.

In 2018 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans avoid nearly $35 billion in energy costs. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: energystar.gov/about and energystar.gov/numbers.

This marks the eleventh consecutive year EPA has recognized Welbilt for its continued commitment to energy efficiency

Welbilt, Inc. is proud to announce that it has received the 2020 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for continued leadership and superior contributions to ENERGY STAR. This marks the eleventh consecutive year EPA has recognized Welbilt for its continued commitment to energy efficiency.

“Energy efficiency and sustainability practices are at the heart of Welbilt values and we truly cherish our partnership with ENERGY STAR,” said Maribeth Kelly, marketing communication & services manager.

“For eleven consecutive years, EPA has recognized Welbilt’s commitment to protect the environment. We are very proud of our achievements and we will continue designing and producing innovative energy-efficient foodservice equipment.”

Driving economic competitiveness

“I salute the 2020 ENERGY STAR award winners,” said Anne Idsal, EPA principal deputy assistant administrator for air and radiation. “These leaders demonstrate how energy efficiency drives economic competitiveness in tandem with environmental protection.”

The highest honor among ENERGY STAR awards is the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence Award. EPA presents the Sustained Excellence Award to partners that have already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years and have gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition.

Winners hail from small, family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 organizations—representing energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors.

For a complete list of 2020 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

About ENERGY STAR:

ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500 companies—rely on their partnership with EPA to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions.

Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its thousands of partners helped American families and businesses save more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and achieve over 3.5 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. In 2018 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped Americans avoid nearly $35 billion in energy costs.

About Welbilt, Inc:

Welbilt, Inc. provides the world’s top chefs, premier chain operators and growing independents with industry-leading equipment and solutions. Our innovative products and solutions are powered by our deep knowledge, operator insights, and culinary expertise.

Our portfolio of award-winning product brands includes Cleveland™, Convotherm®, Crem®, Delfield®, Frymaster®, Garland®, Kolpak®, Lincoln™, Manitowoc® Ice, Merco®, Merrychef® and Multiplex®. These product brands are supported by two service brands: FitKitchen®, our fully-integrated kitchen systems brand, and KitchenCare®, our aftermarket parts and service brand.

Headquartered in the Tampa Bay region of Florida and operating 19 manufacturing facilities throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, we sell through a global network of over 5,000 distributors, dealers, buying groups and manufacturers’ representatives in over 100 countries. We have approximately 5,100 employees and generated sales of $1.6 billion in 2019. For more information, visit www.welbilt.com.

Kitchens To Go provides innovative solutions that mirror existing production facilities with state-of-the-art equipment, functionality and design

Planned renovation? Unplanned situation? Keeping a foodservice operation current and competitive is a daily mission for any operator. But what about during a planned kitchen closure or an unplanned event?

Finding a way to keep operations running uninterrupted while maintaining quality and consistency is a significant challenge facing any foodservice operation during a project. Flexible facilities are necessary to continue service while shifting or expanding operations, but not all facilities are able to withstand the pressures associated with a significant change in operational logistics.

Most common strategies for foodservice continuity

1. Phased construction –A phased construction breaks a project into stages, moving kitchen facilities into new or smaller areas as the remainder of the kitchen is worked on. This requires optimal coordination among all members of the project team to work efficiently. Commonly thought to be the path of least resistance, phased construction inevitably lengthens project time and smuggles in with it a lot of unintended stresses and costs.
2. Outside catering – Some projects utilize third-party or off-premise catering to bridge the gap between facilities. While a good choice for some (depending on the size and type of operation), using an external source for foodservice often requires more trust, more coordination and less oversight than a lot of operators are comfortable with.
3. Temporary kitchen facilities – While temporary facilities have long been a very specific solution for renovations and unplanned situations, they are quickly gaining traction as the preferred option for foodservice projects. With recent innovations in foodservice equipment, temporary kitchen facilities are now able to mirror even the most state-of-the-art cooking facilities, allowing for a fully robust continuity of any operation.

State of the art equipment, functionality and design

A superior alternative to a phased construction plan, Kitchens To Go (KTG) provides innovative solutions that mirror existing production facilities with state-of-the-art equipment, functionality and design to ensure business continuity.

Customized to your needs – KTG provides product solutions that are unique to each project

• Mobile – mobile units are available for lease or purchase and can serve everything from your one-time special event to daily ongoing operations.
• Modular – highly configurable modular units are a cost-effective way to maximize space for foodservice operations, and can serve short to long-term needs.
• Containerized – Connectable 40’ x 8’ units with high volume production capacity are ideal for special events and disaster situations, and can be shipped across the world and operate in extreme environments.

Temporary or permanent

KTG provides mobile and modular solutions for projects of any timeframe. Temporary projects provide interim foodservice facilities that are designed to be built on-site, and are most often utilized only for the duration of the renovation or construction project and then removed.

Permanent modular construction projects are built in KTG’s environmentally-controlled factory and then assembled on-site for long-term use, lessening the time of construction from months to weeks. 

Expert advice and consultation

With a company history and industry knowledge that spans over 3 decades, KTG’s licensed architectural, engineering and sales team partner with you to keep your clients’ operations running at full capacity while simultaneously reducing construction time and costs.

As restaurants repurpose as takeaways, they can repurpose their dishwashers and glasswashers

With the government relaxing planning regulations to allow pubs and restaurants to operate as takeaways for twelve months in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, many businesses will be changing the way they operate significantly. Some large chains have already made the switch to a takeaway/delivery only model with an increasing number of independent businesses following suit.

Winterhalter UK is highlighting how commercial dishwashers and glasswashers can be adapted to help meet new requirements businesses need to reach. Understanding how existing equipment can be re-purposed to meet new demands can help to control workload, as well as helping to maintain high standards of hygiene.

Production kitchens

Restaurants and pubs becoming takeaways will begin to operate more like production kitchens, with almost no need to wash plates and cutlery but greater amounts of pots, pans and utensils being cleaned, more often.

Some undercounter and passthrough dishwashers and glasswashers, such as Winterhalter’s, can be adapted to make them able to handle these very different requirements. Changing the wash parameters, for example to increase water pressure and length of the wash cycle, will enable machines previously optimised for delicate stemware or decorated plates to easily tackle more heavily soiled pots and pans, even with heavily baked-on foodstuffs.

Using re-purposed dish and glass washers to clean pots, pans and utensils, rather than washing them by hand, helps to ensure the results are completely hygienic, as well as freeing up staff for other tasks.

Effectively and hygienically

To get the best results you need chemicals specifically designed for pots and pans, rather than glasses or dishes.   Winterhalter would recommend an aluminium safe dishwasher detergent in combination with an open rack, for washing an increasing amount of utensils.  Meanwhile, for sites washing by hand, Winterhalter would recommend the use anti-bacterial washing up liquid.

“Facing uncertain times, restaurants and foodservice operators will need to respond quickly to the changes in the market in order to help protect vulnerable sections of society and their business,” says Paul Crowley, marketing manager of Winterhalter UK. “It’s very important that dishwashers and glasswashers that are re-purposed for utensils are able to do the job effectively and hygienically. Hence the wash cycle has to be adjusted, and the right racks and chemicals need to be used.”

Service and chemicals divisions operating as normal; company offers reduced PPM maintenance scheme 

Winterhalter says its priority during the coronavirus crisis is to make sure the company is supporting its customers, the industry and its staff.  Alongside adhering to government advice, the company has put plans in place to ensure it can continue delivering uninterrupted service to customers.

It has also made arrangements to ensure staff are safe but also to enable them to continue working, either from the company’s premises or from home.

Winterhalter’s service department will continue to operate as normal between 8am and 5pm and the company’s engineers have been given instruction on how to safely operate at customer premises. Meanwhile it is offering customers a reduced planned preventative maintenance scheme, ready for when the market is back up and running. Winterhalter’s parts provision remains open and normal delivery applies.

Normal delivery

Similarly, Winterhalter’s chemical department remains open, with normal delivery times. For some chemicals, including hand sanitiser and certain other cleaning products, the company is working hard with suppliers to make sure they are available to users as soon as possible.

If customers want to buy machines and are struggling with the outright cost, Winterhalter’s Pay-Per-Wash offering can ease the capital expenditure burden. There are zero upfront costs and customers simply pay with every wash cycle. Chemicals and service are all included.

“We are doing our utmost to ensure that our customers receive the service they expect from Winterhalter,” says Stephen Kinkead, managing director of Winterhalter UK. “If anyone has any issues or questions then please call or email us.”

Further information:

For further details, call Winterhalter on 01908 359000, visitwww.winterhalter.com/uk-en/ or email info@winterhalter.co.uk.

Sales teams of Winterhalter and Classeq pass the CFSP test

All the members of the Winterhalter and Classeq sales teams are now CFSP certified. The teams attended the recent CFSP tenth year anniversary celebration, organised by FEA at the HRC 2020 show, to celebrate their prowess and pick up their awards.

“CFSP gives us the knowledge to properly understand our customers’ objectives and day-to-day problems,” says Richard Reed, business development manager at Winterhalter. “Of course we know about dishwashing and glass washing, but CFSP teaches you about how the rest of the kitchen operates, and how it all integrates. It’s a really useful programme that delivers solid benefits – both to us and to our customers.”

Raising professionalism

CFSP (Certified Food Service Professional) is run by FEA (the Foodservice Equipment Association) and is designed to raise professionalism throughout the foodservice industry. It gives students an holistic understanding of how a commercial kitchen operates, covering areas as diverse as food safety, workflow and legislation, as well as looking at appliances, services and technology.

The picture above hows, left to right, Harry Scott, Edward Johnstone, Neil Gosden, Keith O’Brien, Tom Owen, Mohamed Benhacene, Nick Burridge and Richard Reed.

Winterhalter provides a total solution for dishwashing and glass washing, from pre-sales advice to after-sales service, training and maintenance. Alongside its market-leading commercial dishwashers and glass washers, the company’s range includes utensil washers, advanced water treatment machines, cleaning chemicals and detergents. For further details, call Winterhalter on 01908 359000, visit www.winterhalter.com/uk-en/ or email info@winterhalter.co.uk.

Middleby introduces Open Kitchen by SiteSage, connecting commercial kitchen equipment

In 2019, commercial kitchen equipment leader Middleby Corporation acquired an IoT-based software company outside of Boston, Powerhouse Dynamics. This unlikely pairing is a partnership made for the 21^st century smart commercial kitchen. Powerhouse Dynamics developed an equipment and energy management system, SiteSage, designed to save time, money and energy for multisite foodservice operators.

Last fall, the company introduced the next generation of its connected equipment and food safety application of SiteSage, Open Kitchen. Open Kitchen by SiteSage is an open platform that connects commercial kitchen equipment to the cloud, providing remote access to not only Middleby equipment, but other brands as well, resulting in critical data collection that informs real-time performance monitoring.

A new standard

Foodservice operators and retailers are afforded a single view of their kitchen operations across all locations and all equipment, regardless of brand. Open Kitchen enables users to optimize equipment and overall kitchen performance to increase revenue, lower operating costs, increase equipment uptime, protect food safety and quality, and reduce food waste.

Open Kitchen by SiteSage has the potential to revolutionize commercial kitchen operations by connecting and monitoring a full range of kitchen equipment from multiple brands. It also remotely tracks – in real-time – how the equipment is performing and how it is being utilized by staff, enables remote recipe creation and distribution, and automates essential food safety processes – all on a single platform.

“With Open Kitchen, we are creating a new standard for IoT-based solutions in the commercial kitchen market,” said Martin Flusberg, president of Powerhouse Dynamics. “Operators want a single view into all of their locations; they don’t want to login to a different system for each piece of equipment. Open Kitchen by SiteSage connects equipment from virtually any brand and brings all that critical information together so customers can make swift and data-driven performance decisions. Open Kitchen opens up endless possibilities for optimal efficiency.”

Open Kitchen enables users to:

• Monitor food prep and storage temperatures 24/7 via both direct equipment connectivity and self-installable wireless sensors;
• Leverage real-time, escalating alerts to be warned about situations where food is not being stored or prepared at the proper temperatures or prepared for the right amount of time;
• View proactive, configurable exception reports to spot equipment that may not be performing properly, consuming (oil, water, sanitizer, etc.) more than it should be, or not being operated properly;
• Easily digitize checklists and capture temperature data that cannot be automated (using a Bluetooth probe) with a highly configurable mobile app that can even be used offline;
• Track corrective actions taken – or not taken;
• Fully automate HACCP food safety reporting, and easily archive, search and distribute reports;
• Remotely distribute recipes and menus to ovens, fryers and other critical equipment; and
• Track warranties on kitchen equipment.

Unlike other manufacturer-specific connectivity applications, Open Kitchen by SiteSage is truly open and works across all equipment brands, giving operators the flexibility to choose the right equipment for their kitchen and avoiding the hassle of multiple software tools to manage equipment. Open Kitchen connects to more equipment brands than any other system. More than 10,000 pieces of cooking equipment are currently connected, and that number grows every day.

Open Kitchen is part of the broader SiteSage platform that can also be used to monitor energy usage and control equipment – both in the kitchen and in all other parts of the facility – to further enhance equipment performance, significantly reduce energy and other operating costs, and enable enterprise facility optimization.