In foodservice news lately:

Mandatory nutrition information on menus…

Consumer shift toward healthier eating…

The “raw” and “whole foods” diets going more mainstream…

The shifting face of restaurant dayparts…

Warmer weather and the popularity of such treats as frozen yogurt (think Pinkberry)…

The “coming of age” of tequila…

After reading up on these news bites, I came to a conclusion; one thing can pull together all of these trends: a great commercial blender.  How useful is a heavy duty blender?  Let me count the ways (think smoothies, soups, and frozen margaritas)…

Blend up raw fruits for a tempting smoothie that doesn’t make you ashamed to admit the calorie content; it will appeal to the health-conscious (especially if you use such so-called “super foods” as the venerable pomegranate), the “raw foodists,” and anyone looking for a sweet treat between meals. 

Mix it up by adding nuts and vegetables and you might find—like Jamba Juice did in an article at FastCasual—that this smoothie is transformed into a nutritious, full meal.

A heavy duty blender can also create a silky-smooth soup, even one made with “whole foods,” another dietary trend gaining popularity.  When creating something from “whole foods,” you use the entire fruit or vegetable (as the name suggests).  The seeds, the peels, the stems—everything is used, and with a great blender, it’s not a problem.  It can all be blended to a fine puree, whereas many household blenders simply couldn’t stand up to the job.

Besides making possible countless variations of soups and smoothies, a commercial grade blender also makes the perfect frozen margarita.  In fact, one of Serv-U’s star blenders goes by the name “Margarita Madness.”  The increasing popularity of high end tequila and Mexican food in general has boosted this classic drink’s profile.  (For a video about how best to make a margarita, see Serv-U’s video library.)  But a good bar blender doesn’t stop at margaritas; it can handle nearly any other blended drink your bartenders can dream up.

  (photo from Mel B. of Flickr Creative Commons)

If you’re ready to give a blender a try, start by perusing Serv-U’s selection of commercial blenders and bar blenders.  Call or chat online with a Serv-U sales representative to get all your blender questions answered.

And if you have any good blended recipes or tips, please share them in the comments section below!