Five Easy Ways for Restaurants to Reduce Landfill Waste

Cintas Corporation recently published an article on how restaurants can reduce their footprint in America’s landfills. A typical restaurant generates more than 100,000 pounds of garbage per location each year – more than any other retail business, according to the Green Restaurant Association.

Cintas’ five easy tips to improve source reduction efforts include:

1. Using a chemical top-off service.
2. Implementing a microfiber wipe program.
3. Renting mops
4. Integrating preventative maintenance strategies
5. Using green chemicals.

While much of the focus of “going green” in the restaurant industry is about types of products and systems used, many restaurants can benefit by reducing their inventory and using products that last longer.

For more information on Cintas’ tips to reducing waste, read the complete article.

Save Money by Focusing on Energy and Water Waste

Restaurant operators are encouraged to pay increasing attention to the amount of energy their restaurant equipment utilizes. According to a recent article published by the National Restaurant Association, restaurant operators can save money when they know how much profit is getting eaten by fuel costs of inefficient restaurant equipment.

This does not necessarily mean that restaurant owners need to go out buy all new pieces of energy-star rated restaurant equipment. Monitoring your existing restaurant equipment for energy usage is an important first step in sustainability. If you happen to see a spike in energy usage, this could signal a problem such as an equipment malfunction or employees failing to follow recommended procedures, like turning equipment off when it’s not needed.

Restaurant owners are also encouraged to examine the processes in which they perform common tasks. The industry’s “tried and true” way of doing things, may not always be the most energy efficient or cost-effective. The article sites an example of using a three-compartment sink for washing dishes. A lot of energy can go into making sure water used in the sink is kept at a certain temperature, whereas money could be saved over the long-run by using a dishwasher instead.

Although energy or water-conserving restaurant equipment might cost more, the difference is offset more quickly today as utility costs are continuously rising. Plus, many utilities and/or local governments offer rebates and other incentives for buying more-efficient restaurant equipment.

Frymaster’s Art and Science of Frying – Fit to Be Fried

Need help delivering the delicious foods diners crave, while also meeting demands for healthier menu offerings? The Fit Frying™ Program, created by the experts at Frymaster, a Manitowoc Foodservice company, provides education on the fry station management principles that ensure fried foods are prepared and served in a manner that delivers great taste, while being as health conscious as possible. 

It’s not easy being oil. During frying, exposure to heat, food, water and air changes the oil forming breakdown products that when accumulated cause the oil to reach the end of its useful life. The Five Factors for Fit Frying are frying best practices that help minimize operating cost by extending the life of both oil and equipment, while ensuring consistent production of great-tasting food.

The Five Factors include:

1.  Finding the right fryer. 
The fried items you offer on your menu determine if an open-pot, tube-type or flat bottom fryer will perform best.
2.  Selecting the right oil. 
Frying oils have different cooking, taste and health features.  These qualities impact fryer performance and output.
3.  Selecting the right food. 
The fats in foods and oil exchange during cooking so considering the type of fat in the foods purchased for frying is important especially when frying trans fat-free.
4.  Using best practices or the “right” cooking process.
Keeping contaminants out of the oil and cooking at recommended temperatures and times all contribute to maximal oil life.
5.  Providing the right maintenance.
Nothing maintains food quality or preserves oil life better than regular filtration and proper care of your equipment.

Visit Frymaster’s website for more information on the Art and Science of Frying.

Frymaster’s Art and Science of Frying: Buy Green and Start Saving Now

The economic pressures affecting operators today are escalating, so it may seem like a bad time to spend money on new equipment. To the contrary, now is the time for smart operators to go shopping for tools to cut costs and provide value to increasing green conscious customers. 

Energy efficient equipment selection helps operators demonstrate concern for the environment and reduce their carbon footprint, all while positively impacting their bottom line. Frymaster's GREEN family of fryers offer green benefits that range from reduced oil use to using less energy to operate. Reduced used oil introduced into the waste stream and industry-leading energy efficiency aligns with "green" and sustainability initiatives.

Frymaster’s GREEN family of fryers includes:

• The H55 gas fryers with proprietary, high-efficiency, infrared burners.
• The E4 Series (RE) electric fryers with industry-leading energy efficiency.
  (ASTM ratings over 83%)
• The Dean® HD Series gas fryers.

All of these fryers qualify for energy saving rebates, provide high production capability, offer state-of-the-art premium heat transfer systems, and ensure tight, highly responsive temperature controls. When used in combination with an oil station management program that includes regular filtration, oil life can be extended up to 50%. The energy and oil savings are a smart way to reduce daily operating costs. And in the transition to higher cost, trans fat-free oils, these savings help meet regulatory and customer demands for great-tasting, healthier foods.

Visit Frymaster’s website for more information on the Art and Science of Frying.

Trending Now: LEED Certified Restaurants

The National Restaurant Association recently recognized Starbucks for their initiative to reuse building materials in several of their establishments. Whenever possible Starbucks uses elements recovered from the local area, such as gym floors or college campus seating in an effort to give the store a local feel.

Many other restaurants and bars are beginning to follow suit, as the growing reuse industry makes materials more accessible. By giving a second life to floors, ceilings, windows, cabinets or sinks stripped from shuttered or renovated establishments, restaurants are helping to ease the strain on the environment. Reuse of materials not only spares natural resources, but also keeps existing resources out of the landfills.

Visit the National Restaurant Association’s website for more information on the effort to reuse as well as tips on how to find salvaged materials in your area.

Prep and Store with a Refrigerated Prep Tables

Refrigerated prep tables feature a prep area on top that provides a solid surface for cutting and slicing ingredients; cooled compartments for prepared ingredients; and refrigerated storage space below that holds ingredients that need to be prepped. These units are most often used to prepare and store sandwiches, salads, pizzas and other dishes.

Refrigerated prep tables feature different sizes and configurations. Most units offer between one and four doors, and may provide up to eight shelves or drawers for storage. The units will also generally accommodate between six and fifteen food pans, depending on the model.

Refrigerated prep tables come with many options, including a backsplash, drawers, different gauge thicknesses, casters, overshelves and pot racks. Units offering adjustable shelves and pans, in addition to removable cutting boards, food shields and crumb catchers are also available.

Most food prep tables feature heavy duty stainless steel construction, removable hoods and foam-insulated lids. The cabinets’ backs and bottoms are typically constructed of galvanized steel, while interior liners are made of anodized aluminum to resist corrosion. The doors generally included foamed-in-place, high-density polyurethane insulation.

Save Energy with Induction Cooktops

Countertop induction cooktops offer many benefits over other types of restaurant equipment. Countertop induction cooktops can handle essentially every task normally assigned to gas and electric ranges. They can be used to pan fry, sauté, boil water, cook eggs and more. The technology behind these units allows for extremely fast heating, that is even faster than cooking with gas.

Induction cooktops operate by running electricity through an induction coil that produces a high-frequency magnetic field that extends just a few inches above the cooktop. When cookware made of ferrous material (material that reacts to magnetism such as steel, iron, nickel and various alloys), is placed on the cooktop, this magnetic field causes the molecules in the cookware to vibrate, thereby heating the pan.

Since induction cooktops heat cookware through a magnetic field, they produces less heat overall than gas or electric ranges. This helps to lower the ambient temperature of the kitchen, as well as greatly reduce air conditioning costs. This type of cooking technology is also more energy efficient than gas or electric, as up to 90 percent of energy consumed by an induction cooktop goes into heating the cookware.

Countertop induction cooktops can be used in place of gas or electric ranges and burners. Since they can easily be plugged into almost any electrical outlet, they are especially ideal for front-of-the-house applications and such as omelet bars, stir-fry stations, and for catering and buffet services. Also, since induction cooktops don’t utilize open flame or heated ceramic cooking elements, countertop induction cookers greatly reduce the risk of accidental burns to kitchen staff and to customers in a display cooking situation.

Don’t Underestimate the Microwave Oven

A commercial microwave oven can be one of the most indispensable pieces of restaurant equipment in a restaurant kitchen. Commercial microwave ovens differ significantly from their residential counterparts in terms of durability, technology, controls and capacity. Microwave ovens cook, defrost, self-steam and reheat foods. Many operators use microwave ovens in accord with other types of restaurant equipment to speed production and help keep ambient kitchen temperatures low.

Many types of operations, including bars, quick-casual restaurants, banquet halls, hospitals, nursing homes and hotels, use microwaves to defrost and rapidly bring foods back to the proper serving temperature. Microwave ovens can also be used to prepare frozen packaged products, steam seafood and vegetables and cook pastas and certain grains.

Most microwave ovens feature programmable memory pad selectors, multiple-portion touch pads, manual operation capabilities, cycle counters to track oven usage, electronic timers with digital displays, see-through doors and lighted cavities. Many microwave ovens are capable of storing up to 100 cooking programs for easier preparation of best-selling menu items. Some microwave ovens will also adjust the cooking time for pre-programmed menu items when multiple items are being prepared. This feature not only prevents over/undercooking, but also results in more consistent food temperatures and textures.

Bar Equipment for a Busy Bar: Frozen Drink Machines

Frozen beverage machines are an ideal piece of bar equipment for bars that serve daiquiris and margaritas. Many frozen beverage machines allow the user to easily set the machine to make icy, frozen beverages or chilled beverages. This is a great feature for bars that specialize in margaritas, as you can easily dispense and serve your customers’ favorite drinks frozen or on the rocks.

Most frozen beverage machines are available in single, double or triple hopper form. With multiple hoppers you can easily offer multiple types of daiquiris and margaritas to your customers. Frozen beverage machines are also available in manual and automatic refill designs. Any piece of bar equipment with automated features can be a time saving device in busy bars.

Many frozen beverage machines feature touchpad displays, making them a very simple piece of bar equipment to operate. These displays also guide users on cleaning and preventative maintenance, making the frozen beverage machines extremely user friendly.

How to Choose a Citrus Juicer

A citrus juicer is one piece of bar equipment that comes in different sizes and forms. When considering what type of citrus juicer to purchase, there are several criteria you may want to take into consideration: Price, frequency, type of citrus fruit and time.

The two basic types of citrus juicing bar equipment are a manual lever press juicer and a motorized reamer juicer. The most notable difference between these two types of juicers, aside from their manual or motorized nature, is their price points. Manual lever press juicers are typically less expensive than motorized juicers, making the manual juicer the more affordable piece of bar equipment.

Frequency of use should also be considered when purchasing this piece of bar equipment. You may need to look towards your drink menu and sales history to get an idea of how much freshly squeezed citrus juice you use on a daily basis. Those bars that use quite a bit of citrus juice may find a motorized reamer juicer to be more efficient. 

You should also ask yourself what type of citrus fruits you intend to juice. Larger, thicker rinded citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits will require a larger citrus juicer. Smaller citrus fruits like lemons and limes are typically easier to juice with a manual juicer.

You should also consider how much time you are willing to invest towards juicing citrus fruits. For a more efficient juicing experience, bar owners will want to invest in a motorized piece of bar equipment. Those that don’t mind taking a bit more time to get the most juice out of their fruit will appreciate the manual piece of bar equipment.