The key ingredients for future proofing your hospitality business by ceda partner Brita
The key ingredients for future proofing your hospitality business by ceda partner Brita
The hospitality industry is finally on the road to recovery following the very challenging times caused by the pandemic. Whilst there is some need to rebuild, many are looking at how they can drive growth and protect their business in the long term.
BRITA Professional recently conducted independent research (1) into the changing perceptions of the industry and where investments need to be made as a result. Here we can share the key results and advice from the research.
[1] 3GEM in collaboration with BRITA Professional (March 2021)
Quality equipment
More than half of those surveyed agreed that investing in quality equipment and maintenance schedules is most important to help future proof their business. This is to ensure that all equipment is reliable and protected against costly breakdowns, so that you can focus on delivering consistently delicious food and drinks with the impeccable service that your customers have come to know and love.
Safety first
As a result of the pandemic, it’s no surprise that an extra focus on hygiene and cleaning is also a priority for almost half of hospitality businesses moving forward. Whilst hygiene has always been at the forefront of the hospitality industry, it’s now front of mind for your customers too.
Customer service is key
With this in mind, customer service is also proving to be a continued priority when it comes to future proofing hospitality businesses, with half (50%) planning to adopt innovative customer service technology and a third investing in ‘Internet of Things’ enabled kitchen equipment.
Embrace technology
Technology is not a new development and certainly not in terms of customer service. However, consumers have come to expect certain conveniences when they shop, travel, and handle their finances — such as mobile access, personalisation, loyalty tracking, and no-touch transactions. More and more, they want their dining experiences to feel the same way (2) and so businesses need to embrace this technology in order to stay ahead or even in line with the curve.
(2) Deloitte: Restaurant of the Future – https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/consumer-business/us-consumer-business-restaurant-of-the-future-perspective-final.pdf
Choose the right suppliers who can help your business succeed
Finally, a third of hospitality businesses believe that help from suppliers is essential to achieve greater efficiency across the industry as a whole. Work closely with your suppliers to ensure they understand your needs better and can adapt their services to suit your business. This is becoming increasingly important with the current issues some companies are facing with supply chain and stock availability, which can have a significant impact on your business.
As you can imagine, BRITA Managed Services is passionate about how we, your supplier, can make your life easier. Our tailored packages are offered to relieve some of your pressure and provide services such as ongoing maintenance, advice, monitoring filter usage and carrying out essential filter exchanges in a convenient way that suits you and your business.
For more information about how our bespoke service package can be tailored just for you visit www.brita.co.uk/news-stories/professional/managed-services.
ceda Partner Welbilt Case Study-The Mere Golf Resort & Spa
ceda Partner Welbilt Case Study-The Mere Golf Resort & Spa
Executive Head Chef, Mark Fletcher oversees three dining spaces at the stunning Mere Golf Resort & Spa in Knutsford, including the two-rosette restaurant, Browns. With a passion for creating delicious and beautifully presented food, Chef Mark also presides over the banqueting function that caters for up to 750 guests.
Running the food offering for such a large and diverse resort is a substantial undertaking and having the right catering equipment makes a significant difference to all aspects of kitchen operations. For Chef Mark, the banqueting process in particular is a specific skillset that requires precise planning, as he explains:
“Our main kitchen services the banqueting, it’s compact, so every centimetre of space has to work hard. Every piece of equipment that I put into that space really has to deliver. Serving the club lounge, spa, room service, Browns restaurant and banqueting for up to 750 guests requires a high level of planning, and the impact on the kitchen if we get it wrong can be considerable. Staffing, and even the volume of pans and trays going over potwash can bring a kitchen to gridlock if it isn’t planned correctly with the right pieces of kit.”
To ensure he has the best set up, Chef Mark often visits other kitchens to observe their operations, and on one such trip, to Grosvenor House, he saw Welbilt’s Convotherm oven in action and was immediately impressed.
“Watching how the brigade operated and what the Convotherm could do was seriously exciting. The quality of product coming out of the ovens was amazing and the volume they could turn around was phenomenal. This was one amazing bit of kit.”
After seeing the Convotherm in action, Chef Mark contacted Paul Patel, Development Chef at Welbilt to arrange a personal demo.
As Paul explains:
“Having known Chef Mark for many years, initially through ‘Skills for Chefs’, we were delighted to get him over to our kitchens to show him exactly what Convotherm could do.” We demonstrated a range of dishes and particularly focused on regen as Chef was keen to utilize the Convotherm for banqueting. The Convotherm 4 Easy Touch 20:20 is an impressive machine and with our consultation and training, as well as our 10 steps to banqueting process, we can help operators to deliver large volumes of plated dishes at a level of quality and consistency that is unparalleled in the industry. As a trained chef, I have a particular interest in banqueting and we often say, cooking is an art, pastry is a science and banqueting is both!”
The consultation process with Welbilt is totally individual to the needs of the chef and their kitchen. Chefs spend a day in Welbilt’s demo kitchen, using the equipment, learning how it works and how it can reduce costs and time whilst still delivering a consistently high standard of food. This really is time well spent and is a crucial part of the Welbilt support model.
The Convotherm 4 Easy Touch is specifically designed for banqueting and can deliver up to 500 meals in just 30 minutes. Product can then be held for up to 20 minutes for speedy service. Since Chef Mark installed two Convotherm ovens at The Mere Golf Resort & Spa, it has revolutionized his banqueting operation by allowing the kitchen to prepare and chill the food the day before. Taking the plates out of the fridge around 45 minutes before service and using the Convotherm to regen, increases speed, yet retains the quality and consistency of the menu, as Chef explains:
“The Convotherm 4 Easy Touch works differently to other brands I’ve used and really does take the hard work out for you. We are always finding new things to use it for. You get great colouration on food and the oven even works out its own humidity, it’s just a very clever, clever bit of engineering! And we have to talk about the door – the disappearing door is just brilliant. It saves space as it slides back along the side of the oven, which helps improve safety in the kitchen as we haven’t got oven doors swinging open and closed. Plus, because of the way it unlocks, it draws the heat out of the back of the oven so it forces you to wait a few seconds before being able to open the door, which means you don’t get that rush of steam in your face. And, it helps to keep the roof canopy cleaner as well. I really am so impressed with the Convotherm 4 Easy Touch, it’s a top-notch piece of equipment, a very worthwhile investment, and the team at Welbilt has been incredibly helpful and supportive, both before and after we bought the Convotherm ovens.”
“I really am so impressed with the Convotherm 4 Easy Touch, it’s a top-notch piece of equipment, a very worthwhile investment.” concludes Mark.
Further information about Convotherm : Convotherm – Advancing Your Ambitions
ceda Members are encouraged to contact their Account Manager for additional information or assistance.
Ceda Partner Brita Professional's New Podcast Series Reveals The Key Ingredients For Business Longevity, From Experts In The Industry
Ceda Partner Brita Professional's New Podcast Series Reveals The Key Ingredients For Business Longevity, From Experts In The Industry
Although the hospitality sector has now reopened, it still faces challenges ahead and operators are looking for support to rebuild their businesses in the long run.
This is evident as new research from BRITA Professional reveals businesses want financial support from the Government (49%), help from suppliers to achieve greater efficiency and cope with rising demand (32%) and support regaining customer confidence (34%).
Looking to the future, hospitality businesses also acknowledge that top quality equipment and customer service will be key to ensuring success:
- 51% say investing in equipment maintenance schedules is most important to help future proof their business.
- Half of business will be adopting innovative customer service technology and almost a third (31%) will invest in Internet of Things enabled kitchen equipment.
- 42% say they will ensure they are able to pivot and respond to change in the future.
- 43% say they will be focusing on hygiene and cleaning.
Alongside this, the key ingredients hospitality businesses believe are needed for future-proofing their business are a loyal customer base (61%), strong teamwork (47%) and the ability to adapt (34%)
These themes and much more are discussed in BRITA Professional’s new podcast series ‘Return, Renew Reinvent’, along with insightful information from industry professionals, sharing how their businesses have responded to the pressures on the hospitality industry to secure ongoing success.
Hear from masters of the industry, including boutique-pub chain YummyPubs, leading training provider HIT Training, coffee roastery Wogan Coffee and catering parts supplier, First Choice on how they have adapted their strategies to invest in their future.
Steve Buckmaster, Director of Sales at BRITA UK said:
“At BRITA we want to support hospitality and catering businesses to invest in their future now the industry has reopened While the pandemic has been an extremely challenging time for the industry, hospitality and catering professionals have demonstrated incredible resilience. Our podcast series brings together voices from across the industry to offer practical advice, first-hand experience and key lessons they have learned while striving to achieve long-term business success.”
Turbofan Hot Holding Cabinets from Blue Seal
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Adande introduces new Saladette unit for 2021
Adande introduces new Saladette unit for 2021
The new saladette delivers increased storage capacity, greater efficiency, better hygiene and has zero CO2 emissions.
Adande is pleased to announce today the expansion of its range for 2021 with a new model Saladette. The saladette is a double drawer Adande unit with integrated saladette server.
The saladette unit has been remodelled for 2021 following feedback from Adande customers across the hospitality sector. The new saladette design has been reconfigured to hold more produce, increase operating efficiency, and improve hygiene.
The base is a side-engine two-drawer Adande fridge, with the top drawer integrated to the saladette, enabling the operator to hold make-up produce in readiness. The saladette can be switched off when not in use, and the refrigerated drawer will still operate as normal. The bottom drawer is a standard Adande fridge/freezer drawer, giving further capability for busy venues.
Spanning the full width of the refrigerated drawers, the new saladette server has 20% more holding capacity than earlier Adande models. As a result, it can accommodate an additional 1/3 gastronorm pan.
With a new look for 2021, the server shape has also been updated, with a front-facing slope that is angled towards the operator to give easier and quicker access to produce. This key feature will be invaluable for outlets where time is of the essence such as takeaways, and dark kitchens, as well as busy hotels and restaurants. Attention has also been paid to the aesthetics of the unit, with its appearance enhanced to improve prep area presentation when kitchens are in customer view.
In keeping with Adande’s green credentials, the new saladette model uses a natural refrigerant, with zero CO2 emissions. It is also very efficient and uses less energy than other saladettes on the market.
With a focus on kitchen hygiene, the new server front is made of a single piece of high-grade stainless steel built into the plating up area, removing any potential for dirt-traps and allowing easy cleaning.
With a focus on kitchen hygiene, the new server front is made of a single piece of high-grade stainless steel built into the plating up area, removing any potential for dirt-traps and allowing easy cleaning.
As Global Sales Director, Karl Hodgson comments:
“We are happy to launch today the new saladette model. Not only does it look fantastic and will be a great addition to any kitchen where food prep is on view, it performs excellently, the server holding more produce, delivering efficiency in the speed of serve, all whilst using less energy and without contributing to CO2 levels. It’s hygienic and can be controlled independently to the drawers below, meaning when it is empty you can simply switch it off, again saving energy usage. We would like to thank our customers whom we consulted with on the new design for their time and input. “
The 2021 new saladette model is available to order now. ceda Members are encouraged to contact their Adande Account Manager for further information and assistance.
The Adande Sarma open-display refrigerated cabinet achieves C grade energy classification
The Adande Sarma open-display refrigerated cabinet achieves C grade energy classification
Adande Refrigeration Ltd, the company known for its award-winning ‘hold-the- cold’ refrigerated drawers, announced on 22nd June 2021 its new 4ft integral, open-display retail cabinet, the Adande Sarma, has achieved a C rated energy label, as per the new 2021 Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Legislation.
The legislation was itself introduced to steer purchasers towards more energy efficient products. The regulation has been defined so that no products should be rated in bands A-C, (based on benchmark data taken in 2014) in order to leave room for improved product development by manufacturers. The Adande Sarma cabinet scores significantly better than other open cabinets of a similar size, currently on the market today.
The Sarma open-display cabinet which allows shoppers to get close to products unhindered and without the impediment of a glass door, has achieved this new energy classification thanks to the ground-breaking Aircell technology it is powered by. This new revolutionary airflow management system retains the cold air within the cabinet ensuring a constant temperature and humidity. It provides better energy performance than cabinets fitted with shelf edge air guides and uses energy similar to that of cabinets with glass doors, but with the benefit of easier accessibility and greater opportunities for food sales. The stable temperature through the cabinet will extend food freshness and reduce waste, even in the harshest environments.
Global Sales Director, Karl Hodgson comments:
“The Sarma cabinet is a real winner for retailers who are energy conscious, are looking to avoid ‘cold-aisle syndrome’ for shoppers.In addition, with an open cabinet you not only remove the viral touchpoints of glass doors but also the cleaning and maintenance costs associated with them too. Little wonder that brands such as Yo Sushi! use them, especially when they can save up to £550 per year in energy use per 4ft cabinet, compared to standard E rated models, and £850 compared to F rated units. The reduction in energy, that an Adande Sarma cabinet gives, meaningfully supports an organisation’s sustainability agenda and helps reduce their carbon footprint.’
Managing Director of Applied Design & Engineering, Ian Wood adds:
“We are really pleased that the integral open display cabinet has achieved a good first energy grading, thanks to the Aircell technology within it. Aircell has proved itself as an innovative solution that can be deployed for air management at sustainable, low energy usage. Aircell has won multiple industry awards and has demonstrated it is a valuable asset that can significantly enhance the performance of open display cabinets. We are excited for the future with more exciting products to come.”
Rational embraces the power of online
Rational embraces the power of online
Rational’s online transformation helps the company broaden its support network.
Eye level customer relationships at industry trade fairs and nationwide cooking demonstrations are big parts of the Rational brand reputation. By rapidly adopting online processes for the company’s communications, including navigating around the pandemic restrictions, Rational has transformed its engagement model. This has been achieved by combining both physical and digital relationships, giving customers even more accessibility to the manufacturer.
As Adam Knights, Rational’s marketing director says:
“It quickly became clear that we could turn this sudden and unexpected challenge to our traditional mindset into opportunities to find new ways to engage with customers.”
This begun with the product launch of the iCombi Pro and iVario Pro cooking systems. Just weeks away from a planned live spectacle, lockdown restrictions forced Rational to launch the products to a wide-reaching audience using digital platforms. The positive response to the successful digital launch galvanised the marketing team, giving them the confidence to explore the power of online further.
Alongside a series of newly created videos introducing their cooking systems, Rational developed a series of interactive online webinars aimed at providing chefs from different sectors of the industry with specific and relevant information to their needs.
Adam continues:
“Naturally we couldn’t replicate the smell, taste, and experience of our live demonstrations, so we looked at what alternative benefits we could bring to this new Rational experience. One of the most valuable things for our customers is their time.”
With Rational holding events online, as opposed to on site, a greater number of people from the same workplace could attend without hindering their daily operation. Meanwhile their time commitment was reduced, since they didn’t have to travel, and as they were being presented with sector specific information, customers knew that the time spent would be relevant and valuable.
“Our goal was to be informative and supportive, whilst retaining efficiencies for the customer,” says Adam. “By going digital we were able to stream the new Rational experiences directly into their place of work or home, via their PCs, phones, or tablets. As a result, the number of digital event attendees this year to date has exceeded the total number that attended live events for the entirety of 2019.”
Continuing the company’s digital journey, Rational launched Expert Chef seminars. The first seminar in the series saw one of the UK’s most influential Indian chefs, Rehan Uddin of the Asian Restaurant Owners Network (ARON), showing how Rational’s cooking systems can replicate traditional Indian cooking techniques as well as allowing chefs the freedom to experiment with different methods. Following a particularly turbulent year for the foodservice and hospitality industry, Rational also launched regular seminars with expert panels discussing hot industry topics.
“As well as the expert panel knowledge, we get the live feedback and questions from attendees which helps bring these perspectives right up to date. “Being able to bring the industry together like this not only helps us to understand our customers’ needs but also, we hope, helps to inspire and encourage them.”
Having attended an online event, customers who would like to know more about Rational cooking systems have the opportunity to participate in a live demonstration, held in a local venue. This allows them to experience the Rational cooking systems first-hand, supported by a Rational professional chef.
Adam believes the potential for digital events is enormous.
“The new Rational experiences help us keep our finger on the pulse of what’s really happening in the industry. Rational has always been a chef’s company, so anything that helps us recognise the challenges and pressures chefs are facing is invaluable. The more we understand, the more we can help.”
To find out information about future events and to watch videos of past ones please visit www.rational-online.com
Rational’s new Live online events demonstrate all-day menus for Food to Go and Fresh to Go
Rational’s new Live online events demonstrate all-day menus for Food to Go and Fresh to Go
Rational has launched two new dedicated webinars, Food to Go and Fresh to Go Live online.
Food to Go Live online is targeted at convenience stores, in-store bakery, counter service and forecourts, with the event focusing on pre-prepared foods such as bread, pastries, porridge pots and wraps, showing how a huge variety of snacks and meals can be prepared in Rational’s iCombi Pro combi steamer. The Fresh to Go event looks at how operators such as butchers, delis and supermarkets can cook fresh food to go, such as roast joints, bread and bespoke ready meals, using both the iCombi Pro and the iVario Pro cooking systems.
During the online events a Rational chef demonstrates how Rational cooking systems can be used to either introduce a food to go service, or to expand an existing offer with snacks and meals throughout the day. They’ll cover breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with bread and all-day sweet and savoury snacks, and look at food delivery options. While the Rational chef gets busy cooking, an expert host is on hand to answer questions via the chat function.
Ross Crook, Rational corporate chef says:
“Food to Go has been a growing trend for many years, but the pandemic has driven it even harder, especially in terms of food delivery. These latest webinars show how the Rational cooking systems can prepare everything an operator needs for a complete food to go menu.”
A key consideration in many food to go outlets is that staff may not be trained cooks. The Live online shows how easy it is to prepare food in the Rational cooking systems, simply by following the touchscreen instructions. Since staff won’t have to monitor the food the appliances tell them when it’s cooked or when they need to take action – they can get on with other tasks such as serving customers.
During peak periods operators may be dealing with many different orders at once. The webinar covers the ability of the Rational cooking systems to cook lots of different foods simultaneously, speeding up production, saving time and reducing energy consumption. A key benefit here is that customers are happier as they don’t have to wait for long!
The Food to Go team at Rational is highly experienced. During the webinars they’ll demonstrate just how easy it is to introduce a Food to Go offer in store using Rational cooking systems, how they can enhance the existing customer offer, and how they can increase revenues.
The Live online events are free to attend and you can register at rational-online.com. To find out more, talk to your Rational representative or visit the Rational website.
RATIONAL is the leading provider in hot food preparation equipment and, with the iCombi Pro and the iVario multifunctional cooking system, the company delivers 95% of all conventional cooking applications. Rational’s ConnectedCooking allows operators to monitor, manage and update their Rational appliances remotely, from a PC, tablet or smartphone. iKitchen is the combination of the iCombi Pro, iVario Pro and ConnectedCooking – iKitchen delivers the best kitchen management and the best cooking solutions. For information and brochures, or to find out about free Rational Live online demonstrations, call +44 (0)1582 480388, freephone 0800 389 2944 or visit www.rational-online.com
Adande Refrigeration to extend price freeze until 1st September 2021.
Adande Refrigeration to extend price freeze until 1st September 2021.
Adande Refrigeration announces today it will extend its 2020 price freeze by a further 3 months, before increasing prices by 5% effective from 1st September 2021. The price increase will not be reviewed again until January 2023.
Although many equipment manufacturers have increased their prices Adande Refrigeration has worked extremely hard along with its supply chain to be able to deliver a degree of certainty and stability by holding its prices, despite absorbing significant cost increases in raw materials as a result of global shortages caused by COVID-19.
Global Sales Director, Karl Hodgson explains,
“Despite the well-documented difficulties for the UK hospitality sector, I am happy to confirm some good news today. We are holding our prices once more, extending last year’s price freeze until 1st September. We want to ensure operators can buy quality refrigeration, affordably, especially through the summer months when things may still be difficult and UK government support is scheduled to reduce.
We understand how important it is for the hospitality and foodservice sector to recover and get back to solid trading levels and we are willing to do what we can to support this effort. Although we must increase our prices from September by 5%, it is our intention to hold this increase until January 2023 at the earliest. In the meantime, we will continue to offer as much support as possible, giving 5-year UK warranty* on all our units, and offering a finance solution under our EasyBuy scheme.”
ceda Members are encouraged to contact their Adande Refrigeration Account Manager for further assistance.
Electrolux Professional launches new food preparation range
Electrolux Professional launches new food preparation range
Electrolux Professional has launched its TrinityPro range of tabletop food preparation appliances.
Composed of a vegetable slicer, cutter mixer, and an all-in-one combined cutter-slicer, the TrinityPro offering has been designed to provide optimum results across a range of applications. Capable of slicing, grating, dicing, shredding, chopping, mixing, and emulsifying, it delivers all of this within a small customisable footprint that can be tailored to suit the unique requirements of any kitchen.
Usability is at the heart of the TrinityPro appliances, with 100% dishwasher safe components and an intuitive control panel for operation. It has also been awarded ErgoCert 4-star certification for ergonomic design and ease of use, meaning less fatigue even when slicing hard vegetables thanks to a patented vertical lever pusher.
Bradley Creese, Training and Development Chef at Electrolux Professional comments:
“We know that in any catering operation, whether it’s a school, the care sector, or a busy restaurant, space is something that is always at a premium. Kitchens are tight and it is vital that chefs have equipment that allows them to work efficiently. This underpins the design of the TrinityPro line, which provides caterers with a range of application. The fact that it is so compact, straightforward to use, and easy to clean makes it ideal for busy operations that require high-quality food preparation in a short period of time.”
Acting as a one-stop-shop for tabletop food preparation, the TrinityPro range contains a number of features that are specifically designed to make an operator’s life easier. For example, the variously sized transparent mixing bowls provide visibility to the user, and the plastic it is made from doesn’t get too hot – unlike with metallic bowls – ultimately making it easier to handle. The patented lever pusher, meanwhile, offers consistent unform cutting results, because it always presses down vertically even when the hopper is filled.
TrinityPro is backed up by Electrolux Professional’s comprehensive customer care offering, Essentia. It ensures that customers have access to all of the servicing and maintenance they may require, to keep their equipment running and minimise any potential downtime.
Bradley concludes:
“The launch of our TrinityPro range is an example of a foodservice product that fulfils a number of different roles at once. Crucially, it does them all to a high standard and in a way that eases cooking processes, rather than complicating them. Everyone will find something to suit their needs on TrinityPro – whether that’s the fact that it dices as well as cuts, or because it is easy to clean and store after use. It is an ideal addition to any busy catering operation, and highlights the importance of customer-centric design.”
For more information, please visit: https://www.electroluxprofessional.com/gb/cut-mix-slice-3/trinitypro/
