Refrigeration solutions remain a huge challenge for food and beverage outlets. Neeraj Seth talks about some of the essential factors to be kept in mind while purchasing equipment.
The hospitality industry uses a wide variety of refrigeration solutions for various applications.
While hotels have been exposed to contemporary international quality with respect to refrigeration solutions, the mushrooming of several international Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chains has resulted in a quantum jump in quality standards being followed even by restaurants, local fast food chains, clubs, pubs, and confectionary stores.
Generally, time-tested criteria are kept in mind by chefs and F&B professionals while selecting refrigeration solutions, such as equipment reliability, which is of paramount importance.
The equipment should not only maintain the prescribed temperature range but also have a minimal downtime.
Most hoteliers therefore insist on tropicalised equipment which can work in the hot kitchen ambient conditions in India. Furthermore, the equipment needs to be rugged enough to take a fair degree of misuse.
Any equipment that is prone to failure is a chef’s nightmare. I know of a national chain in the QSR industry who got so fed up with a specific company’s product, since it would break down frequently; with each breakdown, the estimated loss of sale was far more than the differential low price which tempted the chain to buy this product.
It is said that after manpower, the highest cost centre in the hotel industry is energy costs. Hoteliers and QSRs therefore hate power guzzling equipment.
Use of green technologies and energy saving refrigeration systems are well appreciated. Low energy compressors and refrigeration systems certainly have a better currency, while thoughtful features like auto-shut doors in display showcases or professional refrigerators are considered as important.
Safety features, hygiene standards, and use of environment friendly components in the products being bought is equally important. While most customers insist on certifications such as CE or UL, some have even begun to ask for HACCP-compliant products.
For instance, when it comes to buying professional reach in cabinets, prospective customers see sense in the provision of removable gaskets which can be easily cleaned, or rounded edges which prevent accumulation of bacteria. Use of CFC-free refrigerants is also relevant.
No outlet would like to have an ugly piece of equipment; on the contrary, if the equipment makes a statement of its own and enhances the general ambience of its surroundings, it is most likely to be preferred.
Simple features like the use of front heated glass in confectionary showcases prevents condensation, not only keeping the cakes in a healthy environment, but also providing an aesthetically appealing view of the displayed foodstuff.
Further, the refrigeration equipment should be designed with the end user’s productivity in mind. For instance, the height of refrigerated work tables should be designed such that the chef does not have to bend too much.
It is ironical that while the pans and shelves are made to Gastronorm (GN) sizes, most local manufacturers of professional refrigeration do not make GN compatible refrigeration products.
In view of the intense competition, the obvious pressure on F&B professionals is not only to cut capital costs down to the bone, but also to look at ways of minimising recurring costs, such as energy consumption, life span of equipment installed, service and maintenance costs, and replacement costs.
A leading fast food restaurant chain was initially reluctant to buy our products because of a perceived ‘expensive’ tag we carried.
We later found that their decision to eventually patronise us was based on an extensive evaluation of our product quality, performance, equipment uptime, and our responsiveness and competence on handling ‘after sales’ issues.
The fact that we offered a service back-bone in locations where they had expansion plans further helped.
Extended tests on our equipment revealed that the one-time higher capital cost on our products was recovered by them in the energy savings they experienced in the very first year.
Since most of the high quality foodservice equipment tends to be imported, an important aspect is the availability of spares, more particularly if they happen to be proprietary to the supplying company.
In the Indian context, the foodservice equipment suppliers generally fall in two categories – one who imports and services international products and brands, and the other who manufactures and supplies equipment locally.
In the commercial refrigeration industry, there are no scale players in India exporting international quality, while the local consumption levels do not add up and thus, quality standards remain suspect.
It is for this reason that many quality conscious hotels and QSRs insist on imported equipment. Therefore, in a bid to be user-friendly, international majors seek tie ups with local companies who can provide a strong service backbone for their products.
Ice cool solutions
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Refrigeration solutions remain a huge challenge for food and beverage outlets. Neeraj Seth talks about some of the essential factors to be kept in mind while purchasing equipment.
The hospitality industry uses a wide variety of refrigeration solutions for various applications.
While hotels have been exposed to contemporary international quality with respect to refrigeration solutions, the mushrooming of several international Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chains has resulted in a quantum jump in quality standards being followed even by restaurants, local fast food chains, clubs, pubs, and confectionary stores.
Generally, time-tested criteria are kept in mind by chefs and F&B professionals while selecting refrigeration solutions, such as equipment reliability, which is of paramount importance.
The equipment should not only maintain the prescribed temperature range but also have a minimal downtime.
Most hoteliers therefore insist on tropicalised equipment which can work in the hot kitchen ambient conditions in India. Furthermore, the equipment needs to be rugged enough to take a fair degree of misuse.
Any equipment that is prone to failure is a chef’s nightmare. I know of a national chain in the QSR industry who got so fed up with a specific company’s product, since it would break down frequently; with each breakdown, the estimated loss of sale was far more than the differential low price which tempted the chain to buy this product.
It is said that after manpower, the highest cost centre in the hotel industry is energy costs. Hoteliers and QSRs therefore hate power guzzling equipment.
Use of green technologies and energy saving refrigeration systems are well appreciated. Low energy compressors and refrigeration systems certainly have a better currency, while thoughtful features like auto-shut doors in display showcases or professional refrigerators are considered as important.
Safety features, hygiene standards, and use of environment friendly components in the products being bought is equally important. While most customers insist on certifications such as CE or UL, some have even begun to ask for HACCP-compliant products.
For instance, when it comes to buying professional reach in cabinets, prospective customers see sense in the provision of removable gaskets which can be easily cleaned, or rounded edges which prevent accumulation of bacteria. Use of CFC-free refrigerants is also relevant.
No outlet would like to have an ugly piece of equipment; on the contrary, if the equipment makes a statement of its own and enhances the general ambience of its surroundings, it is most likely to be preferred.
Simple features like the use of front heated glass in confectionary showcases prevents condensation, not only keeping the cakes in a healthy environment, but also providing an aesthetically appealing view of the displayed foodstuff.
Further, the refrigeration equipment should be designed with the end user’s productivity in mind. For instance, the height of refrigerated work tables should be designed such that the chef does not have to bend too much.
It is ironical that while the pans and shelves are made to Gastronorm (GN) sizes, most local manufacturers of professional refrigeration do not make GN compatible refrigeration products.
In view of the intense competition, the obvious pressure on F&B professionals is not only to cut capital costs down to the bone, but also to look at ways of minimising recurring costs, such as energy consumption, life span of equipment installed, service and maintenance costs, and replacement costs.
A leading fast food restaurant chain was initially reluctant to buy our products because of a perceived ‘expensive’ tag we carried.
We later found that their decision to eventually patronise us was based on an extensive evaluation of our product quality, performance, equipment uptime, and our responsiveness and competence on handling ‘after sales’ issues.
The fact that we offered a service back-bone in locations where they had expansion plans further helped.
Extended tests on our equipment revealed that the one-time higher capital cost on our products was recovered by them in the energy savings they experienced in the very first year.
Since most of the high quality foodservice equipment tends to be imported, an important aspect is the availability of spares, more particularly if they happen to be proprietary to the supplying company.
In the Indian context, the foodservice equipment suppliers generally fall in two categories – one who imports and services international products and brands, and the other who manufactures and supplies equipment locally.
In the commercial refrigeration industry, there are no scale players in India exporting international quality, while the local consumption levels do not add up and thus, quality standards remain suspect.
It is for this reason that many quality conscious hotels and QSRs insist on imported equipment. Therefore, in a bid to be user-friendly, international majors seek tie ups with local companies who can provide a strong service backbone for their products.
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