"How can we do more with less?" With so many challenges facing the foodservice industry as restaurant operators have swung into survival mode, that is today's question.
With reduced dining room spaces and limited menu offerings, now more than ever, operators are looking at how best to reconfigure their front-of-house and back-of-house spaces to optimize efficiencies and workflow and accommodate more carry-out business. As kitchens become smaller, equipment needs to fit in these redesigned spaces and provide an even greater level of multi-purpose efficiency, flexibility, and performance. Hatco saves the day with compact product solutions that respond to the demands for equipment to be smaller in footprint and multi-functional while giving operators the peace of mind that comes with trusted equipment that just won't quit.
As buffets take a back seat, utilize Hatco's multi-tiered, heated merchandisers to hold pre-packaged meals, sandwiches, and sides. Choose from a variety of designs, sizes, and colors, with either slanted or horizontal heated bases, to promote grab-and-go while maintaining products at safe temperatures. The combination of infrared top heat and thermostatically-controlled bottom heat ensures that products are maintained safely and held at optimal serving temperatures. Multi-tiered models provide greater upright holding capacity without taking up valuable counter space.
Downsizing is all about vertical holding, as is the case with Hatco's Flav-R-Savor® Holding Cabinets that allow for advanced food preparation ahead of peak-serving periods and keep hot food fresh. The compact holding cabinets, such as the FSHC-6W1 model, can easily fit underneath a counter. Adding a display cabinet directly on top of the counter provides a turnkey solution, in that inventory of stored product from below can be rotated to the display unit above for increased throughput and greater impulse sales impact. Cabinets can even be stacked for more holding capacity and greater space-saving benefits. Select caster options for a portable solution that makes it easy to pull out the cabinet to sanitize surfaces and the floor.
Hatco's holding and display cabinets feature controlled, moisturized heat, which means you can adjust heat and humidity levels to accommodate different food products for more flexibility. The display cabinet range comes in many sizes, door options, and rack types (rotating or stationary rack) for perfect merchandising of food products. Hatco offers a dry, convected holding cabinet, the PFST Flav-R-Savor® Tall Non-Humidified Holding Cabinet, that holds up to sixteen boxed pizzas and can be placed behind the front counter for an ideal carry-out solution. Hatco's new contactless, doorless air curtain cabinets, the FS3HAC series, are a perfect solution for grab-and-go. These innovative air curtain merchandisers come in various lengths and even offer an optional sign holder to promote point-of-purchase sales. Heated air at the front of the cabinet is directed downward and drawn toward the rear of the cabinet, warming each shelf gently and uniformly.
Hatco Drawer Warmers, another vertical warming platform, hold a variety of pre-cooked food in up to four levels in a freestanding configuration. Individual temperature control per drawer allows for a multitude of products to be maintained at varying temperatures for greater flexibility. Consider selecting built-in models, that get equipment off the counters and floor. Hatco built-in drawer warmers are available in up to a three-drawer version, allowing for easy access to products in the pack line while freeing up space in your to-go station. If you need more holding capacity, Hatco offers a four-drawer model in a freestanding version, so you have even more capacity in the same footprint. By adding optional casters, available up to a three-drawer unit, drawer warmers can be maneuvered around the kitchen to make it easier to clean behind tough-to-access areas. Hatco also offers a narrow drawer warmer in both the freestanding and built-in models, which would be a perfect application for a tight squeeze.
In this current environment, ideally, equipment should perform more than one function. Our multi-purpose Snack System features a waffle machine as the base unit, with six other interchangeable plates to prepare a wide variety of menu items, from paninis to donuts and other snack items, in the same compact footprint. Four programmable pre-set buttons make it easy to lock in parameters of time, temperature, and cooking plate power per product. With a single or dual model, you can utilize the same device and replace the plates to serve breakfast, lunch offerings, and snacks throughout the day – a creative way to add more variety to your menu while minimizing footprint and maximizing sales.
If you're looking to free up valuable counter and floor space, turn to Hatco's Electric Salamander that can be wall-mounted, potentially replacing a bulky, floor-standing appliance. The SAL-1 model is a multi-functional device that can cook, grill, gratinate and rethermalize menu items across all dayparts. The plate detection feature automatically activates the Instant-On infrared heating elements when a plate or pan of food comes into contact with the activation bar. It's a space-saving device that also reduces energy costs. If you need even more capacity, Hatco produces another wall-mountable, three-bay Thermo-Finisher®, also with plate-activated technology, that allows operators to cook meals on demand.
Finally, in successfully operating a smaller kitchen with limited, compact, and multi-purpose equipment running longer hours across multiple dayparts, you need to depend on equipment that works. Restaurant downtime, resulting from broken-down equipment, is not an option. Hatco products can be trusted to reliably get the job done, from preparing food in our heavy-duty induction units to holding just-prepared products in our rugged, stainless steel holding cabinets, heated merchandisers, and drawer warmers. Every Hatco product is designed and built to withstand the "wear and tear" and rigors of a hectic, dynamic commercial kitchen environment. These days, more than ever before, with downsized kitchens operating around the clock, it is critical to rely on brands that will stand up. You can count on Hatco to do its job and allow your business to thrive.
Written by Debby Kopczynski, Director – International Sales
