Customers crave consistency. Diners want to know that when they reach into their wallets, that delicious burger, tacos or chicken alfredo will taste the same every time they enter your establishment — no matter if they purchase it from your location in Texas, Rhode Island or Wisconsin. If it does, they’ll give you their loyalty and return time and again.
Foodservice managers know return customers are the bread and butter of any operation, with studies showing that repeat customers often spend an average of 33% more on their ticket. Equipment is one of the top players in any establishment’s ability to improve consistency across locations. Let’s dig in.
Equipment performance
Commercial kitchens are fast-paced environments, and equipment has to keep up with the demands. Poor equipment performance can cause inconsistency in service and unhappy customers. If your griddle, oven or toaster is slow to heat up or can't pump out a high-enough volume of food at one location, it’ll affect your reputation across the board. In addition, older or lower-quality equipment breaks down more often and can eliminate entire menu items from your offering.
Investing in quality, commercial equipment that routinely performs well at a high volume (across all your locations) will increase product output, limit equipment downtime and enhance consistency from store to store. For instance, some models of conveyor toasters can make approximately 2,0000 slices of toast in one hour. And as if that wasn’t already enough, some toasters (like this one) have a color-sensing technology that creates a programmed, uniform shade of toast for every slice. It doesn’t get much better than that — 2,000 pieces of perfectly golden brown, toasty goodness!
Equipment capability
Producing a high volume of food quickly is one essential task in providing consistency in service. However, consistency in the quality of a prepared menu item is also fundamental to any operation — and it's where innovative equipment shines. A great example is the induction cooktop. This incredible commercial unit boils water in just a few minutes. But induction isn’t just about speed, it’s also about quality.
With induction cooking technology, the cooking pan becomes the heating element, helping eliminate hotspots and providing an incredibly even cook (read: no undercooked or overcooked foods). In addition, some induction cooktop models (and other smart equipment) come with programmable presets. This technology allows operators to input and save multiple recipes into the equipment. Cook times are always the same, no matter the location or operator (talk about an easy way to keep it all uniform).
Additionally, investing in temperature-holding equipment and display units (where both the temperature and humidity can be controlled) is a consistency win. This type of equipment ensures customers get consistent service and food at just the right temperature, even during peak service times.
Ease of operation
Training your employees on your operational practices and protocol is one important way to improve consistency across locations. Also, the same point-of-sale technology across locations is important for a consistent customer experience. Furthermore, equipment that is intuitive with easy-to-use, digital touch screens is essential for consistency, as it eliminates temperature guessing games to provide precise temperatures and cook times.
Automated equipment also helps with ease of operation. An example is equipment that has autoload and unloading capabilities. This feature helps provide food that is cooked the same way without being forgotten — something that any operator can attest is easy to do during a busy service.
Gaining loyalty.
Consistency is one of the most important aspects of gaining a loyal following (just look at some of the big-name operations that do this well). When seeking added consistency from any type of equipment, be sure you choose a supplier that prioritizes quality and has a reliable reputation. Hatco confidently excels in both of these areas. To learn more about Hatco, visit www.hatcocorp.com today!
Interested in finding other ways to gain loyalty? Check out our blog post, How To Drive Loyalty Through Digital Channels.
