Cooling Food Safely with A Blast Chiller
Temperature control issues are consistently one of the highest in-unit safety risks, and one of the most cited third party and health department violations. The lack of proper, fit-for-purpose cooling equipment is a significant factor contributing to temperature control compliance deficiencies. Blast chillers use specially-designed refrigeration equipment and high-powered fans to circulate cold air to cool food quickly, providing more precise support for food safety compliance and temperature control execution.
Blast chillers offer the following value for operations:
Food Safety:
Compliance with food safety standards by substantially reducing the length of time cooked food remains in the “Danger Zone” – 140* to 40*F where bacterial growth proliferates.
Substantially speeds up the chilling process by chilling food to/below 40*F within 2 hours or less.
Records key time and food temp data to document HACCP compliance to food safety guidelines via USB or via wireless.
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What Gen Z Consumers Want from Restaurants
They’ve never known a world without instant digital access. They prefer to connect via text rather than in-person. And getting their first mobile phone is a huge life event. But beyond all that, they do have something that businesses should pay attention to…their purchasing power is estimated at $250 billion.
Born in the mid-1990’s through 2015, Generation Z now comprise 26% of the population. They are the most ethnically diverse of all-American generations, they’re passionate about local and global issues, and they love sharing their experiences – including their dining experiences – on social media.
So what do they value when it comes to dining? They demand healthy, good quality food, and they educate themselves on what they’re eating, paying attention to nutrients and calories. Organic is a priority for Gen Z, as are “real” ingredients with a functional benefit: they prefer nut milk over dairy, honey instead of sugar, and cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips. They seek out new, trendy flavors including New Asian, Indian Spice, and Middle Eastern. And they prefer to customize meals to meet their needs.
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Restaurants Going Strawless
Americans use 500 million plastic straws—or 1.6 per person on average—every day. Based on this, a typical American will use more than 38,000 plastic straws over the course of a lifetime. While drinking through a single-use plastic straw seems innocent enough, don’t fool yourself: many of these straws find their way into our oceans, polluting underwater ecosystems and harming marine wildlife.
With the green movement growing, and attention turning towards more sustainable practices, consumers are becoming more focused on biodegradable or recyclable straw alternatives, including paper drinking straws.
The straw-less movement has been growing over the past two years and several cities are already banning single-use plastic straws. A new law in California makes it illegal for restaurant servers to give customers plastic straws unless asked. Public pressure has also driven businesses like Starbucks and SeaWorld to announce plans to eliminate plastic straws.
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Ways to make your Restaurant Go Green
Fall is the perfect time to lay out new goals for improving your restaurant before the holidays start, why not make one of those goals to be more environmentally friendly? This may seem like a lofty goal, but we're here to help with these 7 practical steps that you can take to get started.
Use Less Electricity:
Running a restaurant isn’t exactly easy on the electric bill. Powering large appliances, lights, heating, and air conditioning can use a serious amount of energy. Despite this, there are ways to reduce your electricity usage. Investing in Energy Star Rated appliances and using up-to-date energy efficient lighting are both ways that you can save energy. For a more in-depth look at how to save electricity in your restaurant, check out this article.
Minimize Waste:
Wasting food is another huge problem for restaurant owners. If portions are too large, customers can end up throwing away a large amount of food, and if your inventory levels are not perfect, ingredients can go to waste, too. Conduct a waste audit to figure out exactly where you’re going wrong when it comes to food waste. Use these detailed steps to reduce waste in your restaurant and watch the savings pile up.
Try Composting:
Composting is the process of breaking down organic waste into soil. When you compost in your restaurant, you help keep plant waste out of landfills, where it would release harmful carbon dioxide and methane gas in the process of decomposing. Aside from the environmental benefits, you can save on trash management costs if you require fewer pickups. You can try composting both on-site and off-site. Contacting your waste management provider is a great place to start when figuring out which method is right for your restaurant.
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Glassware Handling Tips: Do’s & Don’ts
Given the delicate nature of glassware, it’s no surprise it needs replaced far more frequently than other supply. A common mistake many foodservice operations make is not ordering enough to begin with. Ordering “just enough” might seem okay at first, but constant use will cause them to wear quicker. You’ll want to have enough to keep a constant supply circulating and to account for any accidents along the way.
Helpful hint:
you can never have too much of a backup supply. It is recommended to have at the very least two glasses for every seat in your dining room. However, this differs from location to location. If there’s a specific type of glass used for several different items, you might want to consider ordering up to five per seat. This helps ensure these glasses have proper cool down time after running through the dishwasher and before recirculating back into use.
There are steps that can be taken to reduce breakage and expand the life of your glassware to reduce the rate in which they will need replaced. The two most common reasons glasses break is mechanical and thermal shock.
Stacking glassware can lead to mechanical shock.
Every clank adds up:
Every little bit of contact with a glass adds up, eventually leading to breakage. Some common ways this happens is by stacking glasses that shouldn’t be stacked or clanking a beer glass on the tap for show. Mechanical shock is the result of direct contact with another object, such as flatware, dinnerware or another glass. This can cause minuscule abrasions that are invisible to the eye, yet nonetheless weaken the glass. Over time it becomes more susceptible to breakage from impact or thermal shock.
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Coffee Beans and Roasts
For most, starting the day off with a strong cup of java is a consistent ritual with no margin for change. For some, it’s a ritual that continues all day long. The best cup of coffee is purely a matter of preference. Strengths and flavors vary based on the type of coffee bean, region it’s grown, and the how it’s roasted. So, join me in pouring yet another cup and exploring the major factors that can take your coffee brewing to the next level.
Coffee Bean Types:
The two most common categories of coffee bean are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica dominates more than 60% of the world coffee market, considered to be the highest quality bean. Generally characterized as aromatic, mild and sweet, the Arabica bean originated from the Middle East but is grown all over the world. Arabica varieties often take their names from the region in which they’re grown, with tastes varying based on the soil and climate. Ethiopia, a prominent coffee-bean region, is known for producing a smooth, easy-drinking flavor bookended by a floral finish. Beans grown in Kenya, on the other hand, are often considered to have a stronger degree of bitterness, while Latin American coffee beans offer a cocoa complement and nutty finish. Columbia is another highly popular region for growing arabica beans, notated by a darker texture, bold taste and walnut finish.
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