Restaurant operators doing more with less

By Chris McGregor

Ten or more years into the future, the look and feel of kitchens is going to change. It’s already happening in Canada and in North America, years after restaurant kitchens in Europe. No longer are they just sterile rooms with the goal of churning out dishes.

Foodservice kitchens in 2009 have to consider layout, workspace flow, staff health and the environment, as well as being productive places to practice the craft of cooking. Innovative kitchens strive to provide a means to cut costs, increase staff satisfaction, meet environmental standards and increase overall efficiency and usability.

“A lot of people in the industry are certain there is going to be a fairly major morph in foodservices,” said Doug Feltmate, founder of Ottawa’s Designed Food Systems, a design and consulting company for institutional and commercial foodservices.

“When you talk about trends, what we’re seeing is people want to lean towards a more European influence versus the American influence we’ve seen the past 20 years.”

Restaurant owners are asking for a way to bring down their energy bills while being able to recoup the costs on equipment purchases faster.

Feltmate said more and more he is seeing accelerated cooking technology make its way into the average foodservice kitchens, compared to the past where items like the combi oven, Merrychef or TurboChef would only be found in high end and high volume establishments.

Ovens like the combi with chiller or steamer units make it affordable for even the most modest of restaurants to own one, therefore improving the quality of food for customers. There are even mini countertop versions of the combi on the market designed for small restaurants with just 40 or 50 seats.  Combi ovens can be used cook with dry heat or steam, and can be used as hot holding cabinets or to retherm chilled food.

It’s becoming less common that kitchens use open cooking equipment like deep fryers, which are much less energy efficient compared to contained cooking units.
An open deep fryer might only be 55 per cent efficient while an enclosed unit is able to achieve 90 per cent efficiency, therefore cutting energy costs for the operator.

Natural gas powered equipment is becoming less common as well, Feltmate said, thanks to increased costs for the fuel. Instead, electrically powered devices are replacing them.

In August of 2008, the kitchen at Toronto’s Auberge du Pommier received a massive overhaul, making it the first restaurant in the country to use induction-cooking technology exclusively.

The restaurant’s owners, Oliver & Bonacini, came to Auberge executive chef Jason Bangerter with an offer he could not refuse: free reign to do whatever he wanted with the kitchen.

With some doubts by Garland Canada whether the job could even be accomplished, after 10 days of installation and $1 million, he had his dream kitchen to rival that of any restaurant in Europe, where induction cooking is commonplace.

With induction, a pot of water boils in just 24 seconds, but once the pot is removed, the burner is cool to the touch. The cooktops are easier to clean, easier to control temperature, and are more efficient and greener with less power used and less heat loss. Induction also cuts down on injuries from open flame.

The kitchen at Auberge was designed not only with top equipment, including three combi ovens, but also ingenuity by replacing the North American style of cooking in a row with one where chefs cook on an island. Each corner of the kitchen at Auberge has its own four-burner induction cooktop, drawer-style refrigerator, heated shelving and a sink.

During dinner service, necessary ingredients are at each station, eliminating trips to the walk-in fridge and the chance of staff getting in each other’s way. They never leave the station.

“First of all you have to learn how to cook all over again. Induction changes the way you cook,” Bangerter said.

“The power of it is amazing. We have less firepower in terms of amount of burners and ovens but there is more volume. And it’s ‘green’” 

Less than a year into his new workspace, Bangerter doesn’t know exactly how much the technology has saved in energy and other costs, but he said there are “little savings all over the kitchen.”

Eliminating energy-hogging equipment is also a priority for the Saint John Ale House in New Brunswick, which is currently undergoing a kitchen renovation.
Old, outdated, and inefficient equipment is being replaced with state of the art devices that increase productivity but draw much less power.

“We’re kind of at a point in industrial kitchens where there is a paradigm shift as far as how they actually develop,” said Jesse Vergen, executive chef at the Saint John Ale House for the last four years.

“The old equipment is horrible on energy. The oven would be going at 500 degrees all day for 12-14 hours using thousands of cubic metres of energy. There is a huge shift to Energy Star-rated equipment and trying to reduce the carbon footprint in restaurants to be more eco-friendly.”

The Ale House is currently installing Energy Star-rated equipment, convection ovens, induction cooktops and exhaust fans with dimmers that shut down when not needed.

“The one thing we are seeing a lot of is the price of induction, which has gone way down,” said Patrick Watt, owner of A Day in Life Foodservice Development in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Speaking of induction cooktops, he said, “they’re very efficient and they don’t throw out of a lot of heat. We’re seeing it in all sectors—schools, retail, corporate and hotels.”

Doing more with less is the mantra of current restaurant operations, thanks to staff shortages, slim budgets and slimmer profit margins.

Chris Whittaker, executive chef at the Listel Hotel in Vancouver, said he is noticing that more commercial equipment is coming with features that combine jobs that in the past would have taken two machines to accomplish.

The restaurant in the Listel, O’Doul’s Restaurant and Bar, was recently overhauled with new equipment, including the Rational Self Cooking Center with CareControl.

Kitchen Innovations at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago last month singled out the oven for its ability to detect automatically when it needs to be cleaned. It uses scale-dissolving care tabs to prevent lime scale build-up, which eliminates the need for expensive water softeners or time-consuming descaling.

O’Doul’s Restaurant and Bar uses two of the systems in its operations.

“Beyond consistent product and higher yields, I am amazed at all the benefits we are seeing for all areas of our operation—banquets, outside catering, production and especially pastry,” Whittaker said. 

He said the CareControl technology saved time and money in not having to install a separate water filtration system.

The oven’s cleaning process minimizes the use of chemicals, water and electricity with its “just in time” operation that extends cleaning and care to the entire system, not just the cooking cabinet.

Owners, managers and operators are looking to all areas of restaurant operation to tighten their financial belts and ensure every operation is running as efficiently as possible.

Equipment is becoming more technologically advanced in order to keep up with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and tougher Energy Star specifications, according to Lynn Burge, advertising and promotions manager with Master-Bilt, which manufactures merchandisers, walk-in coolers and freezers for the restaurant foodservice industry.

Burge said a well-designed piece of equipment combined with a workable space is the key to a state-of-the-art kitchen. 

“Sometimes innovative equipment can combine functions so that you have fewer pieces of equipment in the kitchen and, therefore, more workspace,” he said.

“For example, a combined heater/proofing cabinet serves both functions and takes up a smaller footprint. Equipment that is designed to save energy obviously saves money.”

Customers in the foodservice industry are demanding more out of their equipment; it’s not just about cooking food anymore. Devices are looking more like computers than stoves and ovens in 2009, with easy-to-operate electronic controls, energy efficiency, and maintenance reduction features.

Even with all the high-tech equipment options available, Adam Ungarian, sales manager with Hotel Equipment & Supply Co., a kitchen planning and equipment sourcing company in Edmonton, counters that not everyone wants it or needs it.

Mom and Pop operators who have owned the business forever might be resistant to giving up on their tried and true equipment in favour of the latest gadgets, suggests Ungarian.

“You don’t need to have a piece of equipment where you have to work for NASA to figure out how to turn it on.”

He said a small diner operation serving soup and sandwiches could get away with simple equipment, suggesting they don’t need it simply because it might be in the budget.

“The problem were having in Alberta is there is always of changeover in staff. Equipment has to be user friendly,” said Ungarian.

He said ‘green’ is still the hot topic in restaurant kitchens as it is a measurable way to save money on bills as well as being eligible for government rebates on energy saving appliances, water and plumbing fixtures. 

“What everybody is looking for is energy efficient equipment that would give them a chance to recoup costs in the long run,” Ungarian said.

When looking at creating a workable space, Feltmate said the environment is the key design consideration, not just for the health of the planet, but for the health of staff and customers as well. And that has to do with providing an enticing workspace with lots of natural light.

“One of the first things we look at is the environment they work in, to make it safer and more comfortable from a temperature point of view. No one wants to work in a sweat shop,” Feltmate said.

By making the investment in a kitchen overhaul now, both in terms of effective design and the right equipment, operators can save money by installing devices that will still be in use 15 or 20 years down the road, he explained.

“What we’re seeing is the owners and the people making the decision are aware that something is coming up. An interesting direction we’re getting is people are no longer looking at what other people are doing; they are looking what is coming up.

People are looking at this as an opportunity now to make change,” Feltmate said.
“Energy efficiency in today's economy is needed because customers are trying to be more environmentally conscious and save on operating costs wherever possible,” Burge, of Master-Bilt, said.

Ted Reeser, president of Toronto-based Celco Food Service, a Canadian-wide distributor of commercial food service equipment from Amana, Electrolux, Nieco, and Silver King, agrees.

“As people are becoming budget conscious they are looking for pieces of equipment that can replace several pieces of equipment,” he said. “I think the major trend is the need to be more efficient in terms of energy, water consumption, operating reliability and labour utilization.”

As labour becomes more expensive, and harder to find, Reeser said kitchen equipment has to pick up the slack by being that much more efficient and reliable in order to reduce restaurant staffing costs.

“All progress requires innovation, and innovation requires a real commitment to research and development of new products,” Reeser said. “Those manufacturers that continue to focus on driving down the initial capital cost of their equipment at the expense of truly understanding the needs of the customer will fall by the wayside.”

Saving money through a resourceful kitchen operation is not all glamour and glitz, with fancy stainless steel appliances and computerized displays. Sometimes cost savings is a dirty job.

Located under sinks or completely buried in the floor, grease interceptors go sight unseen by kitchen staff. Except for the low person on the totem pole that needs to clean it out every two months.

Plastic grease interceptors are becoming the norm in foodservice kitchens to replace their metal counterparts that can rust out in as little as five years. When combined with a grease monitoring system, the operator knows exactly when the unit needs to be emptied.

“The number of restaurants out there that are still using metal interceptors is between 70 and 80 per cent,” said Andrew Bird, business development manager, plumbing, with Canplas, which makes plastic grease traps.

He said sales of plastic grease interceptors have increased by 20 per cent each of the last four years across North America as metal versions are replaced.

No matter what the equipment is, owners are forced to be more educated as they consider even the smallest aspect of their kitchen design, according to Allan Dieckmann with SmartDesign Group, a design consultant in Vancouver.

“It used to be that they would throw a bunch of equipment in the kitchen and see what sticks,” Dieckmann said. “Savvy operators are now looking at their market position and their menu and are seeking equipment that is applicable to the menu that also provides ways to conserve energy.”

Being able to adapt the use of new equipment when the menu changes is something owners are considering as they look beyond the initial purchase to many years down the road.

Dieckmann said kitchen design depends on each client’s business model, the type of customer it attracts, the food it serves, and the needs of staff.

What is the proximity to the loading dock, are all areas easily accessible, what are the busy areas of the kitchen and what equipment is needed to meet a range of demands?

“If you have a well-designed space, people move through it efficiently and staff move through it efficiently. Ergonomics are a key thing,” Dieckmann said. 

Ross Munro, executive chef at Fishbones Oyster Bar and Seafood Grill in Charlottetown, recently overhauled the restaurant’s menu and kitchen to be more environmentally and user friendly. 

Old, energy-wasting equipment was upgraded to Energy Star-rated refrigeration units, griddles, stoves and convection ovens that all meet current environmental standards. The seafood bar located in the main seating area has two induction cook tops.

The changes have already paid off in terms of cost savings with lower energy bills and increased staff efficiency, Munro said.

“The flow of service and the convenience of service is a lot stronger for us. Productivity levels have increased significantly and the labour costs are down,” Munro said. 

The salamander broiler, which was on all day and used a lot of energy, was taken out of the Fishbones kitchen to further cut expenses.

In reconfiguring the kitchen, Munro said he tried to eliminate “the crossing of arms” in locating the cold prep area close to the pastry area, which has its own pass to the restaurant. A second pass is for hot food.

Next year, Munro said the kitchen will receive another upgrade to combitherm units, but he doesn’t foresee moving to a full induction setup, instead choosing the equipment that’s right for Fishbones.

“Is there one item like induction that will take over and replace my equipment? I don’t think so. Munro said. “Do I believe they have a place in the kitchen? Yes, but its just another key component. I don’t think it’s going to replace it 100 per cent.”   
Integrating an effective kitchen design with only the absolutely necessary equipment results in not only a productive kitchen but also a substantial cost savings for the owner.

“Equipment and layout goes hand in hand with the skill level of the people on staff,” Watt, of A Day in Life, said.

He agrees that to be taken seriously and to attract the best people, it’s all about the presentation—of the kitchen, that is.

“Although there is supposedly an economic downturn, there is still a demand for skilled labour. Owners are trying to create an environment where they can keep those people or attract them,” Watt said.

Back at the Saint John Ale House, one of the items on Vergen’s product wish list is an immersion circulator, a device that had its start in laboratories to keep water at a consistent temperature.

It is used to cook food, often sous-vide style in plastic bags placed in water, over a much longer period of time but at much lower temperatures in order to save on energy bills.

Using an immersion circulator for 15 hours costs much less than running and industrial oven for the same amount of time, Vergen said.

He sees the benefit in buying more expensive new equipment because of the reliability and energy efficiency, such as the stove from South Bend being considered for the restaurant.

“You might pay half the price and get three years out of it but spend a bit more and you get 10 years out of it,” Vergen said.

Celco’s Reeser suggests that the lowest cost option is not always the best option for owners as more expensive equipment can actually be a better value over the life of the equipment.

“The logical end result of this trend will be that the tendency to gravitate towards the lowest capital cost solution will diminish,” he said.

Vergen said it’s important that restaurants invest in their employees, provide them with quality surroundings and encourage them to stick around by offering assistance with culinary education or apprenticeships.

“If staff is using really good tools and good equipment they’re going to have more respect for the kitchen. The cooks that are playing with the immersion simulator are bragging to their buddies.”

Even with the economy in the state it is in, with restaurants closing their doors almost daily and so much uncertainty in the industry, some are banking on the investment in new equipment to pull them through. Dieckmann, with SmartDesign Group, believes now is the right time to make that investment.

“If you don’t have an engine that’s firing on all cylinders, you’re just burning excess gas,” he said.