kitchen equipment

— By Daniel Estrada — The new frontier for restaurants in the back of the house.   If it feels like the restaurant industry has been in the headlines for the last year — it’s because it has. Restaurants are all over the news cycle, with stories ranging from closings to openings, pivots to changing businesses, and a pandemic-inspired boom for tech platforms and digital innovation across all aspects of the industry. From apps that streamline takeout orders and table assignments to staff scheduling and invoice collection, the front-of-house is …

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Jersey City, N.J. and Minneapolis — Imperial Dade, a leading distributor of foodservice packaging and janitorial supplies, has agreed to acquire Dalco Enterprises, also a leading distributor of janitorial supplies. The transaction represents the 34th acquisition for Imperial Dade under the leadership of CEO Robert Tillis and President Jason Tillis. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Dalco has six facilities across Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. Owned and operated by Ted Stark, Peter Stark and Rod Dummer, the company has built a strong reputation for …

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Chicago — 86 Repairs, an innovative platform that streamlines and optimizes equipment repair and maintenance for restaurants, has closed a $2 million round of seed funding from multiple investors. The investment will be used to accelerate the company’s aggressive growth and product development, which offers collective intelligence and robust data insights previously untapped in the foodservice equipment and supply industry. “86 Repairs harnesses the power of technology to create a real and innovative solution for the restaurant industry. We’re impressed with 86’s ability to tackle R&M and other back-of-house pain …

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Elgin, Ill. — The Middleby Corporation has opened the Middleby Innovation Kitchens (the MIK) in the Dallas area. The expansive 40,000-square-foot fully functional facility features more than 150 live pieces of equipment showcasing the latest cooking, beverage, automation and IoT innovations from Middleby. Visitors to the MIK can participate in demonstrations on the most advanced commercial kitchen solutions available in the market today. Guests will experience cooking innovations in 15 specialized vignettes including pizza, bakery, combi, steam and automation, among others. The MIK also showcases the latest in beverage technologies …

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— By Tom Szafranski — Managing energy efficiency in a commercial kitchen.   Energy efficiency can often be an overlooked component of commercial foodservice equipment; in reality, an energy-efficient unit is not only better for the environment, but better for the bottom line for the owner/operator. According to ENERGY STAR®, the EPA’s program to promote and certify energy efficiency, restaurants use around 5 to 7 times more energy than any other commercial facility. Additionally, energy costs for commercial foodservice establishments — such as restaurants, hotels and quick-service eateries — make …

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Menomonee Falls, Wis. — Alto-Shaam, a global leader and innovator in the foodservice equipment solutions industry, has entered into a new partnership agreement with Chrane Foodservice Solutions as its new manufacturer representative in Texas and Oklahoma. Chrane will promote Alto-Shaam’s full portfolio of commercial kitchen equipment, including its Vector® Multi-Cook ovens, Cook & Hold ovens, Combitherm® ovens, rotisserie ovens, heated holding solutions, QuickChiller™ blast chillers and more. The manufacturer representative will also host in-person and virtual ‘A Taste of Alto-Shaam’ events and demonstrations at its kitchens in Dallas-Fort Worth and …

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— By John Goetz — Removing the fear from food: foodborne illness and prevention best practices.   Foodborne illnesses can wreak havoc on the foodservice industry and its patrons. One in 10 people fall ill every year from eating contaminated food, and 420,000 people die worldwide annually as a result. Outside of the human impact, the financial cost of these incidents is also immense. According to a study by researchers at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, an outbreak at a fast food restaurant could cost between $3,968 and …

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— By David Ramirez and John Prall —   Have you disconnected your refrigeration equipment during quarantine? Check the measures to protect your equipment when turning it back on.   During these times of coronavirus pandemic, quarantine and lockdown procedures, many foodservice businesses have had to shut down for a while or had their demand strongly reduced. As a result, some may have chosen to disconnect their equipment to save energy. In this case, there are some easy measures that can be taken to protect your investment. If the equipment …

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Mt. Prospect, Ill. — Diversified Foodservice Supply, LLC (DFS) is expanding its Do It Yourself (DIY) program by introducing new videos that enable foodservice operators to make DIY fixes for common kitchen repairs and to handle preventive maintenance tasks that keep kitchens up and running. It also committed to ongoing educational alerts that help operators adhere to changing sanitary protocols. In addition, the company is expanding capabilities to provide quick response and nationwide distribution of product rollouts. These new offerings supplement the existing library of DIY products and resources available …

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Baltimore, Md. — Vulcan, a leading provider of commercial cooking equipment, and parent company ITW Food Equipment Group (ITW FEG) have named Chris Stern as its new vice president and general manager of cooking, North America, effective February 10. Mihyar Mohamed, who formerly held the position, will be transitioning to a leadership role in ITW’s Construction Products Segment. During his 23 years at Vulcan/ITW, Stern has consistently delivered strong results and developed and led high performing, collaborative teams. Stern began his career with Vulcan in marketing and was promoted through …

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