Prep School

From the deli to the bakery, today’s innovative equipment is helping retailers take their prepared foods business to the next level. The emphasis on offering fresh, natural and “homemade” conveniences continues to intensify. Looking to grab share from other formats, including fast-casual restaurants, grocers are stepping up the number of fresh, prepared foods they offer in hopes of appealing to busy families that want a healthy home cooked meal, but do not have the time to make it themselves. Grocers that offer more options may have a competitive advantage over quick-service restaurants, but it requires more food processing on-site and better-performing equipment. It also poses labor, training and space challenges for many prepared food departments. “The grocery industry, and especially the fresh and prepared food segment, is really seeing dramatic change in its business model,” says Carolyn Bilger, senior marketing manager for food machines with Hobart, based in Troy, Ohio. “It has become increasingly important to do more in the same or even smaller spaces, which means that versatile and flexible equipment that performs a variety of tasks is of the utmost importance.” As such, retailers’ must-have features include faster cook times and simple operation for store associates, whether they have one day on the job or 1,000. The ability to cook when and how needed is paramount. “One of our customers, Sendik’s Food Markets, finds it a time-saving benefit to be able to cook a large quantity of meat overnight,” says Brian Zornes, vice president of national accounts-retail for Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based Alto-Shaam. “This way, Sendik’s associates arrive in the morning to find a fresh load of ham, roast beef or chicken already cooked and waiting to be prepped.” Reduction of labor in kitchens remains a top concern for retailers. Benjamin Leingang, corporate chef for Henny Penny based in Eaton, Ohio, says that with escalating labor costs, employers are looking to maximize operations, making ease of use and smarter production even more relevant. Like others, he also sees smaller kitchens and sustainability as key trends likely to impact the industry for some time. “The need for more production and/or flexibility in a smaller footprint is now standard,” says Leingang. “And given that utility costs are only going in one direction it is obvious to see why developing greener equipment is a critical part of the design process today.” This is especially true given the amount of food being prepared. Industry observers say in a short time prepared foods in grocery have evolved from a rotisserie chicken-centric concept to where food stations featuring pizza, Asian, kosher, soups and salads are now the new level of entry. “Grocery stores of today are much different than in the past,” says Steven Snitkin, key account sales director/corporate chef for RATIONAL USA, based in Rolling Meadows, Ill. “To compete for share of meal, grocers know they have to go after more than just the home meal replacement business, but also the local restaurants,” says Snitkin. While food trends will ebb and flow certain constants will always remain, including the speed at which tasks need to be performed, small footprints in which to prep and the lack of experience many associates bring to the table. RATIONAL’s SelfCookingCenter 5 Senses was created with these needs in mind, notes Snitkin, who says its versatility, features and energy-efficient focus make this the workhorse of many backroom prep areas today. RATIONAL’s SelfCookingCenter 5 Senses features HiDensityControl, which fills the cabinet with the maximum energy to prepare foods quickly and in full capacity while continuing to be efficient. “Our clients want quality, but they also want fast cook times,” says Snitkin. To complement different cooking styles, the company continually introduces accessories to enhance its equipment’s appeal. As grocers expand their menus and offer more varied selections, meat smokers have been gaining popularity. RATIONAL’s VarioSmoker offers grocers the ability to make delicate smoked items like salmon to fully smoked items like pork shoulders, briskets and ribs. Available accessories include grills, pizza stones, roasting trays, chicken spikes, skewers, baskets, rib racks, searing trays, fry baskets and more. “These accessories help the chef achieve the best results,” says Snitkin. Alto-Shaam’s introduction of the CT PROformance Combitherm combi oven line has been met with rave reviews from retailers, say company officials, adding that its upgraded performance and safety features include the ability to cook up to 20% faster than standard combi ovens. The oven also has zero clearance requirements, intuitive touch screen controls and a lighted LED door handle that alerts users when cooking processes are completed. Cooking innovations include the ability to set humidity levels from 1% to 100%, three power levels and five fan speeds. Safety initiatives include SafeVent technology to evacuate steam from the oven cavity after cooking and the CoolTouch3 safety door to prevent employee burns. Alto-Shaam has also upgraded its hot well series. Features include individually controlled wells that allow users to set a precise temperature for each well. Alto-Shaam’s hot wells use waterless Halo Heat technology to gently keep food warm while maintaining quality. “Our hot wells series is especially applicable for supermarkets that need to hold food hot while maintaining a visual display for customers,” says Zornes. Alto-Shaam debuted the Xcelerate Hi-Speed Oven at NRA in February, launching the company into the speed cook oven market. Officials say this oven stands apart because it has intuitive, touch screen controls that ensure consistent outcomes and ease of use, no matter who is working in the kitchen. “With just a touch of a button, foodservice operators are now able to expand their menu in a new, innovative way,” says Zornes. FlexFusion is new combi oven line from Henny Penny that comes in a variety of sizes from the large 20 grid to the powerful but small Space$aver. The combi line is available in either a manual or a touch screen version. Company officials say with industry leading water conservation for the automatic clean cycle and the intuitive touch screen, the FlexFusion combi ovens are ideal for delivering a reduction of space, labor, training time and utilities. “The Space$aver really personifies the idea of reduction without compromises,” says Leingang. Henny Penny has also introduced Velocity, a fryer family that includes both pressure and open fryers. The fryers take advantage of automatic filtration and top off in conjunction with a reduced oil capacity to give a consistently high-quality product at a lower cost. Officials say operators can save upward of $2,000 a year on oil costs. Hobart recently introduced the HS Slicer, which differentiates itself from the competitors with industry-exclusive features such as its CleanCut knife, a guaranteed-for-life Borazon sharpening stone and an arm that not only tilts but is completely removable. The HS also features Hobart’s exclusive zero knife exposure, which keeps operators from inadvertently touching the blade during the sharpening and cleaning process. “From talking to our customers, we knew ease of cleaning and safety were top concerns, and the HS Slicer really delivers with features you won’t find on any other machine in the industry,” says Bilger. The HS Slicer also has a number of accessories to meet the need for more versatility and flexibility in the deli area. Jim Gallagher, business development manager, food retail for Globe based in Dayton, Ohio, adds that cleaning is often one of the last things associates want to do at end of their shift. “Therefore, the easier a piece of equipment like a slicer is to clean, the better it will be done,” says Gallagher. Increasing the functionality of slicers has become a top focus as well. Given the shrinking footprints, smaller backrooms and size of prep areas, minimizing the amount of space equipment takes up is critical, say observers. To this end, Gallagher says equipment that features streamlined components that save room underneath the hood system are becoming more valuable to retailers today. Globe also recently launched a patty press featuring stainless steel bowls and a press plate to smoothly deliver the patty to the hands of the kitchen staff. The press can be placed on Globe’s newly designed charbroiler or griddle. In the past year, observers have seen an increased interest around food-preparation equipment that had fallen out of favor due to the popularity of prepackaged foods. With the trends moving back toward fresh, local food and “clean eating,” Hobart’s Bilger says stores are doing more food prep than ever on site. “We have seen a lot of renewed interest in equipment like our food processors and accessories, our salad dryers for all those now-trendy greens, like kale, as well as with our buffalo chopper,” she says. Ovention has introduced a ventless countertop speed oven, the Matchbox 360, which has already received the NRA’s 2015 Kitchen Innovations Award. Among the oven’s features are an intuitive one-touch display, FlexTemp controls, two cooking surfaces, auto unload, 600 pre-programmed cook settings and reduced energy consumption. According to Jordan Robinson, marketing specialist for Milwaukee-based Ovention, this feature-packed oven is the smallest footprint yet. “Having less counter space is a huge problem for many grocers today,” says Robinson. He notes that the high-speed oven cuts cooking time substantially and was designed with looks in mind; something that Robinson says makes it an ideal front-of-house appliance. “The theater this oven offers is unparalleled and everyone knows customers love to be entertained while they wait.” Carlson AirFlo, based in Brooklyn Park, Minn., has introduced the AirShelf System, in response to the need for a low profile merchandising shelf. According to company officials, the flexible shelving system’s slim profile may increase merchandising space by up to 25%. Its clean, streamlined profile allows the customer to clearly see the product without distractions or obstructions. Officials say the shelving system was specifically created to enhance the display items in fresh departments such as cheese/deli, meat, produce, bakery, as well as center store departments. Looking ahead, observers say safety will continue to drive many of the innovations in the next generation of cooking and prep equipment. As utility costs are expected to rise, Globe’s Gallagher says energy efficiency will also remain important to the current and next generation of equipment. “Look for digital technology with precision being essential in the coming years,” he says. “Globe saw this years ago when we incorporated digital controls into our planetary mixer line. Technology helps deliver consistency.” Program management is becoming an important feature for grocers who have many store locations. According to RATIONAL’s Snitkin, programs such as these help grocers maintain cooking consistency from store to store. The company offers a KitchenManagement System, which allows the operator to communicate with the units via Ethernet from one centralized office. Alto-Shaam officials say labor saving initiatives such as self-cleaning options will be among the features that will become standard on cooking and prep equipment in the years to come. As operators are considering replacing or putting in additional equipment to their line-up, equipment that performs the most functions in a small place will be the most sought after, says Zornes. “Space is at a premium in kitchens, especially when foodservice operators need to work within an existing location and do not have the capability to add on to their kitchen. From zero clearance to ventless hood models, operators will be looking for equipment that can be placed anywhere in the kitchen,” he says. As retailers look for ways to create and maintain a sustainable business model while increasing profits, Zornes says foodservice operators will continue to focus on reducing waste, energy consumption and using less labor. “Going forward, foodservice equipment innovations center around helping retailers create a more sustainable operation,” he says. Retailers can expect even greener equipment to be introduced, says Henny Penny’s Leingang. He says in the coming years equipment with more efficient heat exchangers, conservative automatic cleaning functions and more efficient motors will be prevalent. Connectivity for all the different pieces in the kitchen will also be a focus, he says, noting this will create the ability to program or diagnose service issues remotely, as well as data download for an evaluation that can lead to streamlined operations. “Touch screens with graphic user interfaces offering better visibility and cut down on training time will become the standard as the industry looks to simplify the entire cooking process,” says Leingang.