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New restaurants being built for the London 2012 Olympics

4/10/2012 8:58:33 PM

The London 2012 Olympics promises to be an exciting time for the United Kingdom. Athletes and fans from all over the world will descend upon the British city for a few weeks at the end of the summer, and many new facilities will be completed in time to offer a variety of services to these people. Since every visitor is going to need to eat, many new restaurants are being built by international corporations.

For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that fast food giant McDonald's will be building four new restaurants in the Olympic Park. However, McDonald's recycle all of the restaurant equipment and furniture from the previous establishments, including devices like the Vulcan 72SC-8B-24G Endurance Restaurant Range. This initiative will even make use of building materials like wiring and wooden beams.

"Over the past two decades, McDonald's has made significant strides in our environmental efforts," said McDonald's sustainability vice president Bob Langert, according to the news source. "We continue to identify ways to do even more around increasing efficiencies, using fewer resources and reducing our environmental impact throughout our restaurants and supply chain."

Evaluate your options when choosing to open a restaurant or culinary establishment

4/10/2012 8:58:32 PM

Many people dream of opening their own restaurant one day, but very few actually sit down and plan out how to reach this goal. Renting commercial real estate, purchasing restaurant equipment and hiring employees all require extensive preparation to ensure that actions remain within legal boundaries. Managing finances is also key, because exceeding an operational budget may mean the entire project never gets off the ground. If you are considering opening your own establishment, keep a few of the following tips in mind.

The Bellingham Herald claims there are three different ways to start a restaurant - purchase an entire franchise, buy out an existing local establishment or renovate a former location into something entirely new. For those with limited capital, the last option is the most realistic, since foreclosed properties are often listed at discount prices due to backlogs of property tax or other problems.

If you decide to renovate a new location, your first step should be to evaluate abandoned or empty sites. However, you must be aware of the potential risks of snatching up a foreclosed property and ask all of the important questions. The most critical of these is figuring out why the previous restaurant closed - did the location or building negatively impact the business? This can be determined by talking to neighbors and nearby businesses. Public tax records may also help, as they can reveal any tax or financial discrepancies.

Next, you must procure quality restaurant equipment for your new kitchen. Depending on the cuisine you with to provide, this may differ slightly, but there are a number of commercial ranges that should be a staple of any modern kitchen. For example, the Garland/US Range 36ET33-99 36E Series Range has two reliable burners, a polished cooking surface and an industrial oven underneath the sturdy frame.

Once you have purchased the relevant restaurant supplies, you may now wish to start organizing your business model. It is during this time that you should consider approaching a partner to help monitor daily operations - it is much easier to keep tabs on employees, finances and property management with two people instead of one. Plus, if the entrepreneurship folds, you'll only wind up fronting half the cost.

With the right location, quality restaurant equipment and an intelligent business partner, the average person may open and operate an establishment that provides superior food and service.

High fuel costs can be subsidized with efficient restaurant equipment

4/9/2012 8:51:06 PM

Just like any other machinery, restaurant equipment needs fuel to function properly. This can be an active fuel like gas for a stove or a passive one like electricity coming from an outlet. The cost of energy can spiral upwards if employees do not monitor the use of fuel, and sometimes establishments are forced to shut down due to a lack of available funds. However, energy-efficient appliances may be used to reduce the cost of cooking and cleaning.

The Daily Courier reported that among other things, rising fuel surcharges caused frustration for Chuck Roberts, the owner of Cattleman's Bar and Grill near Prescott, Arizona. This manager used Twitter to vent his frustration.

"(Employees) get paid no matter what," said Roberts, according to the news source. "The rent's the same no matter what, the gas bill's the same, the light bill's the same, the insurance is the same, and all of that has slowly but surely eroded away at the profitability."

If owners like Roberts are looking to capitalize on energy efficiency, they should consider purchasing a product like the Garland/US Range S684 Range. If used correctly, this mechanism will not waste fuel over the course of the day and may lower daily operational cost.

Prepare some Matzo-ball soup to celebrate Passover and Easter

4/9/2012 8:51:05 PM

Though traditionally considered a Jewish dish, Matzo-ball soup is a perfect precursor to any meal. The soft ball floating in delicious broth will be slurped up eagerly during Passover, Easter and other holidays, but may be served during any time of the year. Owners should consider putting this item on their menu to increase their customer base.

The Food Network has a few innovative recipes for Matzo-ball soup. The general rule of thumb for this cuisine is to keep it simple. Extra garnish or unusual ingredients detracts from the comforting simplicity of the dish. You'll need a couple of cups of Matzo meal, eggs and vegetable oil to create the soup, as well as salt and pepper to season to taste. All you have to do is boil water and mix the ingredients together - after refrigeration, the resulting dough can be rolled into different balls and placed in any type of broth. Vegetable broth tends to taste the best and can be made from onions, carrots and turnips among other items.

Once the soup is ready, you can place it into restaurant equipment like the Adcraft SK-500W Soup Kettle. This cost-effective unit can keep the broth piping hot, ready to be doled into a bowl and served to customers at a moment's notice.

Fluff up your eggs by adding a number of simple ingredients

4/3/2012 7:08:12 PM

Eggs are a tasty, protein-filled addition to any meal, and many restaurants incorporate this food into breakfast, lunch and dinner plates. For example, some forms of Asian cuisine add fried or scrambled eggs into platters of rice and other vegetables. As a chef, you'll always want eggs to remain moist and flavorful to ensure customer satisfaction. Keep these tips in mind when using commercial ranges to help prepare and cook eggs.

The most popular form of eggs is when they are scrambled - whipped chunks are shaped into omelettes, placed in burritos and served on their own as a side dish. However, no one likes dry eggs that are burnt to a crisp. There is a simple way to avoid this common problem - just add a bit of milk to fluff up liquid eggs before pouring them into a frying pan. Milk provides a bit of taste and some body to scrambled eggs, and for those who are more health-conscious, skim or fat-free versions can be used.

Don't forget to salt and pepper the eggs - while this food is noted for its distinct flavor, the raw batter needs a sprinkling of pepper flakes and salt crystals to avoid tasting bland. However, avoid massive amounts of these condiments - six eggs require no more than a handful of salt and pepper.

Once the final mixture is prepared, you'll want place it in a non-stick frying pan that is greased with a bit of olive oil. The added milk means the eggs will take a little longer to cook, so it is best to allow the mixture to simmer over low heat. One of the most common mistakes that chefs make is cooking eggs quickly at high temperatures - this does not allow even cooking and often results in a burned, unappetizing finished product.

Reliable restaurant equipment like the Garland/US Range 36ET33-88 36E Series Range can be used to evenly heat and cook scrambled eggs. After using the top burners to create an omelette or other shape, you can sprinkle cheese on top and place it in the lower oven to melt and brown the top layer. After about a minute at 350 degrees, the resulting dish will be piping-hot and ready to be consumed by happy customers.

Odd combinations of food can invite delicious results

3/30/2012 9:37:47 PM

History is filled with strange combinations of food that have turned out to be quite appetizing. Ketchup and eggs, bacon and chocolate and even peanut butter and mayo sandwiches are eaten on a regular basis. Culinary institutions should experiment with unique ingredients to provide innovative food to their customers, and restaurant equipment may be used to help achieve this goal.

An odd combination of food often results in increased business as customers are dared to sample an unordinary meal. For example, Taco Bell recently announced that some of its tacos would be created with a shell made out of Doritos. This joining was surprising enough to make tons of patrons forget about the heart-stopping qualities of fast food, and many diners have been leaving the restaurant with bellies full of nacho cheese.

Restaurant equipment like the Vulcan EV36-S-6FP-480 Restaurant Range may be used to prepare interesting dishes. Food can be grilled on the exterior cooking surface or baked in the oven and range that is located directly underneath the griddle. This way, if a certain meal obtains cult status, chefs will be able to satisfy customers quickly and efficiently with significant amounts of hot food.

Different flavors of coffee can add a spark to any meal

3/30/2012 9:37:46 PM

Coffee is an intrinsic part of the working world in the United States. Though some people choose to forgo this caffeinated beverage, others need a large cup of joe every morning in order to start the day. One merely needs to look at the inordinate amount of Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks to confirm this fact. Sometimes a customer might wish to branch out from the ordinary brands of coffee, and if an establishment wants to start making flavored drinks, it may use quality restaurant equipment to help the brewing process.

For example, the Grindmaster-Cecilware 7776(E) AMW Coffee Urn is one of the best options available for baristas and coffee shops operating in America. Any coffee brewed in this device can be stored in the internal urn and kept hot until it is ready to serve. However, while many people assume flavoring comes from the beans, the truth is that the majority of syrup is added after the brewing process.

Hazelnut, french vanilla and mocha flavoring can be purchased at many local retailers. About a teaspoon of each is all that is necessary to turn a regular cup of coffee into a unique drink. There are even more flavors that can be used such as pumpkin, french toasts, caramel and more.

Use alternative meats for health-conscious customers

3/30/2012 9:37:45 PM

Recent studies by culinary professionals have determined that excessive amounts of red meat can lead to long-term complications like heart disease and diabetes. Some people even want beef to be sold with a warning label like "Red Meat - Delicious But Deadly." Restaurants looking to project a health-conscious brand image may consider swapping out red meat with alternative animals for more nutritious meals.

For example, consider Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe in Boston. Though corned beef hash is a staple dish in many diners across the United States, the professionals here swap out the beef for turkey. The turkey hash is so good that it won a James Beard award in 2005. This establishment is living proof that you don't need to use red meat to gain a respectable culinary reputation.

When cooking leaner birds like turkey and chicken, chefs may use restaurant equipment like the Montague 136LB/UFLC-36R Legend Char-Broiler/Oven. Meat can be either grilled on the external cooking surface or placed in the oven compartment underneath. The adjustable temperature gauges and burners can meet even the strictest recipe requirements, and health-conscious customers will be drawn to the rich flavor of alternative ingredients.

Chain restaurants increase slightly while independent establishments decline

3/29/2012 2:28:36 PM

Despite the many different types of food and drink that establishments serve, there are really only two types of restaurants - a chain eatery that has other locations nationwide, and a mom-and-pop store that only has a few local shops. Recent data shows that these individual companies are experiencing a decline in business due to the unstable economy, but owners can look to save money with quality restaurant equipment.

"The restaurant industry has come through the upheaval of the past several years by listening closely to the consumer and adapting to their changing tastes - and they've done it well," said GE Capital Franchise Finance CEO Agustin Carcoba, according to Costar. "Depending on their segment, brand and focus, operators have emphasized food quality, service quality, menu options and other factors that will lead to renewed growth this year and in the years ahead. Even better, operators did it all while managing operational costs."

For example, restaurants might purchase the Bakers Pride 60-BP-0B-G60-CX26 Restaurant Series Range to help reduce business expenses. This device enables chefs to provide large amounts of food quickly and efficiently while maintaining high quality standards.