One case (twelve .75 L bottles) contains 304 oz. of liquor and yields 243, 1.25 oz. pours. Pouring just .25 oz. over per glass results in a yield of only 203 drinks per case. At $6 a drink, the bar owner could lose up to $240 in profit per case. If the operation goes through 7 cases a week for a full year, it stands to lose upwards of $87,360 per year.
Typically a drink’s total alcohol content does not exceed 2 oz. The main ingredient is usually 1.25 oz., and any other liquor makes up the remaining .75 oz. (example: margarita 1.25 oz. tequila .75 oz. triple sec, 1 or more oz. lime juice and mix).
There are a few ways to monitor pour volume. The first would be by implementing Posi-Por pourers from Spill-Stop into a bar program. These pourers fit on liquor bottles and measure out 1 oz. pours. Another option is to mandate that bar tenders use shot glasses to measure liquor before mixing drinks. The last is proper training and supervision. Either way, all should lead to higher yields from the bar.
Any grease, dirt, or soap film on a glass can leave beverages flat. A properly cleaned glass allows water to sheet off evenly, leaving it to dry without spots and streaks. Soda and sparkling wine will taste fresher with more fizz. Wine lovers will experience the true color, aroma, and taste of fine wines. When serving beer, clean glasses also promote an appealing “head” on the beer that leaves a lace with every sip. Controlling the head on a beer also carries profit and loss factors (see chart below). For instructions on pouring the perfect beer, click here. An electric glass washer and proper chemicals may be something to consider for consistent profits and customer satisfaction in beverage service.
Beverages can be a huge profit generator. Even though the prep of drinks is minor compared to meals, operators should make sure not to cut any corners.
In a commercial kitchen, a portion control scale is a necessity. Selling a 12 oz. steak when your menu price is based on a 10 oz. portion means that for every five steaks you serve, you’re giving one away. That’s lost profit. And when the error goes in the other direction, inconsistent portion sizes can result in unhappy customers. Here is some help selecting a commercial portion control scale.
Commercial foodservice portion control scales typically fall into one of two categories: mechanical or electronic. But before you decide which is best, you must first determine whether or not you need a “legal for trade” scale. Legal for trade scales are the most accurate scales, extensively tested and certified by the National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP). In many states, they’re required in operations like delis, produce markets, bakeries, and fish markets, where food products are sold by weight. The electronic versions may feature easy to read displays, label printers, and programmable keys for quick SKU lookups. You’ll pay for the advanced features and the certification.
Direct dining is an emerging trend in long-term care facilities. It’s pretty simple too. Rather than bring the people to the food, operators are now more inclined to bring the food to the people. Direct dining provides operators several benefits. First, it provides choices. Residents can choose from a wider variety of food and operators can choose where they’d like to serve each meal. Direct dining also allows for more complete portion control which is a benefit to both the operator and diner. Cadco’s MobileServ® line of food carts is the perfect option for operators who choose the direct dining route. The MobileServ line includes two different food carts and a drink cart. For more on direct dining with MobileServ from Cadco, click here.
There have been very few changes to kettles over the years. Vulcan has however, made a few adjustment to their jacketed kettles that could make a huge difference in ease-of-use for operators.
The biggest adjustment Vulcan has made is to the controls. Rather than a standard numbering system, Vulcan has implemented a knob with three main settings; warm, simmer, and boil. This takes much of the guesswork out of setting the kettle to the desired temperature. An addition that Vulcan has made to its kettles is that they come standard with embossed, true working capacity gallon markings. This provides end users the convenience of knowing how much liquid the kettle contains at any given moment without the worry of overfilling the kettle. For example, if the 60-gallon kettle is filled with 60 gallons of liquid, there’s available room in the kettle so the liquid can be stirred without overflowing. A third upgrade on the Vulcan kettles is the heavy-duty reinforced rim. The rim is now built to take the everyday beating of a busy foodservice operation.
For more on the Vulcan jacketed kettles, click here.
It’s not a surprise that this Champion High Temp, Undercounter Dishwasher won a 2014 Kitchen Innovation Award. Champion’s new UH330B features Champion’s new Dry Assist technology. This high-temp machine speeds up the time it takes to wash, rinse, and dry dishes in a foodservice operation. To conclude its cycle, the machine dries the dishes inside its chamber.
The new dry assist technology keeps all of the steam and heat inside the chamber and turns it into a free heat source for the dishwasher. How does it do this? Basically, instead of emitting a rush of steam when the door is opened, the machine’s Dry Assist technology takes the air and heat out of the chamber and runs it through the heat processor and down through the booster. This process turns the hot air into a free usable energy resource.
For more information on Champion’s new Dry Assist technology, click here.
Everyone loves a refreshing slush on a hot summer day. They’re delicious and when you see that cold red and blue slush on display, it’s almost impossible to pass up buying one. Vollrath Frozen Beverage Dispensers are designed for cold or frozen slush and milk-based drinks including granitas, iced or frozen coffee or tea, frozen cocktails, smoothies, meaning these machines can serve a wide variety of tastes and preferences.
These dispensers really stand out from the crowd and generate revenue, but they’re designed to meet the every day needs of your operation. The seamless bowl design eliminates the trouble that can be caused by the drink mixture getting into the motor.
One of the other differences is the way the slush is mixed and chilled. The Vollrath mixing mechanism constantly runs the product over the freezing plate at the bottom of the unit. This creates a perfect slush at the coldest temperature possible with every serving.
For maximum efficiency during off hours it has a night mode setting. In night mode, the slush mix will hold at the proper temperature and be ready to be mixed into a refreshing slush the next morning when service starts. Controls also include low-level alert, temperature alert, and on-board diagnostics.
‘Plug and play’ installation makes it easy to add a frozen beverage program to any menu.
They Vollrath Frozen Beverage Dispenser is available with a 3-gallon bowl in a single, double, and triple bowl unit. They are also available with a 1.5-gallon bowl in a single or double unit. The auto-fill accessory can be added for 3-gallon, two and three bowl machines to increase drink production.
Imagine it’s an early evening in June and you’re sitting on the beach watching the sun go down while nursing an umbrella-topped goblet of rum, juice, and tropical fruit. You’re a restaurant owner, but your eatery has been doing well, so now you’re spending more evenings on the beach, and fewer in the kitchen.
All of a sudden you receive a text message on your phone. The temperature of the walk-in freezer on the lower level of your restaurant has just risen above a preset critical limit. The message was sent to you by NotifEye, the remote temperature monitoring system introduced by Cooper-Atkins earlier this year.
You congratulate yourself for installing NotifEye while you dial your head chef and alert him to the problem. He checks the box and discovers a tripped breaker. He resets the breaker. The freezer returns to safe operating temperatures. You smile knowing that you just prevented the loss of several thousands of dollars worth of frozen inventory. You order another drink.
This must be an elaborate, high-tech system for sure, right? No. Not at all. NotifEye is a simple, self-installable system that is ready to use right out of the box. It requires minimal set-up and uses cloud software to communicate with your computer and phone. It can be ordered with either an Ethernet Gateway (on left) or USB Gateway Kit (on right) with four sensors. NotifEye is ideal for remotely monitoring critical temperatures in coolers, freezers, walk-ins, reach-ins, salad bars, steam tables, open merchandisers, and holding cabinets. NotifEye can increase operating efficiencies while avoiding potential spoilage.
It’s that time of year when everyone wants to eat and drink outside.
Patios, poolside, rooftops and decks all make great alfresco venues. One thing that could ruin any alfresco experience however is broken glass.
For operators that demand a certain level of elegance in their presentation, glass is no longer a necessity. With the introduction of Carlisle’s contemporary Cascata and Astaire lines, operators can get an elegant presentation without the risk of broken glass.
Both Cascata Carafes and Astaire Drinkware are made of shatterproof, NSF rated polycarbonate plastic. Polycarbonate rates as one of the most durable plastics used to make foodservice supplies. It also has a very high level of clarity. Additionally, it’s dishwasher safe.
The stylish look of Cascata Carafes makes them perfect for tabletops or buffets. They come in four different sizes, all of which are ergonomically designed so they’re easy to hold and pour from. The larger sized carafes are perfect for water, juice, or wine while the smaller sizes can be used for single-portion drinks, salad dressing, syrup or even snack mix. For instances like room service, where drinks will travel a fair distance, Carlisle has made snap-on lids available in a solid or hinged style. Lastly, all Cascata Carafes feature capacity marks to aid in portion control.
The Astaire line features eight pieces. The line’s sleek and contemporary look includes an assortment of wine glasses. It even includes a trendy stemless wine glass for occasions that require more stability.
For more on the Astaire and Cascata lines from Carlisle, click here.
The exciting new Panasonic Microwave Steamer Ovens use microwave technology to steam. It’s extremely convenient, produces high quality product and can ultimately be more healthy for consumers. The Panasonic steamer doesn’t require a water line, drain line, or hood vent that traditional steamers need. And an independent, third-party research study revealed that cooking with the Panasonic Microwave Steamer retains up to seven times more water-soluble nutrients in foods than conventional methods. Panasonic features two models, both large enough to hold two full-size, 4-inch deep steam table pans. Both models also feature Panasonic’s exclusive heating system for faster cooking and higher energy efficiency.
For maximum efficiency during off hours it has a night mode setting. In night mode, the slush mix will hold at the proper temperature and be ready to be mixed into a refreshing slush the next morning when service starts. Controls also include low-level alert, temperature alert, and on-board diagnostics.
It’s that time of year when everyone wants to eat and drink outside.