The right partnership between the restaurant owner and the distributor can help the restaurateur grow their business quickly and easily. In the past, typical dealerships were often viewed solely as sources for basic items like silverware, china, pots and pans, ovens, refrigerators, and other everyday kitchen equipment. Items offered were strictly cash and to go, unless the food service operator chose to pay an additional surcharge for what we now consider basic value-added services, such as delivery or installation of kitchen equipment.
Today’s ever-changing marketplace has spawned a new type of FE&S dealership. Today’s distributors are experts not only in distribution, but by necessity have been trained to become experts in all facets of our customers’ businesses. Distributors now specialize in kitchen layout and design, interior design, safe food handling, menu development, staff training and retention techniques, as well as many other areas of restaurant operations. In the age of technology, a customer can find anything on the Internet, at any price. Most direct mail houses actually offer cheaper supplies and equipment than any sales rep.
What a customer does not get online is personalized and individual service. Therefore, the main question to ask yourself is: “What can I offer my clients to help make their business a little more successful today than it was yesterday? How can I do this on their terms and/or budget?” Restaurateurs now see dealers as consultants to their business, and many end users almost view their FE&S dealer as an extension of their own operations. In today’s technology-driven marketplace, no one is more than a cell phone call or email away. The services now offered help create a more efficient and secure operation for the end user. A more efficient kitchen will result in lower operating costs and labor savings. In addition, the principles incorporated into a well-executed kitchen design take into account many safety concerns that end users may not realize early in the design process. For example, an operator may choose to place an ice machine in a hallway or in an area that may create a slip hazard.
Today, the average injury claim for someone who slips and falls in a kitchen can cost a restaurant owner millions of thousands of dollars. This is an expensive risk that can be easily avoided by using a skilled designer. Food safety is another primary concern when designing a food service facility. Throughout any organizational process, it is critical to keep food out of the temperature danger zone. Current HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) laws dictate that food cannot be exposed to temperatures between 41F and 135F, “the danger zone,” for more than four hours (note: HACCP regulations vary by municipality local). As a result, operators tend to receive bulk shipments directly into cold rooms or freezers. The operator must then first start bulk dividing and distributing these foods to remote locations, either in the same building or on the same property, while also keeping abreast of the temperature changes of the various commodities.
As a result, FE&S dealers or consultants must design the facility in such a way that exposure to the danger zone is minimized and personnel efforts are maximized. This means designing the receiving area with enough space to inspect, store, and receive incoming food. Then, each kitchen or cooking place must have sufficient refrigeration for short-term food storage. The dealer or consultant must work closely with the operator to design these areas with sufficient capacity, without over-equipping and wasting the customer’s money. Food safety also becomes a design concern when organizing the setup of any kitchen or preparation area. Raw meats cannot be prepared together with raw vegetables or fruits. Storage in a refrigerator or freezer has a proper and safe method of organization to promote less bacterial growth. A knowledgeable dealer can use her training and experience to guide the owner through food safety hazards, ensuring a more successful establishment.
In addition to value engineering, commercial kitchen design and food safety concerns, operators want FE&S distributors to keep up with industry trends. Not only do they want the foodservice distributor to stock the latest cutting-edge dinnerware and cutlery patterns, they also want the distributor to keep them informed about the latest cost-saving kitchen equipment.
A typical responsible dealership will act as the “eyes and ears” of a restaurant owner, keeping the restaurateur informed of new items or changes in the industry as they occur. As a distributor, we must not only follow current industry trends, but also be responsible for helping create future trends. The latest trend in the industry is the evolution of the test kitchen. Many dealerships now offer fully operational test kitchens for customer use, providing many exciting benefits. These test kitchens give small single unit operators or large multi-unit chain operators the ability to try out a new piece of kitchen equipment before making a purchase.
A chef can bring in product and test existing order lines to increase efficiency, or create new menu additions on any team. It also allows managers to get out of their restaurants, away from the hustle and bustle of daily operations, and focus on their particular experiment or training. An on-site test kitchen makes it easy for district managers to train franchisees or store managers on procedures around new menu items. The sales representative will schedule an appointment in the test kitchen and have any of the requested equipment available for your customers’ use. This convenience not only allows a customer to walk away and feel secure about their recent equipment purchase, but also allows a chef to feel more confident operating new equipment when he returns to her property. Lastly, in addition to a test kitchen, these facilities often include private classrooms that make weekly or monthly staff meetings a more pleasant experience.