Trends in fryers, broilers and grills

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Trends in fryers, broilers and grills

Energy efficiency and oil-free frying top the list of industry demands.

By Lisa Kopochinski


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Like refrigerators and freezers, energy efficiency in grills, fryers and broilers continues to be the main demand of the restaurant and foodservice industry, but other trends are also gaining in popularity.

Due to an increasingly health-conscious society, more restaurant operators are incorporating oil-less frying equipment to satisfy customers' desires for healthier food options.

For instance, Rational U.S. and Canada offers its CombiFry accessory that allows operators to fry products without oil. This accessory is part of the company's core product, the SelfCooking Center, which is a unit that can fry, grill, broil and more. Fried foods cooked in the SelfCooking Center have all the taste of oil-fried foods, but up to 80 per cent less fat than deep-fried foods.

"Instead of using expensive, fattening oil, the unit cooks fried foods with its patented airflow technology that circulates through the specially designed CombiFry baskets," says Vinod Jotwani, director of marketing for Rational U.S. and Canada. "The CombiFry was recently redesigned with a wave formation across the entire base of the basket, which ensures that the food lays unevenly to prevent sticking. The height of the basket has also been reduced to prevent overloading."

Larry Orton, product manager for Garland Canada, says that while operators want to be environmentally responsible, they realize that energy efficiency will add cost to the product through the use of new technologies and expensive components.

"The interest and growth of energy efficient products continues to grow, but has been tempered due to the downturn in the economy," he says. "When faced with a substantially higher replacement cost or initial start-up cost, some operators have opted to invoke fiscal reality."

To this end, Garland Canada is stressing "cost of operation" as a more effective adjunct to energy efficiency. In the case of fryers, Orton says a great deal more money can be saved over time, focusing on filtering and maximizing the life of cooking oil versus pure energy savings.

"As the cost of oil has sky rocketed, extending the life of your oil is a critical component to a healthy bottom line, and improving the overall quality of the food produced at your fry station," says Orton. "Economic calculators easily demonstrate that payback can be achieved much faster by including a filtration system as well as an energy efficient fryer."

Adds Paul Beauvais, sales development manager for Hobart Canada: "Owners are always looking for great energy efficiencies and extended oil life to save money. With Vulcan and Hobart's micro-filtration fabric envelope, we can filter particulate down to 0.5 microns, extending the life of the oil by 200-400 per cent.

New Developments

With the increasing number of new developments in fryers that focus on enhancements to efficiency, current changes in the design of elements and insulation packages are driving the cost of operation of gas and electric fryers much closer together.

"As the volatility of natural gas prices continues to worry operators and end users, the appeal of electric fryers is growing," stresses Orton. "We currently see electric fryers becoming a more significant factor each year."

In the fryer category, there is also significant interest in developing rethermalizers that are similar to a pasta cooker in overall design, but are used to reconstitute products that have been sealed in pouch-type packaging. And as operational footprints become smaller due to capital cost, operators are striving towards technology that allows them to offer a broader high-quality food offering without all the cooking equipment necessary to prepare from scratch.

With respect to broilers, Garland is continuing to market its HEE broiler, a high-efficiency gas broiler designed for high-volume operations specializing in proteins, such as beef, pork, lamb, chicken and fish. Orton says this broiler is more efficient than regular broilers available today.

"The nature of the grilling/broiling operation, with the need to sear products at high temperatures, makes the product a larger consumer of gas than any other appliance in the kitchen, so we will always be looking for new enhancements to a traditional cooking style in a more efficient manner."

Operators also remain concerned that in today's tough economy—where customers have limited disposable income but still plenty of dining venue options—serving diners fast remains the name of the game.

"The biggest business risk is not being able to serve a meal in a timely manner," says Beauvais. "I think if they have to wait too long, they may not give [that restaurant] a second try."

He adds that operators are always looking for ways to be more efficient in their stores. "With that said, equipment that costs more on the front end does so because it features performance and productivity benefits. Operators must know what will make them money when it comes to efficiency and performance, not just initial purchase price."

Second Hand Units

The jury appears to still be out on whether purchasing used or refurbished equipment is a smart route for operators to pursue.

Jotwani says there will always be a market for used equipment, which is a little different from refurbished. "With used equipment, the main advantage is that you can equip your kitchen at a lower upf ront cost . The main disadvantages, however, are that typically older equipment is less energy-efficient and often less sophisticated in terms of cooking capabilities."

Beauvais doesn't think there are any established chain restaurants that are putting their money (and future) into the purchase of used equipment.

"I think the used equipment business is the territory of equipment dealers that may have sold the original equipment package and the concept failed," he says. "I think most of the used equipment comes from restaurants that could not execute their promise to the customer. The restaurant business is tough with many pressures of labour, food costs, operations, real estate and insurance. Equipment is only one facet of the business."

Jotwani adds that over the long term used equipment can be a wash financially, because older equipment can eat up the upfront savings in maintenance and repair costs. "The warranties on new units provide a peace of mind that used equipment does not."

What to Know When Buying

When it comes to buying a new fryer, grill and broiler, the experts' advice is simple: buy the best that you can afford, plus a little bit.

Jotwani says it's vital that prospective buyers understand the requirements of their menu, including types of items and volume of items served; staff capabilities; and the importance of establishing a budget for equipment that accounts for upfront costs, long- term reliability, ancillary product costs (i.e. fryer oil), and operating costs (energy, labour and training, maintenance and repair).

Recognizing that no one has an unlimited budget, Orton says that Garland offers a "good, better, best" mentality for its products that gives the operator the opportunity to match their budget to an appropriate level of features, benefits and technologies.

“Our goal is always to understand the customer’s real needs and match the equipment and technology to that need and the available budget.”

The Right Time to Upgrade
Knowing when to upgrade restaurant equipment can depend on myriad factors. Often the most telling indicator is an increase in maintenance and repair costs.

"As these costs start to mount, the smart operator will look at the replacement costs of a newer product with newer technology and construction methods versus patching an older product," says Larry Orton, product manager for Garland Canada.

After-market service and labour can be very expensive, especially when the operator is faced with changing major components.

"Replacement can come if the existing equipment can't keep up with demand," remarks Paul Beauvais, sales development manager for Hobart Canada. "Lost revenue and upset customers are hard to replace. As well, replacement might also be considered if the equipment is old, though still working, but whose cost has been completely depreciated with no tax advantage."

Additionally, a significant change in an establishment's menu offering or operating procedures or footprint can also trigger the need for new equipment to keep pace with the evolution of menu trends, consumer tastes and managing effectively to a target cost of operation.

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