Restaurant Equipment For The 2019 Holiday Season

Foodservice Reports On Tracking Holding Cabinets Trends

 

 

 

The Holidays are fast approaching and if you have just taken orders that exceed your capacity for holding food for your dining guests Main Auction Services has just the solution for you in the remainder of 2019.  Main Auction has holding cabinets, mobile hot cabinets, warming and holding equipment and all types of catering and delivery holding cabinets for the asking. Please remember that Main Auction does specialize in restaurant equipment for sale and are here to meet your every Holiday Season needs. 

Hot Holding Cabinets can hold most foods and includes crispy food products such as breaded chicken in a dry-heat cabinet versus a wet model that uses humidity. The latest foodservice reports do indicate some obvious trends in the industry and discussions are positive on both sides of the equation of what type of holding cabinets are appropriate for particular foods prepared. In addition, food choices and location needs need to move quantities of food from point A to point B. Whether you have a restaurant catering an off-site event, a commissary servicing satellite dining rooms or a production kitchen regularly moving food short distances, a hot holding cabinet on wheels makes the task easy.

If you don't think these hot boxes are primarily for facilities that produce food in bulk, consider that more and more operators of all types are putting them to good use.

Trend options for determining what products are best consider the following:

Tracking the Trends - Results from these reports mean several industry trends are fueling growth in this restaurant equipment category, and a number of new products have been introduced in the past several years as a result.

Takeout and delivery. Growth in carryout and delivery as profit builders are aided by the popularity of online and mobile ordering. This alone has created a need for operators to keep food hot and fresh while waiting for customer or delivery driver pickup. Hot holding cabinets have been brought from the back of the house to the front. Often locations are an issue at the point of service to hold these orders. So manufacturers have upgraded the look of some models for front-of-house use, and some offer custom graphics as additional options. One manufacturer even offers a “smart” self-service holding cabinet that unlocks a door to the compartment holding a customer’s order with a QR code or PIN texted to a smartphone. Technology is great for ease of use. Customer Service at its finest.

Catering -  More operators are turning to catering events off-premise as an additional revenue stream. Varieties of venues selected are more remote and off the grid, requiring equipment that’s tougher and self-sufficient. Holding Cabinet Equipment manufacturers have come up with a number of products that offer alternative heat sources, longer-lasting heat retention and extreme durability.

Pop-ups, farmers markets and street fairs - As a way to test new menu items or new concepts or to market themselves locally, Street vendors and operators are setting up temporary shop for test purposes. Mobile hot boxes let them offer more with less cooking equipment at sites with no kitchen access.

Metro Ali Group Hot Holding Cabinet - It is now possible to select a cabinet that best fits the level of mobility your application requires. One example that Metro/Ali Group C5 4 Series (see video above) unit has put into position is using panels that act as a full-body bumper for protection during transport.

Degrees of Mobility - Virtually all hot holding cabinets are on casters, making them all mobile.

Consider these options:

They’re generally designed with three degrees of mobility in mind, and you may think of them like you would a family station wagon, a mid-size SUV with front-wheel drive and a true, four wheel-drive off-road vehicle.

Non-insulated aluminum-construction and even some stainless models, can now be designed to remain relatively stationary in the back of the house, keeping food warm to replenish a steam table or begin a meal service. Another option is heavier-duty insulated models, and these cabinets are mobile only so employees can move them from one area of the kitchen to another to fill or empty them.

Satellite transport cabinets are the next step up in mobility. Designed to get food from one location to another—say from a hospital kitchen to a cafeteria in another building—they’re built to take bumps and bruises, traverse varied surfaces and retain heat while unplugged for several hours if necessary.

Off-the-grid carts are designed for travel over rough terrain and operation in locales with no power. In addition to sturdy construction, features often include thick, foamed-in-place insulation, stainless or plastic-clad exterior, large pneumatic wheels and alternative heat sources such as propane or batteries and solar-powered controls and displays. Molded polyethylene hot boxes, though not always pretty, are the most ding-resistant and weatherproof, and may provide an economical alternative depending on your application.

Key consideration of mobility may be determined by volume, types of pans you use for food production, and the physical layout of your operation. It's possible to now find models and sizese that can meet your needs. Holding Cabinets are available in full-size (typically close to 6-ft.H), ¾-size (between 54-in.H and 60-in.H), half-size (about 36-in.H) and undercounter models (less than 32-in.H) with a range of interior dimensions for meeting your exact needs in any given locations.

In the world of heated cabinets and carts associated with specific types of foodservice, new options are banquet carts or meal tray carts that deliver plated meals in hotel or hospital settings, but they're not part of this article. Hospitality needs differ and will be addressed later in the education process in the coming months.

Main Auction Services buys and sells new and used restaurant equipment in Texas and nationwide, with new inventory arrives on a daily basis. This inventory is made available for purchase through regularly scheduled online auctions.

If you are looking to buy new or used restaurant equipment, then you have come to the right place. Main Auction Services is a leading supplier of quality restaurant equipment. Main Auction Services has over 35 years of combined restaurant, food service, and related industry experience to help you equip your kitchen. Call us today in Dallas at 972-642-0513 or in Irving at 972-579-4612. Se Habla Español!