We polled some Curtis Consultants from the showroom floor to get the scoop on what restaurant owners and commercial kitchen managers are loving right now. While Curtis Restaurant Supply has 3,000 products in its showroom and access to thousands more from manufacturers, these were their top picks.
In the era of distanced dining, Liz Pennekamp says plexiglass barriers like Hatco’s Cashier or Countertop Shield provide an extra layer of safety and can be used between booths to keep restaurants from closing seating.
“We’ve also noticed how nice it is that they block sound so you can hear the people you are with,” she said. “The wood ones are great so you can’t see the random strangers in the next booth. I could see taller booths becoming part of the trend as well.”
Laurie Mills noted another popular health-minded solution: UV sanitizers. Portable wand sanitizers like the Titan UV Rapid Handheld can decontaminate a surface or object in less than 3 seconds.
Our consultants suspect the to-go trend is not likely to go away.
“People are spending more time at home, so family meals-to-go are probably here to stay,” said Curtis Consultant Curtis Price (just a coincidence but it has a nice ring doesn’t it?). Eco-friendly containers, such as GET Eco-Takeouts, are good for any cafeteria setting (school, hospitals or work campuses, for example) because they are re-usable for up to 1,000 times through a commercial dishwasher. These BPA-free plastic clamshells can be filled with a single entree, a salad, side dishes and more.
Liz recommends Hatco Warming Shelves and Lockers for keeping take-out meals at ideal temperatures. Shelves are great for pizzas and behind-the-counter orders. Warming lockers offer a new level of speed and safety. Customers and delivery drivers can arrive, access their specific locker and leave without waiting in line or disturbing the flow of business.
To-Go stations that are well-stocked and organized help ensure the customer has everything they need when dining at home. Laurie recommends the Quantum Store Grid Mounted Shelving System – “Think Metro Smartwall but cheaper” – to keep work surfaces clean and maximize space. The metal grid and wall tracks are easy to install and bacteria resistant.
The app-to-fork, healthy meal dispenser known as Sally is another trending item. This salad-bar robot reimagines healthy food on the go in a 3×3 space. Ingredients for grain bowls, yogurt parfaits, salads and cereal are loaded into the machine which can serve about 65 meals before needing to be refilled. It has built-in refrigeration too so it can be left filled overnight saving money on labor costs.
Want more information on great products like we’ve shown here? Contact our Curtis Consultants today and see how they can help stock your kitchen essentials.
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