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In many restaurants, the utensil bin is seemingly just a station where customers or staff pick up a plastic fork, knife, or spoon, toss it into the bag of food, and move on. In some establishments, however, those bins of cutlery signal much more. They indicate to the customer whether the restaurant is clean, environmentally responsible, and a good place to eat. For operators, it’s the area that can improve efficiency and sustainability, cut labor costs, and drive customer loyalty.
The key is to dispense the cutlery in a way that is hygienic and that does not require much in the way of labor resources. Innovative cutlery dispensers can help operators meet all these goals.
Ensuring hygiene
The pandemic changed how consumers view cleanliness and hygiene. For example, diners are concerned about utensils, especially in self-serve environments. According to research by GP PRO, nine out of 10 consumers feel it’s important that no one else touch their cutlery.
“Expectations from patrons have changed dramatically,” says Dan Nirenberg, vice president and general manager, Beverage and Cutlery, for GP PRO. “What was nice to have—cleanliness—is a must-have these days.”
Among GP PRO’s newest products are the Dixie Ultra® SmartStock® TriTower Cutlery Dispenser and the Dixie Ultra® SmartStock® Wrapped Cutlery Dispenser. Both solve issues related to having bulk utensils in open bins that are unhygienic, wasteful, and take up valuable counter space. The TriTower dispensers are fully enclosed touchless dispensers with no levers, buttons, or trays. The Wrapped dispensers dispense wrapped forks, knives, and spoons one at a time. Both dispensers help reduce touchpoints and cross contamination.
GP PRO’s research shows that 63% of consumers prefer dispensed cutlery over cutlery from an open bin. “We’re really just ensuring those patrons only touch the utensils that they need,” says Amy LaHue, director of Cutlery for GP PRO.
GP PRO’s dispensers also prevent another cleanliness pitfall, which is that open bins are difficult and time consuming to clean. A crew member would typically have to remove the cutlery, wash and sanitize the bin, wait for it to dry, and then refill it. The SmartStock dispensers, though, are fully enclosed, LaHue says, so a worker only needs to wipe down the outside.
Increasing efficiency
With SmartStock cutlery dispensers, employees are free to perform other important tasks, including focusing on customer service instead of regularly refilling cutlery bins. The Dixie Ultra SmartStock TriTower Cutlery Dispenser and the Dixie Ultra SmartStock Wrapped Cutlery Dispenser hold many more utensils than open bulk bins. The Wrapped cutlery dispenser is a modular product, so the operator can buy multiple dispensers that snap together, each holding 85 utensils. The TriTower cutlery dispenser holds 390 utensils. Refilling each is as easy as opening the dispenser and inserting the pre-counted bands of utensils. Both dispensers have green, yellow, and red lights to indicate refill status.
To further improve efficiency, the GP PRO dispensers take up less counter space than open bulk bins. In addition, the dispensers can both be wall mounted, which frees up even more room for assembling food orders. And, the operation does not need storage space for large boxes of utensils, which is especially important in today’s streamlined kitchens as drive-thru locations and other smaller establishments gain popularity. “Space is definitely a commodity that is not unending,” Nirenberg says.
Less waste, more sustainability
On the sustainability side, the Dixie Ultra SmartStock TriTower Cutlery Dispenser and the Dixie Ultra SmartStock Wrapped Cutlery Dispenser help prevent waste. Nirenberg says the typical scenario with traditional bulk bins is that the customer pulls out one fork causing up to three more forks to fall on the floor. With its one-at-a-time dispensing, the TriTower dispenser reduces cutlery usage an average of 31% compared to bulk utensils in open bins. The SmartStock Wrapped cutlery is wrapped only at the eating end, using 60% less plastic than fully wrapped utensils. That appeals to consumers, as GP PRO research found that 68% of patrons consider restaurants that offer partially wrapped cutlery as more environmentally conscious.
GP PRO offers several lines of cutlery for use in the SmartStock TriTower Cutlery Dispenser, including a line of compostable cutlery that is made from 100% renewable material and is BPI-certified as compostable.
All of these attributes not only help operators increase efficiency and sustainability, lower costs and drive efficiency, but they also give customers a positive perception of the establishment, which can help drive traffic. In fact, GP PRO research indicates that 68% of patrons say a restaurant using Dixie Ultra SmartStock Tri-Tower Cutlery would make them more loyal to the establishment, and 75% agree that the dispenser improved their impression of the restaurant.
“Operators are very satisfied with the value that these dispensers provide,” La Hue says.
