Gearing up for post-covid competition with refrigeration upgradesGearing up for post-covid competition with refrigeration upgrades

Having withstood the pandemic’s sternest tests, many restaurant operators now can retool their kitchens and prepare for more business. One move many are weighing is replacing refrigerators. A well-considered upgrade can help control costs, enhance efficiency, boost customer throughput and burnish grab-and-go and takeout sales, all important contributors to success today.

Why does it pay to upgrade refrigerators? Here are some thoughts.

Better engineering

Design advances in the commercial refrigerators of the Hoshizaki Steelheart Series keep food cold and fresh longer.

“We have a unique airflow in our product that differentiates us,” says Rod Johnson, director of consultant services at Hoshizaki America Inc. “Ours comes out of the evaporator and is bombed down the side of the unit with ducts and louvers so it hits all the shelves coming down. That really helps circulate cold air throughout the cavity.”

Steelheart refrigerators maintain even, NSF-7 temperatures with quick recovery for optimum cold-food storage. “Being able to pull food products to the right temperature and hold them is essential,” says Johnson.

Other built-in advantages are a top-mount design, which permits up to 10% more internal storage space, stainless-steel construction to withstand arduous kitchen use and fewer parts for a simpler, more dependable unit.

Improved service

Even though patrons are flocking back to dining rooms, they still want fast and convenient food to eat at home. Roll-in and roll-thru refrigerators, grab-and-go cases and display merchandisers serve them better.

“Throughout COVID, we saw a big increase in demand for refrigeration on wheels,” says Johnson. “Operators were moving refrigerators around because when their dining rooms closed, they had to find creative ways to help customers take food home.”

Refrigerator upgrades can also improve grab-and-go food operations, which spiked during the pandemic and remain viable today. The Ultimate E&S Trend Recap for 2021, a report by the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM), suggests “open-front, easy-to-access, grab-and-go display units to help boost sales.”

Such units can also benefit carryout and delivery programs, the Trend Recap says, noting: “They can help create a dedicated area for pickup orders or delivery drivers, similar to newer technologies like food lockers or kiosks.”

Fresh, clean food

“The growing clean-eating trend means consumer preference for freshness is widespread,” says the Trend Recap. For some operators, satisfying this customer demand “might mean the need for more cooler space, including glass-doored merchandisers that put beautiful, fresh ingredients on display for consumers.”

“Glass-doored refrigerators are great,” says Johnson. “You can just look in to see your food inventory without opening it.” And when the glass-fronted unit faces customers, it becomes a potent merchandising tool for packaged foods and beverages.

Even with the high demand for fresh foods, “freezers are still a necessary element of many kitchens,” the Trend Recap says, pointing to the value of a combination cooler/freezer walk-in.

Refrigerators with pass-thru doors—which allow products to be inserted and removed from both the front and back of the unit—are beneficial for saving steps, time and labor in the kitchen. “You see them in various segments, such as K-12, college and university and casinos,” says Johnson. “They save workers from having to walk long distances to access the unit.”

And when it comes to saving time and motion in the kitchen, don’t forget reach-in refrigerators with convenient hands-free features, such as doors that open with a foot pedal and swing closed by themselves.

Lower energy bills

“People are upgrading refrigeration because the products today are more efficient,” says Johnson. Saving on electricity is vital at a time of rising commodity and labor costs. Hoshizaki has an array of refrigerators—ranging from worktop and undercounter units to pass-thru uprights and glass-door merchandisers—that are Energy Star qualified for energy efficiency.

Refrigerators can also be specified with energy-efficient features, such as half doors rather than a full door on an upright unit. “When you open a half door, you're keeping more energy inside than if you opened the whole door,” says Johnson.

Looking ahead, the refrigerators of the future will likely offer smart connectivity through a cloud-based platform for real-time monitoring and control. For instance, if a unit malfunctions and the temperature rises, it will alert the operator by text or email. Already in use with Hoshizaki ice machines, this important capability is on the horizon for refrigerators, too.

For operators gearing up to compete in the post-pandemic world, a well-considered refrigeration upgrade can pay dividends in greater efficiency, lower costs and better service. Visit www.hoshizakiamerica.com for more information about Hoshizaki refrigerators.