What are the latest developments in the field of kitchen supplies and equipment and how do these developments benefit mid-market hotels?
Rashid Bahar: Many of the big brands are now offering a second line of equipment. This is great for mid-market hoteliers because they can now buy branded equipment at a reasonable price. Usually the main components, e.g. burners, pilot asssembly, etc., of the second line are the same as the ‘big brother’ but the material encasing it is usually down-spec’d somewhat. This means the equipment is actually just as powerful as those in the branded line.
Simon Parke-Davis: Developments in kitchen supplies and equipment have come from manufacturers listening to customers, understanding their needs and taking the environment into consideration. From a working perspective, we need to look at quality of life for employees including less stress and handling, better working conditions with less heat in the kitchen and ease of use. Their customers in turn expect great results with food and drinks, and want to consume consistently high quality products. From an environmental perspective, we need to look at the CSR aspects of the supply chain and production phases, to deliver products that consume less water and power but deliver higher performance in a smaller footprint. All of this must be remotely accessible from anywhere on the planet using today’s existing platforms and interfaces, checking on HACCP and lifecycle management as examples. At Rational, we have enveloped these aspects into the SelfCookingCenter, CombiMaster Plus and VarioCooking Center models.
Leonard Parot: We focus on reducing the footprint of equipment while maximising flexibility and throughput. Thanks to this, a kitchen in the mid-market segment needs very few pieces of equipment to deliver a broad food and beverage offer. Meanwhile, innovations such as touchscreen control eases operations and training and helps to reduce staffing and save costs, while ensuring consistent cooking results. This is praised by mid-market operators.
What is your bestselling offering for the hospitality industry?
Bahar: We use our own fabricator for custom counters and cabinets, do not overcharge our customers and limit variations to an absolute minimum where possible, i.e. we do not ‘nickel and dime’ our customers and offer hands-down the best after-sales service in the region.
Parke-Davis: Our bestselling offerings are our SelfCookingCenter and the SelfCookingCenter XS models. The new SelfCookingCenter is the result of 40 years of research into cooking by Rational. With more intelligent cooking processes, greater conservation of resources and ease of operation, it meets the needs of international cuisine in the most optimal way.
Parot: Convotherm and Merrychef are our bestselling solutions. On the cold side, Manitowoc is the easiest to clean and the most operator-friendly ice machine on the market.
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