It’s no secret that ShortOrder has the best selection of restaurant equipment at the lowest prices. But did you know ShortOrder also offers bar equipment? From direct draw to liquor display, ShortOrder.com has you covered.

Bar Equipment: Blenders

Where would a bar be without commercial blenders? Perfect for whipping up margaritas, pina coladas, smoothis and countless other tasty treats, commercial blenders are essential bar equipment. Choose a model from the economy series, restaurant series or heavy duty/high production series. Economy series blenders are perfect if you’re looking for basic, inexpensive bar equipment. Restaurant series blenders are great for typical restaurant and bar use. And heavy duty/high production blenders like the Waring BB190 are made for heavy use and high efficiency.

Bar Equipment: Bar Sinks

When it comes to bar equipment, bar sinks are another great type of equipment to have. They’re useful for washing, rinsing and sanitizing dishes. They typically have three separate compartments to handle each of those things.

Bar Equipment: Glass Washers

Glass washers are the piece of bar equipment to have for sanitizing glasses. Depending on the glass washer, glasses are sanitized with hot water or chemicals. The Hobart LXIH-3, for example, is a hot water sanitation glass washer.

Bar Equipment: Draft Beer Coolers

Direct draw systems, also called draft beer coolers, come in handy for cooling and dispensing beer. The Beverage-Air BM23-B is a draft beer cooler with an Editor’s Choice and five-star rating from ShortOrder.com due to its excellence. This draft beer cooler comes with interior lighting, a durable exterior and self-closing doors with locks. There are plenty more draft beer coolers and direct draw systems to choose from here at ShortOrder.com.

Scratch and dent restaurant equipment is a great option for restaurant owners looking to save money. And now you can find a selection of scratch and dent restaurant equipment here at ShortOrder.com, in addition to our wide variety of ice machines, commercial ranges, fryers and more.

Scratch and dent restaurant equipment is still good, working equipment. The difference between it and the regular inventory offered at ShortOrder.com is that the scratch and dent restaurant equipment has minor damage from freight. Since it’s not perfect, this restaurant equipment is offered at a discounted price.

Discounted scratch and dent restaurant equipment means big savings for restaurant owners who don’t mind buying a piece of equipment with minor damage. It should be noted that this damage is purely to the appearance of the restaurant equipment, and it does not make the unit function improperly.

Scratch and Dent Restaurant Equipment at ShortOrder

Don’t miss the scratch and dent restaurant equipment now offered here at ShortOrder.com. Currently, we’re offering discounts on scratched and dented Manitowoc ice machines. Soon we’ll be expanding what’s offered to include more great restaurant equipment at amazingly low prices.

This year, make it your resolution as a restaurant industry professional to save some money while saving the environment. Making your restaurant green is trendy, but more importantly, it’s for the future!

Did you know?

- Last year, almost 30% of all meals (and 40% of of food dollars) were eaten away from home
- Nationwide, the restaurant industry consumes 1/3rd of all retail electricity use
- Demand for organic food is growing at a rate of 25% per year

What can you do?

The website GoGreener.org has a large amount of helpful information for you, but here are some statistics and tips:

- Cooking equipment consumes the largest share of energy in most restaurants. Try to purchase energy efficient equipment — those featuring the Energy Star rating from the US EPA. Most of the Beverage Air line is Energy Star rated, and you can find it here at ShortOrder.com.

- Turn on electric appliances sequentially rather than all at the same time.

- Keep everything clean! The more debris that collects, the harder the restaurant appliances have to work.

- Install light sensitive dimmers that automatically dim when outside natural light is strong enough.

- Install occupancy sensors in restrooms and storage areas – they will turn off lights automatically when the rooms aren’t occupied.

- Install low-flow valves on pre-rinse sprayers. They cost just a few dollars reduce water use by 50% and could save hundreds per year in both heating and water costs.

For more information, check out GoGreener.org. Together, we can help make 2009 more profitable now and for the future!

Some restaurants may soon be required to disclose nutrition information on their menu. It’s all a part of a campaign recently launched by The Coalition for Responsible Nutrition Information. They are hoping to pass national legislation that would result in chain restaurants and other restaurants using a uniform standard to present nutrition information to patrons.

Since healthy eating habits and weight loss are quickly becoming a concern for many consumers, restaurants that provide consistent nutrition information will be giving people more control over what they’re eating. Basically, the thought is that the more consumers know about what they’re eating at restaurants, the better able they’ll be to make healthy choices at restaurants.

This proposal is known as the LEAN Act, and if passed, it’d give restaurant patrons a great amount of information that they can use to make better choices when they dine out. Some information that would be included: trans fats, cholesterol, carbohydrates, protein, calories and sodium.

So of course comes the question of where this information will be located in restaurants. It must be given in writing in a convenient way that fits in with the restaurant. For example, sit-down restaurants may put the nutrition information on their menu, while fast-food restaurants may display nutrition information on a poster or electronic kiosk.

Restaurant Equipment and Healthy Eating

Restaurant equipment and healthy eating go hand-in-hand. If you’re a restaurant owner who is selling healthy food options, you’ll need quality restaurant equipment to get the job done. Whether you’re a salad restaurant in need of Hobart food cutters or walk-in refrigerators, or a sandwich and smoothie shop in need of a commercial work table or commercial blender, ShortOrder.com has you covered. Start shopping now to get everything you need for your restaurant.

What’s the Price of Price Fixing?

Price fixing – that is, when a manufacturer sets a minimum retail price for their products – may be secretly taking a bite out of your bottom line.

In our free market economy, supply and demand usually determine where prices are set. If a product is popular, the price rises; if it doesn’t sell well, the price falls. However, every now and then, a manufacturer tells its retailers that they can’t sell a product as cheaply as they’d like to. Price fixing like this makes it hard for those retailers to bring you the best, most competitive deals.

Price Fixing and the Economy

Price fixing has a chilling effect on the restaurant industry and business in general. Both at work and at home, you may find that the products you want or need are out of your budgetary range – even though the manufacturer could sell those products at an affordable price if they wanted. If hundreds or thousands of people aren’t buying the products they desire, that means less money moving through the economy, and more demand for business credit in an economy that’s already strapped.

Thirty-five of the 50 state attorneys general wrote Congress in May 2008, asking that they pass a law to make price fixing illegal. They believe that “resale price maintenance” or price fixing will feed inflation and add $300 billion to annual consumer costs.

What You Can Do About Price Fixing

We at Short Order are committed to bringing you the best possible value for your restaurant equipment needs. We believe we deliver a compelling combination of service, support, and yes, competitive prices. Price fixing affects our business, and it probably affects yours too.

If you want to take a stand against price fixing, sign the petition at StopPriceFixing.org. The site has plenty of stories and information about price fixing and how it affects your wallet.