Happy New Year! Here’s to a prosperous 2010 for all of us. With the new year comes new resolutions, goals and starting fresh.

We’re testing some new looks to our home page. If you get the new version, please, let us know what you think about ease of use and flow of information. We always love to hear from our customers! What are some things you’re doing at your restaurant to note the new year?

Have you purchased equipment from Shortorder.com? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Tell us and your peers why. Go to Shortorder.com and submit a product review! Remember, this blog is for you and if there is anything you’d like to know more about – give us a shout! We’d love to hear from you.

The beginning of the new year this year is especially big – a new decade! My goals are to eat healthier and take better care of myself (probably not too dissimilar from your goals). Have you heard any crazy resolutions? What’s your resolution? Share! I love to hear from you.

Don’t forget: you can follow us on twitter: @shortorder! We also have a Facebook page and a LinkedIn profile – so if you’re into the social media, join us, and keep an eye out for upcoming giveaways and specials for our fans and followers.

In the mean time…

Keep on Cookin’!

Tylee Van Waes, ShortOrder.com

Seven keys to customer experience

Bruce Temkin

* The author is vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, with a focus on customer experience.

Despite the economic difficulties in 2009, we’ve seen a significant uptick in real customer experience efforts. What do I mean by real? Efforts that address systemic issues like poorly designed interactions, broken processes, outdated business rules, insufficient customer insight and cultures that are far from customer-centric.

This will likely be an even more active year for customer experience. While many companies will make substantial progress, others will falter. Here is some advice for keeping your customer experience efforts on track in 2010 and beyond:

1. Drop the executive commitment facade. It’s very easy for executives to say “customer experience is important.” But it’s much more difficult for them to dedicate the time and energy required to make it a real priority. So in 2010, executives should either get actively involved in customer experience transformation or drop it from their agendas.

Start here: Develop a customer experience dashboard and manage the results with the same energy that you manage financial results.

2. Acknowledge that you don’t know your customers. When market research teams require long lead times and expensive projects to answer questions about customers, too many organizations go without this insight. But the path to customer experience success requires significantly deeper customer observations. So in 2010, companies need to develop voice-of-the-customer programs that provide ongoing and continuous access to customers’ desires.

Start here: Create a voice-of-the-customer program with a cross-functional team that focuses on four “LIRM” components: listening to customers, interpreting the feedback, reacting to the data and monitoring results from actions over time.

3. Keep from getting too distracted by social media. Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites may seem sexy, but they aren’t the only channels for customer feedback. Other channels like comments on surveys and call center feedback can often provide even richer hints. So in 2010, companies need to learn from social media feedback, but not overreact to it.

Start here: Treat social media as one of many listening posts in a comprehensive voice-of-the-customer program that examines both structured and unstructured feedback.
4. Stop squeezing the life out of customer service. My research shows that consumers care more about good customer service than they do low prices. It also turns out that many customer service interactions are critical “moments of truth” that drive customer loyalty. But companies often treat customer service as an unwanted stepchild, focusing almost exclusively on aggressive cost-cutting. So in 2010, companies need to start viewing customer service as a strategic asset.

Start here: Measure customer service organizations based on how effectively they help customers instead of efficiency metrics like average handle times.

5. Restore the purpose in your brand. True brands are more than just color palettes, logos and marketing slogans, they’re the fabric that aligns all employees with customers in the pursuit of a common cause. They represent a firm’s raison d’être. Unfortunately, many companies have lost this sense of purpose in their brands. So in 2010, companies need to redefine their brand and embed it in the hearts and minds of all employees.

Start here: Translate your brand into promises you will make (and keep) with customers across every key touch point.

6. Don’t assume employees will get on board. Employees are often the most critical element of any customer experience effort. But firms can’t just hope that everyone will participate in these change initiatives. So in 2010, companies need to actively focus on engaging employees at every level across the organization in their customer experience efforts.

Start here: Communicate (a lot) about “why” customer experience is important and allow employees to participate in defining “how” to make improvements.

7. Translate customer experience into business terms. My research uncovered a strong correlation between customer experience and loyalty. An average $10 billion company can generate $284 million of additional revenues from customer experience improvements. But most companies don’t fully understand the link between customer experience and business results. So in 2010, companies need to identify how customer experience impacts their financial results.

Start here: Engage the CFO to develop a model which shows the impact that customer experience has on customer loyalty.

story courtesy of fastcasual.com

The Food Channel recently released their list of predictions about the Top 10 Food Trends for 2010. At the top of the list? Basic ingredients — “keeping it real,” they call it, adding that there will be a shift from convenience foods to scratch cooking thanks to people having more time than money because of the economy. Another prediction on the list is for growth in grocery stores. There’s no “glory” in using name-brand products anymore — generic products have actually become their own brands.

That covers what’ll be on the table at home, but what about at restaurants? The Food Channel calls it “Experimental Nation:” People are redefining what it means to go out to eat, so restaurant concepts are in flux. They predict that restaurants with concepts having to do with DIY and “fresh” will “do well.” Since it’s all about experimentation, they note that many concepts will come and go as consumers decide what they like.

Number four on the list is “all about flavor delivery.” They say we’re defining a “new Global Flavor Curve” in America because of the new flavors immigrants have brought to the table. Think of your grandparents or great-grandparents: Chances are they immigrated to America from overseas — and they probably brought with them their own ways of making food. Mixing our heritage into American food can result in some creative dishes and unique flavors. As the Food Network says, the “presentation of food, the flavor, and the experimentation is coming into its own in 2010.” They call it “American, the New Ethnic.”

• More highlights from the list of 2010 food trends:
• Food vetting. People want to know where their food came from.
• People and companies will become sustainable because they genuinely want to make a difference.
• Food with added nutrients to increase nutritional value.

Is  your restaurant going to incorporate some of the trends included in this list? If you need restaurant equipment to make new dishes on  your menu, don’t miss our impressive selection of Vulcan ranges, Hobart slicers, Manitowoc ice machines and more.

There are many different things to consider when buying a new reach-in refrigerator or commercial freezer for your restaurant. Following are some tips on how to make the best choice for you.

What kind of refrigeration system?

There are 2 main types: Top-mounted and Bottom-mounted.

Top Mounted

Top mounted refrigeration systems have the compressor on the top of the unit and are the industry standard. They are more energy efficient because the hot air discharge does not enter the refrigerated area and the work zone stays cooler as well. The increased air circulation around the compressor increases the compressor life. Top mounted units also don’t take up refrigerated storage area. The only down sides of the top mounted refrigeration is that you lose additional storage space on top of the unit and if you have a very low ceiling, the hot air might be hazardous.

Bottom Mounted

Bottom mounted refrigeration usually is on economy units. They run cooler and consume less energy, but the increased efficiency is reduced due to hot air entering the refrigerated area and work zone. It does take up some of the refrigerated storage area as well, leaving the bottom shelf higher. You do have the advantage of added storage space on top of the refrigerator.

Expansion Valve vs. Cap-Tube

This is the way your refrigerator controls how much cooling power is needed. Refrigerators on or near cook lines, where the door is opened and closed often, have higher temperature demands. The best bet in that case would be a refrigerator with expansion valve-type refrigeration. Less expensive, cap-tube refrigeration is designed for refrigerators that are mostly closed for storage and holding.

Reach-In Refrigerators: What Size?

Remember, reach-in refrigerators are big! Measure your doors, hallways and installation space to ensure that your new refrigerator will be able to make it into your business. There are many models to choose from — Beverage-Air, Delfield and Traulsen are all offered at ShortOrder.com — so you’re bound to find one that will be a great fit for your restaurant.

Reach-In Refrigerators: Doors

The biggest benefit to having doors that open 180 degrees is that large trays and pans are able to slide in and out easier. Look for swing doors that have a 90 or 120 degree stay-open feature. Slide doors can be useful in tight spaces, but only one door can be open at a time.

Full height doors will allow for more storage space, but are also less energy efficient. Half height doors will have less storage space, and therefore, be more energy efficient.

Reach-In Refrigerators: Casters

For easier cleaning and sanitizing, casters are highly recommended. Not only do they allow for mobility, more health departments are strongly recommending them. Some models come with them standard, but they are considered options on others.

There’s a great recent article in QSR Magazine about how with more Americans being diagnosed with celiac disease, customer demand for a gluten-free menu at restaurants is rising.

If you’re a restaurant owner or chef who is considering offering a gluten-free menu, the article stresses taking care to make sure cross-contamination does not happen. You can do this by having a clean prep area for the gluten-free products. Also, flours should be pre-mixed and labeled, and the restaurant staff should be educated about how to handle the gluten-free items. A staff meeting might be a great way to get everyone together to explain just how important it is to keep gluten and gluten-free items separated so as not to cross-contaminate. Another important point QSR mentions is that gluten-free baked items typically have a short shelf life, so they should be prepared in small quantities.

Some restaurants that offer a gluten-free menu may want to ensure that gluten-free items are not contaminated by restaurant equipment used for gluten items. Having restaurant equipment that is dedicated to the production of your gluten-free items is a good way to ensure that there is no contamination.

Mentioned in the article is Chicago’s Swirlz Cupcakes, a store that bakes gluten-free items first and even tests the air for wheat flour and other ambient allergens so that they can work to keep that percentage low. There’s no doubt that customers sincerely appreciate this kind of dedication.

Another example in the article is Nana’s Cookie Co., a company that uses all stainless steel restaurant equipment, separate equipment for the gluten-free items, and they bake them only at certain times and on certain days.

Buy Restaurant Equipment to Make Gluten-Free Items

If you need dedicated restaurant equipment to produce your gluten-free menu items, ShortOrder.com has an impressive selection — and we have the lowest prices out there. From small appliances to Vulcan ranges, we’ve got all you need for your restaurant.

There are a lot of different factors when deciding which of the ice machines is best for you. This Guide to Buying Ice Machines includes some helpful tips to ensure you make the best choice:

Ice machines are a critical component to the foodservice operator. They are expensive to buy, operate and maintain, but cheaper than buying ice by the bag!

Ice Machines: Sizing

The amount of ice used daily is rarely uniform. Consider the fact that you will use more ice in summer than winter and weekend usage is sure to be more than weekdays. Be sure you size your ice machine and bin to meet your peak usage needs.

Try not to base your decision solely on what your current ice machine does. Take into account the age and condition of your present equipment, as well as the surrounding air and water temperatures at your peak usage times. Production charts can be found on the spec sheets for each machine that will tell you 24-hour production under your particular conditions.

Ideally, your company is a growing one. Consider adding 20% to your current usage estimates to account for future business growth. Check out the sizing guide, to help guide you in your usage decision.

Ice Type

There are 3 types of ice: cubes, flakes and nuggets.

Cubers:

Cube machines usually come with two choices in size: Half Dice or Whole Dice. You can generally find the size of the cubes by looking on the spec sheet for the machine. These machines are the most popular, producing a hard cube that melts slowly and produces the best drink product.

Recommended for: Mixed Drinks, Carbonated Beverages, Ice Retailing, Salad Bars, Ice Dispensing

Flakers:

These machines produce small, hard bits of ice. They cool quickly and have a low production cost. Flakes mold to any shape and are great for salad bars, hospitals and limited specialty drinks.

Recommended for: Produce, Seafood, or Meat Displays, Blended Cocktails, Salad Bars, Hospitals

Nuggets:

Produces a softer, chewable texture ice that still provides a maximum cooling effect for drinks. In a dispenser, the ice will melt and stick together, so you need to be sure that the proper agitator kit is purchased.

Recommended for: Carbonated Beverages, Blended Beverages, Salad Bars, Produce Display, Hospitals.

Cooling Systems

Air-cooled machines are easy to install and cost less to purchase and operate. They are affected by air and incoming water temperature, and require more breathing room. The industry is turning to the more environmentally friendly, air cooled machine.

Water-cooled ice machines cost a bit more up front and are more difficult to install. While technically more efficient, are costly to operate due to high water costs, but because they put off less hot air, they will not raise the room temperature nor do they require as much breathing room. If space is an issue, you should consider the water-cooled machine, but make sure it does not violate any local water conservation laws.

Condenser

Remote systems are generally for larger ice machines, greater than 800 lbs per 24 hr. The condensing unit is usually mounted on the roof of the building to minimize the noise and heat put off. In general, the self contained unit is the way to go. It’s easier to install and is what you will find most places.

Operating Cost (major brands)

Manitowoc, Scotsman and Hoshizaki are leading popular manufacturers. The operating costs of electrical and water usage vary significantly between brands. Both Manitowoc and Scotsman ice machines utilize a system that efficiently minimizes water wasted and the cost to produce ice. The cost to operate a comparable Hoshizaki unit can be substantially higher than competing brands and is not recommended.

Reliability

Manitowoc and Scotsman ice machines are the most reliable in the market place. Available service reports rate both highly.

Ice Machines: Other Considerations

Dimensions: Before ordering, measure doors, hallways and installation space to be sure your new ice machine will fit – allowing for 5 to 8 inches of clearance above, behind and on both sides.

Connections: Electrical and water connections and the floor drain must be within 6 feet of the ice machine. Most machines are offered in a variety of voltages to meet your requirements, be sure you order the correct voltage. All connections must meet local, state and national codes.

Plumbing Requirements: Ice machines must be connected to a cold water supply and have separate drain lines for the machine and the bin.

We all know times are tight right now. Some experts are pointing towards signs of a slow recovery, the keyword there being slow. How do you keep customers coming into your restaurant, and more importantly spending money?

Get the customers in the door!

You might consider lowering the prices on your offerings, or offering free desserts to entice clients. In order to make up for lower tickets, you’ll need to turn more tables. Avoid rushing the customer experience, but the more tables you turn, the more money you’ll make.

In house marketing

It’s usually pretty affordable to get some table tents and run contests to encourage servers to up-sell. Sometimes it’s as easy as a server walking through the restaurant with a fresh loaf of garlic bread or some sizzling onions, both known to stir hunger in customers.

Broaden your appeal

Do you donate to charity? Perhaps you could consider it now. Have charity nights on your slower nights. Encourage customers to bring in canned goods for a local charity and offer $5 off a ticket of $30 with 3 canned goods. Or host a job fair and let local businesses set up tables for short interviews — have a “job fair” special for those attending.

Customer service

Customer service will be of utmost importance for your business now. Gone are the days of snooty servers; guests will want to be treated as such and want to feel welcome and appreciated.

Though the economic recovery is sure to be a slow one, it is not time to cut marketing budgets, no matter how tempting that may be. Encourage locals to choose your business over the others by teaming up with other local businesses for a co-marketing theme coupon (think dinner and a movie, or family night out).

Flexible restaurateurs are sure to succeed in any economy, so think outside of the box and have some fun with it!

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.

Buying restaurant equipment can be a daunting, even frightening task.  Restaurant equipment is not what you would call inexpensive, so you want to make sure you get the right equipment for your restaurant the first time.  To assist you in this endeavor, we created buyer’s guides on our site which enable you to make the best decision.  However, we thought that we would go a step further and provide you with some tips on buying restaurant equipment.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip One

Make sure you do your research.  When buying restaurant equipment, it is best to go into the shopping mode with a full knowledge of what type of equipment you need, what the average cost is, as well as what features are the most important to you.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Two

One of the most frustrating things that can happen when buying restaurant equipment is getting your new brand new refrigerator or prep table and realizing that you don’t have adequate space for it.  Please measure your space and know the required dimensions of the equipment you are buying.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Three

Confirm if your equipment needs to be gas-powered or electric.  Your new pizza oven wouldn’t do you much good if it was electric and your restaurant was running on gas.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Four

Speaking of electricity – you will want to make sure that your new equipment won’t blow a fuse once you plug it in.  Check your available amps and then make sure that your new icemaker doesn’t require more than you have.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Five

When buying restaurant equipment, whether for a new restaurant or as a replacement, try and not get so excited that you buy more equipment that you actually need or can use.  Do you really need three microwave ovens?

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Six

If you are concerned about your environment, you will want to buy restaurant equipment that is Energy Star rated; which means the steamer or dishwasher you are buying meets the high standards of energy efficiency established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Seven

Just as we mentioned in step one, doing your research is important and knowing the manufacturer of your restaurant equipment is just as important.  Make sure that you are buying restaurant equipment that is manufactured by a respectable company with an impeccable history of quality.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Eight

Know your financial limits when buying restaurant equipment.  Make sure that the brand-new walk-in with all the fun and exciting bells and whistles meets your needs and doesn’t go over your budget.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Nine

Before you go out and buy all the restaurant equipment you could ever want and need, it is best to contact your local health, fire and building code department to ensure your equipment will be code compliant.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Ten

Finally, you will want to buy your restaurant equipment from a dependable and high quality dealer that stands behind everything they sell.  This is where ShortOrder.com comes in.  At ShortOrder.com you know that you are getting the highest quality restaurant equipment from top manufacturers, such as Vulcan, Hobart, Manitowac, and Beverage-Air.

We hope that these restaurant equipment buying tips were helpful.  However, if you find that you still have some questions; please feel free to give one of our customer service agents a call.  They are more than happy to help.

Restaurant equipment dealers are starting to get a little busier this month, and that could be attributed to the restaurant industry seeing an overall improvement to business compared to the past few months.

Restaurant Equipment Dealers Enjoy Business Increase

According to an article that appeared last week on Forbes.com and on the Associated Press wire, privately-held restaurant chains, single locations and locations that have been open at least one year were down in August in 42 percent of the respondent restaurants.  However, these same restaurants are starting to see an increase in their sales this month, possibly due to the easing up of gas prices. This means that restaurant equipment dealers are seeing a business increase as well.

Restaurant Equipment Dealers See the Light

The article also stated that publicly-held restaurant companies are starting to see nice improvements in their stocks, with some stocks increasing by almost two dollars a share.  This light at the end of the business slump tunnel is great for everyone in the restaurant industry, including restaurant equipment dealers, as each section of the industry depends on the sales in the restaurants.  Though this means people in the restaurant industry are busy, it’s safe to say they’re probably not complaining.

Restaurant Equipment Dealers Have What You Need

With an increase in business in September and with the busy holiday season fast approaching, this might be a great time to check out all of your restaurant equipment and make sure that it is all up to snuff.  ShortOrder has the widest selection of commercial kitchen equipment at great prices.  We carry commercial ranges, ice machines, refrigerators and so much more from companies like Manitowoc, Vulcan, Hobart, Beverage-Air and Frymaster.

If you are finding that some of your equipment is in need of replacing, make sure to contact one of ShortOrder’s restaurant equipment specialists.

Beverage-Air Refrigerator Resource Launched

Beverage-Air refrigerator buyers will now be able to learn more about their refrigerators – and get some great information – just by stopping by ShortOrder.com. Beverage-Air products now have their own informative blog on the restaurant equipment website that will inform restaurant equipment buyers how to enjoy their Beverage-Air refrigerator and get the most out of it for years and years to come. The Beverage-Air refrigerator blog is at beverageair.shortorder.com.

Beverage-Air and ShortOrder Keep Cool Together

Beverage-Air and ShortOrder.com have had a long and wonderful relationship and the blog is a sign of ShortOrder’s commitment to this top restaurant refrigerator manufacturer. ShortOrder.com has been carrying the refrigerator manufacturer’s products for years and considers Beverage-Air to be one of the restaurant equipment buyer’s first choices for efficient, low-maintenance cold food storage.

Beverage-Air Means Quality

Beverage-Air, the largest supplier of commercial refrigeration, was founded in 1944 by Herman Buffington in the small town of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The headquarters still exists in Spartanburg and is where all the state-of-the-art designs created by Beverage-Air are researched and designed.

Beverage-Air is best known for its reach-in merchandiser coolers, freezers, refrigerators and self-contained beer dispensing units. However, Beverage-Air is quickly becoming the leader in pizza and food preparation units, school milk coolers, and deli and floral display units.

Beverage-Air’s vision is “to be the global preferred supplier of quality equipment to the foodservice, beverage and related industries by being pro-active and innovative employees who are measured by our customers’ satisfaction, our company’s reputation and profitability.”

Beverage-Air Refrigerator Blog Just Tip of Iceberg

ShortOrder is very excited to be adding the Beverage-Air refrigerator blog to the information that ShortOrder already provides to restaurant owners and their equipment buyers. From the Buyer’s Guides on everything from steamers to ice machines to the “What’s Cookin’?” newsletter and restaurant equipment blog that keeps you up-to-date on the restaurant industry, ShortOrder.com has got all your bases covered.