Food Safety Matters

Food Safety … It isn’t something most people think about on a daily basis, except for the restaurant industry that is.  We think about it everyday because the last thing any of us want is for someone to get sick from the food that we work hard to prepare.  We also don’t want to think about our restaurant being shut down because we didn’t meet food safety standards.

Food Safety Guidelines

With the right equipment and the right knowledge, food safety is a pretty easy thing to handle.

Some great guidelines to remember are:

-  All restaurant employee employees should follow hygiene guidelines; such as washing hands after using the restroom and before preparing food.

-  Cross-contamination of foods should be avoided at all times.  Wash, rinse and sanitize all food contact surfaces, such as work tables, slicers, and other preparation equipment.

-  Foods must be cooked to recommended internal temperatures.

-  Hot foods should be held hot at temperatures of 140 degrees Fahrenheit or greater.  Holding cabinets provide a constant source of proper heat.

-  Cold foods should be kept cold at temperatures of 41 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.  Keep a thermometer in your refrigerator to make sure the temperature is at the proper setting.

-  Abusing standard time and temperature standards for food should be avoided at all costs when handling prepared foods.

-  Leftovers should only be reheated in the oven once; after that they should be tossed out.

Food Safety Means Better Health

As stated earlier in the post, food safety matters to everyone … restaurateur, chef, employees, and patrons can all be harmed by foodborne pathogens.  There are more than 250 known foodborne diseases that cause anywhere from minor illness to death.  By following the simple guidelines listed above and by making sure all of your equipment is functioning properly, you can help prevent disease and illness caused by unhealthy foods.

Taste of Chicago in 28th Year

The Taste of Chicago is an indicator of summer for many Illinois residents. Considered the world’s largest food festival, the Taste of Chicago promises not to disappoint.

The Taste of Chicago, considered the second largest tourist attraction in Illinois, runs for ten days starting this year on Friday, June 27th and running until Sunday, July 6th. The Taste of Chicago, now in its 28th year, sees over 3 million festival attendees in its Grant Park location in downtown Chicago. There are over 70 restaurants and food vendors that participate each year in this free-admission food festival.

Taste of Chicago Brings World Class Fare

All types of cuisine can be found at this much anticipated food festival. Kitchens all over Chicago prepare ethnic and exotic foods, family favorites and Chicago specialties to feed all the hungry festival goers. Then the restaurants line up along the park with their portable ovens and refrigerators in hopes that their food creations are chosen as the Taste of Chicago favorite.

Taste of Chicago More Than Food

Food isn’t the only thing that you will find at this Mid-West food festival. You will also find a 5K Race for the Taste with proceeds going to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, as well as top-notch entertainment.
The free entertainment at the 2008 Taste of Chicago food festival includes the likes of Chaka Kahn, Stevie Wonder, Plain White T’s, Gomez, Old 97’s, Bonnie Raitt and many others.

Taste of Chicago Participants

Now if you are a Chicago restaurant that wants to participate in the Taste of Chicago, you are a little late for this year. The applications were due back in February. However, contact the Illinois Restaurant Association to make sure that you are on the list to receive an application for the 2009 Taste of Chicago.

And if you do get in, make sure to give us a call and we will get you all the restaurant equipment you need to prepare your festival cuisine.

New Pizza World Record

Big Apple Pizza & Pasta in Fort Pierce, Florida is looking to break the longest pizza line world record. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the current record is held by the Tiziano Shopping Centre Tenant’s Union in Treviso, Italy. They had a line that was 611 feet 2 inches long back in October 28, 2006. Big Apple Pizza & Pasta owner Scott VanDuzer says that he will be able to make a line more than 700 feet long.

I wonder what kind of pizza oven he is using for baking all those pizzas.

Other Pizza World Records

Aside from the World’s Longest Pizza line record, there are a few other world records involving pizza that we feel are worth mentioning. There is the Fastest Time to Eat a 12” Pizza, which is held by Tom Waes from Ghent, Belgium. Tom ate a pizza in 2 minutes and 19.91 seconds on December 2nd, 2006. Then there is the World’s Record for largest pizza order set by Papa John’s on June 8, 2007.

Fifteen San Diego area Papa John’s Pizza stores delivered 13,500 pizzas at exactly 11:00 am to the same destination, General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard. The pizzas were a reward to the crew there for the completion of the Navy’s newest dry cargo/ammunition ship, the USNS Lewis and Clark.

Pizza World Records Require Pizza Ovens

We were thinking that the only way that a restaurant could break a world record is if they had the proper equipment. So, if you are planning on attempting your own pizza record, give one of our representatives a call and we can help you pick out the proper pizza oven. We have a large selection of sizes and brands, including Baker’s Pride, Garland and Montague, so there is sure to be one just right for your shop.

Do you think there is a world record for number of pizza ovens carried by one restaurant equipment company?

The 2008 NRA Show is Coming!! The 2008 NRA Show is Coming!!

That’s right! It’s true! It isn’t a typo! The 2008 NRA Restaurant, Hotel-Motel show is being held in Chicago on May 17th through May 20th; and the 89th year is sure not to disappoint. There are going to be so many exciting things to see and do there. There will be several special events and booths, such as “Ask the Design Experts,” Celebrity Book Signings, Chef Day, the “International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event,” and our personal favorite, the “2008 Kitchen Innovation Awards” Booth.

2008 NRA Show Brings Top Vendors

Strolling down the aisles of the 2008 NRA show, you will be sure to see all the newest equipment from all the top restaurant equipment manufacturers. The manufacturers will be pulling out all the stops to make their equipment stand out in hopes of winning a 2008 Kitchen Innovation Award; or at the very least, in hopes that you will stop by and see what they have that you just got to have in your kitchen.

Some of our favorite vendors will be there, so make sure you stop by their booths and check out their new gadgets and gizmos. Frymaster and Hobart have “Hot New Products” that are debuting at the show. Beverage-Air, Manitowoc, The Montague Company and Vulcan will all be there showing off their wares as well.

Come Join the Fun at the 2008 NRA Show

Now its time to start packing your bags, booking your flights and joining all of us at ShortOrder.com in Chicago for the most fun-filled four days this spring. However, if business is booming and you can’t seem to find the time to leave the restaurant to come join us … Never fear! We promise to keep you updated on all the cool things as they happen.

*photo by the National Restaurant Association

The 2008 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas is almost here. Here at Short Order, that’s exciting news, because we are participating in this year’s Expo. We are exhibiting at International Pizza Expo Booth number 8033, so if you visit the Pizza Expo, stop by and visit us . . . while you’re at our booth, you can register to win a top of the line driver or putter. That’s right, we’re giving away golf clubs at the Pizza Expo! But there’s a lot more to do here than just win our giveaway, read on for the scoop on the Pizza Expo.

Worlds Largest Pizza Tradeshow

Billed as the World’s Largest and Oldest Pizza Tradeshow, the International Pizza Expo is being held from April 1 to April 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

International Pizza Expo: Education, Networking and Fun All in One

The Pizza Expo is a great event for pizzeria operators looking to expand their business and keep up to date with the latest in restaurant equipment such as the Garland pizza oven – the Garland GPD48, Hatco Heated Shelves for Pizza or Eagle cut and pack tables for pizza.

Pizzeria owners often come just to network and have a great time in Vegas with the rest of the Pizza industry. Also, pizzeria operators can often get great deals on restaurant equipment during the Pizza Expo, as restaurant industry vendors (like yours truly) are out in force.

Third Annual International Pizza Expo

The third time is going to be a charm for the Pizza Expo. After debuting two years ago as The International Pizza Expo, the event has grown into “the show of show’s for the pizza industry”. Besides all the great deals on pizza equipment and the networking events, the International Pizza Expo offers tons of classes and seminars on every facet of the Pizza Industry. With more than 50 educational events, classes and seminars will cover topics such as building pizza sales, managing your workers, pizza marketing strategies as well as web development and internet marketing for pizzerias.

International Pizza Expo Has Classes on Making Better Pizza

On the technical, and more delicious side, the Pizza Expo has classes on making a better pizza crust, making authentic Neapolitan pizza and the art of making fresh mozarella.

International Pizza Expo Games and Contests

To really liven up the event, the organizers of the International Pizza Expo have spiced up the event with exciting contests such as the International Pizza Challenge, the World Pizza Games and a $20,000 MEGA BUCKS Giveaway, where one lucky pizzeria owner or operator will take home $20,000 in cash.

Attend The 2008 International Pizza Expo

Whatever else you do in April, make sure attending the 2008 International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas is one of them. We think you’ll have a great time, learn a lot about the pizza industry and maybe find some great deals from Pizza equipment dealers – like us!

The 2008 International Pizza Expo Website

To learn more and register to attend the The 2008 International Pizza Expo, visit their website at http://www.pizzaexpo.com. See you there!

Restaurant Equipment Events: What To Do in 2008

Yes, it’s already the end of February, but there are still tons of exciting restaurant equipment events in 2008. Everyone in the restaurant equipment industry will attend to represent themselves at expos, conferences, and food festivals around the world, to form a veritable “booth camp” of restaurant equipment industry experts.

The next big restaurant equipment event is coming up pretty soon. The Bear Stearns 14th Annual Retail, Restaurants & Consumer Conference will kick off on Tuesday, March 4th at 3:00 pm EST at the Bear Stearns headquarters in New York City. Presenters include Mike George, president and CEO of QVC, Inc., Safeway, Inc., and Wyndam Worldwide, to name a few.

International Restaurant Equipment Events

Looking to travel and represent? Then take off to one of the many European food and restaurant industry expos in 2008. Try the Health Ingredients (Hi) Europe event in Paris, set for November 4-6, at which over a hundred restaurateurs will be searching for the best restaurant equipment to match their supplies.

Can’t wait ’til November? Check out the Food Ingredients Central and Eastern Europe (FiCEE) event in Warsaw, Poland, at the Warsaw International Expocentre, April 22-24.

Got a sweet tooth? Make it to the Salon Passion Chocolat & de la Gourmandise in Montreal, Canada, November 7-9. Presenters and exhibitors will certainly be in the market for a good ice cream display and storage solution.

We’ll be out there. Will you?