The following is an excerpt from an article written by Georgie Shockey, Principal of Ruck-Shockey Associates, Inc. Her firm specializes in operational consulting for non-commercial foodservice markets.

Energy Consumption and Waste in Food Service: The Impact & Solutions

The food service industry contributes significantly to our nation's economy and way of life. In the last ten years, this industrial sector has experienced continued real sales growth outpacing that of our nation's own economy. In 2011, the total food sales were over $1.7 trillion. Due to the vast number of food service operations (the NRA estimates over 970,000 restaurants along with nontraditional and other food locations there are about 1.2 million locations) and the nature of preparing and serving food, this industry uses tremendous volumes of natural resources and produces significant quantities of waste which together can result in major environmental impacts. The reasons for change within this industry for change within this industry in order to minimize waste are simple: food service managers can save money with decreased disposal fees, reduce energy consumption, gain efficiencies and stay competitive within their industry.

Changing or improving operations can have lasting effects on those food service establishments that are proactive in reducing waste and increasing efficiency. To remain competitive, businesses should consider going beyond traditional means of management and explore the opportunities to save money and help the environment with waste prevention. Many of the opportunities detailed may already be in place; however, every operation still has room for improvement.

Click to read the full article.

Foodservice equipment can be expensive, and, with the constant rise in the cost of gas and electricity, so can the energy bills to run your business.

What if we told you we can save you money on both the front and back end of the purchase of new equipment? Well, we can! Rebates are available today on dozens of Energy Star rated products ranging from refrigerators and freezers to ice machines and dishwashers. You will see the savings down the road in the form of lower energy costs for running your operation.

Give us a call today and ask to speak to a foodservice consultant to find out more information about what kinds of equipment qualify.

OpenTable, Inc., a leading site for online restaurant reservations, recently announced the Diners' Choice Awards for the top 100 restaurants in America specializing in American food. More than 10 million reviews were submitted between November 2010 and October 2011 that were used to determine the winners. Out of the 12,000 restaurants across the country up for the awards, Indiana's own Eddie Merlot's in Fort Wayne and Kelties Restaurant and Catering in Westfield made the list.

Congratulations to Eddie Merlot's and Kelties, whose amazing food and superior service helped them earn this title! We are so proud to have partnered with you both!

To read the entire article on Inside INdiana Business, click here.

 

Congratulations to Celeste Dooms! She is the winner of the $50 gas card C&T Design raffled off after the ISNA Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Celeste is the Food Service Director at John Glenn School Corporation in Walkerton, Indiana.

Congratulations, Celeste!

Thank you to all that stopped by our booth and entered the contest.

While perusing some months-old issues of Foodservice Equipment Reports magazine, I noticed a small article that I wanted to bring to your attention immediately! If you are looking to buy foodservice equipment in the near future, you might want to look into purchasing sooner rather than later. The article below outlines an amazing opportunity that allows foodservice operations to write off equipment costs immediately, instead of spreading it out over several years, you must purchase before the end of the year to receive the maximum benefits this bill allows! I included a copy of the article found in the magazine's online archives followed by a link to the particulars of the Act on http://www.irs.gov below:

Tax Incentive Makes Sense For Equipment Buyers

April may be tax month, but there are still eight months left this year to secure some important tax perks for purchasing or selling equipment. The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010, signed by President Obama last September, provides tax relief for foodservice operations and small businesses and assistance in gaining access to capital.

The legislation allows foodservice operations to write off up to $500,000 of equipment costs immediately, rather than recovering the entire cost over a multi-year depreciation schedule. The purchase must be completed during the ’11 tax year.

The bill also extends expensing limits to restaurant structural improvements, new construction and leasehold and retail improvements. As part of the proposed $500,000 limit, operators can expense $250,000 of those costs the year they incur them, through ’11. Previously, operators could recover these costs only through a 39½-year depreciation schedule.

The legislation also includes incentives that make it easier to obtain Small Business Administration-backed loans.

This article can be found at: http://www.fermag.com/about-us/current-issue/single-issue-article/tax-incentive-makes-sense-for-equipment-buyers/461c372276.html

For more detailed information on this tax incentive, please refer to the Internal Revenue Service's website: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=230307,00.html#2022.

For help in navigating this in-depth process, call C&T Design today!

Is your refrigerator or freezer not holding proper temperature?

Before making a service call that could turn out to be unnecessary and expensive, please be sure the following guidelines have been met:

1. Make sure the condenser is clean and not blocked by dust or dirt which WILL prevent a freezer or refrigerator from holding proper temperature. For example: If a refrigerator's holding temperature is a few degrees or more higher than a manufacturer's spec, there is a good chance that the condenser needs to be cleaned. Dirty condensers block the outside air needed to remove heat from the cabinet. Dirty condensers can also cause component failures. Be sure to clean every 4 to 6 weeks with a brush or vacuum!

2. Make sure the interior temperature control is NOT set to high which could cause the evaporator to freeze thus preventing the cabinet from pulling down to proper temperature. If the evaporator is frozen, unplug the unit overnight to thaw. Plug back in the unit in the morning.

3. Make sure the cabinet is level. Unleveled cabinets caused by uneven floors can prevent the doors from leveling and sealing properly thus allowing outside warm air inside the cabinet. Please call C&T if castor shims are necessary to level the cabinet.

4. Make sure product temperature is being checked which is normally 33° to 38°F inside a refrigerator, 41°F at the top of a prep table and minus 0° to -10°F in a freezer depending on the product load.

If these suggestions do not correct your temp issues, please call your nearest C&T Design location today.

These suggestions are courtesy of True Refrigeration.

We are so proud to announce that C&T Design's very own Brian Van Skyock was recently named Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazine's DSR (Dealer Sales Representative) of the month! This is a huge honor! I personally get to see Brian day in and day out work extremely hard for every single one of his customers. It is so nice to see him recognized for all of his efforts and hardwork.

Congratulations, Brian!

Click here to read the full article on Foodservice Equipment & Supplies website.

The 2011 NAFEM Show is all set to start tomorrow morning in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center. Attending NAFEM allows our team to have early access to key foodservice manufacturers' exhibitions of what's new and exciting happening in the foodservice industry. We look forward to applying this knowledge to your projects and bringing the benefits home. The show spans for three days and all C&T offices are attending and are excited to see the latest trends and innovations the industry has to offer. Is there anything in particular you are curious about? Let us know!!