Schechter's Perspective

Operators of restaurants and foodservices today face a plethora of challenges ranging from the weak economy and customers’ need to minimize their dining out expenditures to the growing necessity of mastering social media marketing and adapting programs to include online transactions. Add in consumers’ demands for nutrition information, transparency and ever-wider menu diversity, and it’s easy to realize that operators require more support and education than ever before.

Foodservice equipment manufacturers pursue many strategies in their quest for profits during difficult economic times. Some drop prices, hoping to make up in volume what they sacrifice in margins. Others add more bells and whistles to existing models to gain competitive advantages and avoid commoditization. Perhaps the most commonly adopted approach, however, is to introduce new product line-ups, to take market share from rivals by offering types of equipment hitherto not sold by a company.

Whether it’s a mobile kitchen for the in-room preparation of a hotel breakfast program or an entirely new menu at a leading molecular gastronomy restaurant, innovators are driven to convert dreams into reality. From operators with new concepts to foodservice designers who yearn to merge sustainable functionality with welcoming ambiance, our industry is abundantly supplied with imaginative professionals whose creativity is displayed on a daily basis.

As more and more foodservice customers look to operators (and E&S suppliers) to exercise social responsibility, it’s time for industry professionals of all types to step up our efforts to fight hunger in America. Nearly 50 million Americans now face going without food and malnutrition on a daily basis, and with persistently high unemployment rates and cut-backs in social services budgets, the problem is only getting worse.

When operators set about planning to open a new independent restaurant or foodservice, selecting the equipment most appropriate for the concept, menu and market niche is most often a task for which they are ill prepared. Operators are typically motivated by a love of food, service or a penchant for the hospitality business, and none of these factors will allow them to determine whether a boilerless or boiler-based steamer, for example, is best for their program.

For as long as most of us can remember, foodservice equipment has been designed and manufactured to be all but bullet-proof. Heavy-gauge steel, aeronautic-grade ceramics, tempered glass and unbreakable hinges have consistently been incorporated into equipment ranging from ovens and grills to refrigerators and blast-chillers. Durability and reliability have been the watchwords equipment manufacturers have lived by, and with good reason.

Customization is perhaps the hottest trend right now in many segments of the restaurant and foodservice industry. More and more concepts are set up to let customers select the ingredients they want most in their meals. Marketing campaigns are being developed to appeal to individual demographic groups, frequent diners and new customers.