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the electric cooking
SUMMER 2006
advantage
A Recipe for Successful Kitchen Planning!
s
By Jim Wixson, CFSP, Georgia Power Cooking Products Manager
ometime in your foodservice career, you
may be involved in the planning process
of designing or remodeling a commercial
kitchen. Questions you might begin to ask
yourself are: What steps should I take, what
issues are important to understand, and how
do I know I'll get maximum value out of my
new kitchen?
Georgia Power
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Planning a successful kitchen is hardly a "do
it yourself" project. It is recommended that
you seek the expertise
and guidance of a
foodservice professional. They'll help
you sort through the
thousands of
details and
decision
points needed
to begin the design
process. In addition to the
Architect that will be working with
you, there are several excellent professionals
you can go to that will assist you in the
kitchen decision-making process. They are
Food Facilities Consultants, and Foodservice
Dealer Sales Engineers.
Food Facilities Consultants work on a fee
basis. They can take your idea and nurture it
into a fully developed plan complete with
dealer/contractor specifications for pricing.
They can assist with menu development,
review bids for accuracy, award winning bidders, and insure that the specified equipment
is supplied for final installation. The benefit
to the customer is these professionals have
years of experience to draw upon. Experience
that can save you money. As a general rule,
the larger the facility, the greater the value of
consultants.
Foodservice Dealer Sales Engineers work
for a restaurant equipment dealer and get
paid when you purchase the equipment from
their firm. They will charge a retainer to compensate for their time, should you actually
purchase your equipment from another
dealer. Sales Engineers are keenly aware of
new technologies and because there is gener-
Cont. on Page 2
Southern Cooking Goes Electric!
t
he Country Kitchen, one of Callaway
Gardens® most popular restaurants,
reopened March 1, 2006 after an 8-week
remodeling. The remodeling included replacing most gas cooking equipment with electric fryers, electric ovens, an electric tilt
skillet and electric griddles.
According to Cliff
Strickland, Director of
Maintenance
and
Operations, the benefits are numerous. The
restaurant is able to
serve more people
because the new electric equipment gets
more production and quicker cook times.
Pictured (l - r) are Don Martin (GPC Key Account
Manager) & Cliff Strickland (Callaway Gardens)
Food quality and consistency has improved
with the evenness of temperature with the
new electric equipment. "Our Chefs love
cooking pancakes and eggs on the new electric griddles since there are no surface cold
Cont. on Page 2
C o n t e n t s
0601819
A Recipe for Successful
Kitchen Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What’s Hot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Tips, Quips & Myths. . . . . . . . . 4
On the Road Again . . . . . . . . . . 3
Kitchen Chat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Southern Cooking goes Electric. 1
Valued Partner Profiles. . . . . . . 3
For a participating Electric Cooking Dealer, please call us at 1.888.655.5888 or email us at gpcfoodservice@southernco.com
What’s Hot
Take a Test
Drive!
b
efore you buy electric cooking equipment for your commercial kitchen,
wouldn't you like the opportunity to test drive
your new piece of equipment before you purchase? Well now you can!
Georgia Power's Foodservices' offers a few new
options to experience electric cooking in action.
The Electric Cooking Advantage demonstration DVD showcases the latest in electric
cooking technologies. Whether you're interested in comi or convection ovens, steamers,
fryers, griddles or braising pans, we can show
you the benefits of electric cooking and how
going electric can save you installation,
energy and maintenance costs.
If you want to get your own hands behind the
electric cooking controls you can visit one of
our convenient commercial demonstration
kitchen locations. Our Metro Atlanta and
Savannah kitchens have all the latest electric
equipment for your test drive.
Another useful tool is our Foodservice Web
site located at georgiapower.com/foodservice. The Web site contains a wealth of helpful information including; electric cooking
equipment videos, information sheets, links
to professional electric cooking associations
and past issues of our The Electric Cooking
Advantage newsletter.
With the added expertise from our Foodservice
Team members and the use of our on-site test
kitchen, you can be confident you'll make the
right choice for your commercial kitchen.
To order the electric cooking demo DVD,
schedule an equipment test/demo or to have
The Electric Cooking Advantage newsletter
emailed directly to you, please contact us at
1.888.655.5888 or email us at gpcfoodservice@southernco.com. When sending an
email newsletter request, please type
"Newsletter" in the subject line.
A Recipe for Successful Kitchen Planning! Cont. from Page 1
ally a more conversational relationship, they
are likely to recommend trying new ideas.
Other professionals that can assist you in
the planning process are manufacturer’s representatives, foodservice dealer sales personnel, and others who have been through
the process before. These individuals will
help guide you to a reliable consultant or
sales engineer, or they can get you in touch
with someone from a church, school, or
restaurant that has already been through the
process.
There are literally thousands of decisions to
be made on even the smallest project.
Following each of the project steps can save
you time and money.
• Scope of Project: Before you start with
any drawings, the first step is to develop
the scope of your project. This is where
both you and the professional can define
the type of facility, size, budget, and general ideas about the look and feel of the
serving system or dining room. This project
scope will establish project parameters
and will allow for modifications and
improvements as the learning improves.
• Menu Development: The customer needs
to convey to the designer a detailed list of
all the food they plan to serve. This is a critical step so the kitchen designer can best
determine the quantity and correct application of preparation and cooking equipment.
Before creating a layout, the design professional needs to make a simple schedule of
the various pieces of equipment they will
need to include in the plan.
• Preliminary Layout: Now it's time for the
designer to begin blocking out a kitchen
layout giving special attention to spatial
design effecting process and flow. A deliberative plan provides that all of the neces-
sary elements (areas) will work seamlessly
together without causing interruptions in
flow. The food product should move
smoothly from refrigerated or dry storage to
pre-prep area, cooking line, serving line,
dining room, and then cleanup. This takes
the skill of a trained professional who
understands the impacts of health, fire,
life-safety, National Sanitation Foundation,
HVAC and other codes.
• Preliminary Budget: At this stage of the
project, the designer will give the customer an approximate cost of all of the
scheduled equipment on the job. Excluding
plumbing, electrical and mechanical work,
this is a rough estimate for equipment only
which most closely matches the customer’s quality requirements.
• Equipment Detail and Specification:
After the customer approves the flow,
process, and general acceptance of a
working budget, it is now time to detail the
actual cooking line. Productivity is the key
to the success of any foodservice operation making it one of the most critical elements of the project. The designer's job is
to balance the capital budget constraints
with the functionality of the customer
needs. In the business this is called "value
engineering". This involves possibly using
economy equipment items, future purchase items, or standard manufacturer
items in lieu of custom fabrication.
It is important for the customer to understand
the capabilities and performance of the
equipment that will be employed in the
kitchen. The evaluative process of the equipment items recommended will require you to
have a great deal of faith in the design professional, but it is recommend that for each
piece of equipment selected, the following
On The Road Again
t
he Georgia Power Foodservices Team was
on the road again promoting its The
Electric Cooking Advantage message to foodservice professionals statewide.
In February the team attended the American
Culinary Federation's (ACF) Southeastern
Regional Conference held in Savannah. The
conference, chaired by ACF Savannah
Chapter President Chef Stephen Minton,
attracted more than 400 chefs from around
the country. Attendees had the opportunity to
participate in culinary skills competitions,
educational seminars, a vendor trade show
and numerous networking functions.
The Southern Company All Electric competition kitchens featured Rational Self Cooking
Centers and Vollrath Induction units for the 70
chefs participating in four different categories. Also, AccuTemp Products featured
their electric steam griddle and connectionless steamer. Rational’s Executive Chef LouisPhilippe Audette conducted a well-attended
banqueting seminar demonstrating how their
combi ovens impact the bottom line for any
chef’s foodservice operation.
Georgia Power, Alabama Power and
Savannah Electric hosted a closing night low
country boil and barbecue at historic Fort
Jackson. The event included
great food, networking and a
spectacular fireworks display.
Congratulations to the conference committee, Chefs;
Stephen Minton, Hillary
Gallagher, Elizabeth Baase,
Marvis Hinson, Ron Andrews,
Cynthia Creighton-Jones, and
Michael Ty for an outstanding
conference.
In April our Foodservices
team attended The Georgia
School system decision makers from across
the state attended the conference to learn
more about what’s new in the commercial
cooking market. From new cooking technology to trays and silverware; you name it, it
was there.
For the second consecutive year, Georgia
Power's Foodservices Team was on hand to
promote the benefits of electric cooking.
Also, the team proudly displayed “Yes, It’s
Electric!” signs on approximately 20 individual pieces of electric cooking equipment from
11 dealers and manufacturers. This year,
nearly 80% of the equipment displayed at the
show was electric.
For many of our vendor partners, the conference produced numerous leads and sales.
One vendor, Ramsey Denson from Big A
Distributors, told us he sold a 44 KW fryer at
the show.
Georgia Power's Foodservices Team mission
is to promote the electric cooking advantage
Cont. on Page 5
Southern Cooking goes Electric! Cont. from Page 1
spots." Cliff said. Asked if there were any
challenges with the new equipment, Cliff
said they had to get used to food cooking
much quicker in the electric fryers due to the
faster recovery times. The staff is enjoying a
cooler kitchen due to less wasted heat from
the electric equipment.
Connault, CEC, and Food & Beverage Director
Tony Labatos, were able to test drive some of
the new electric cooking equipment and
quickly realized the benefits. The trip to the
demo kitchen helped them decide on what
fuel source to use as well as what specific
equipment to select.
One of the resources Cliff used to plan
Callaway Gardens® remodel was a trip to
Georgia Power's demonstration kitchen. At
the demo kitchen, Executive Chef Thierry
Callaway Gardens® is a 13,000-acre golf and
recreation resort located near Pine
Mountain, Georgia.
Cont. on Page 3
2
School Nutrition Association (GSNA) Trade
Show held at the Georgia International
Conference Center located in East Point,
Georgia.
5
On the Road Again Cont. from Page 3
Atlanta Fixture & Sales
option allowed our team to be in a dozen different spots at the same time, rather than just
covering one booth.
The Foodservices Team
wants to thank everyone
who participated at this
year's
conference,
including Jim Wixson,
Lynn Moses and all our
valued vendor partners.
With another successful
conference now behind
us, our goal will be to
work toward a 100%
Total Electric trade show
in the future!
Ramsey Denson, Sales Manager, Big A Distributors
A Recipe for Cont. from Page 2
questions would be asked:
• How much product per hour will it cook?
• What is the life cycle cost?
• What is the purchase price?
• How much does it cost to operate?
• What is the impact in the quality of the food?
• What is the impact on labor?
• Does the equipment item cause work environment problems?
• Is it easy to operate?
• Can the equipment item serve more than
one purpose?
• Final Layout and Engineering: This is the
last step prior to sending the project out to
bid. All of the negotiated changes from the
preliminary layout are incorporated into a
final drawing set. Then all plumbing, gas,
and electrical rough-ins are developed.
Ventilation issues are incorporated into the
drawings, along with special details that
will help convey the finished plan.
• Awarding the Project: At this point, the
project should be ready to send out for bid.
If you have hired a consultant, they will help
you determine which dealer should be
awarded the project based on their bid price
and historical project performance. If you
worked and you feel comfortable with a
sales engineer, and the prices come back
within a small percentage difference, you
might then order the equipment directly
from them. The benefit of having the
designer handle the sale is that they know
all of the special details about your kitchen.
If you engage professionals in your planning
process you will be guided painlessly through
the obstacle course of decision making. Each
missed opportunity or incorrect decision can
stall or set a project back by many months.
Consultants and Sales Engineers are money in
the bank! They will steer you clear of profit pitfalls and build in efficiency. I hope that this
article has been helpful in giving you a recipe
to successful kitchen planning.
23
S
ince 1927 Atlanta Fixture & Sales
Company, Inc. has been an industry
leader in the national distribution of foodservice equipment and supplies.
Valued Partner Profile
option wherever possible. Getting our vendor
partners fully engaged in selling the electric
Customers can shop at their convenience by
visiting Atlanta Fixture's showroom and
warehouse (spanning more than 172,000
square feet) or browsing through their website at www.atlantafixture.com. The company's vast inventory of more than 9,000
different in-stock items offers the ability to
outfit an entire restaurant from its existing
warehouse inventory.
In addition, a fleet of 13 delivery trucks allow
Atlanta Fixture to deliver much needed equipment in a fast and responsive manner.
Atlanta Fixture's team of experienced design
project managers can design and specify
equipment solutions for any commercial foodservice application imaginable. Atlanta
Fixture is pleased about its partnership with
Georgia Power, enabling them to offer and
supply money-saving, electric foodservice
equipment to their clients.
Top 5 Foodservice Equipment Dealers that sell
energy-efficient electric cooking equipment:
Atlanta Fixture & Sales
Big A Distributors
Manning brothers
Norvell Fixture & Equipment
Strategic Equipment & Supply
As an Owner/Operator of Fish Dish, I'm pleased with the fact that my kitchen is very comfortable.
We're using three fryers, a griddle, an oven and a full size warmer — all of which are on for many
hours. I have no doubt that electric cooking equipment is definitely cooler than any other energy
source in addition to it being more productive as well. I am very pleased!
A school system that's making the grade with
the electric cooking advantage and some
exciting new electric cooking technology
advancements to consider.
Kitchen Chat
In Our Next Issue
In Our Next Issue
What our Customers are Saying
Debbie Ryan, Owner of Fish Dish, McDonough, Georgia
The benefits of electric cooking are numerous. Our restaurant is now able to serve more people
because the new electric equipment gets more production and quicker cook times. Our food quality & consistency has improved with the evenness of temperature with the new electric equipment.
Cliff Strickland, Director of Maintenance and Operations, Callaway Gardens®,
Pine Mountain, Georgia.
The electric fryers have got a real quick recovery time and they
seem to be able to hold their temperature better and last longer
than the gas fryers. That surprised me. I guess it's because the
elements are right there where you need them to be instead of
trying to heat the source from the outside.
Mike King, Multiple Backyard Burgers Franchise Owner , Macon, Georgia
Tips, Quips & Myths
Myth Busters
Choosing the right cooking equipment can
increase your operating efficiency, reduce your
energy usage and minimize your overall operating costs. Know the facts before choosing
the equipment for your kitchen.
Myth: If my power goes out, I can still use my gas
cooking equipment.
Myth Buster: Without electricity:
• Exhaust fans do not run, so fumes cannot be
exhausted (a potential for carbon monoxide
buildup)
• The equipment's electric thermostats and
controls will not work.
• The kitchen is dark, unsafe and a building
code violation.
• Dining room lights are out (a violation of
occupancy codes.)
• Fire suppression systems may not work (a
National Fire Protection violation.)
Myth: My electric panel is full and I do not have
enough electricity.
Myth Buster: A full panel does not mean
that there is not enough service for all your
equipment. There is a new National Electric
Code that may help you add additional electric equipment. Your local utility representative can provide helpful information about
this. Call 1.888.655.5888. - Fire suppression
systems may not work (a National Fire
Protection violation.)
4
Myth: It takes too long to preheat electric.
Myth Buster: Excluding the range burner,
electric is ready to cook 10 to 40 percent
faster than gas equipment.