`A la Cart Customer Bulletin May 2009 Lunch-N-Learn at ASHFSA f you plan to attend ASHFSA this year, we hope you have signed up for our Lunch-N-Learn session on Tuesday, June 2nd. One of our customers using DualTemp120 will share results of some research completed as part of her Master's thesis in which she tracks improvement in patient satisfaction with the implementation of DualTemp120. Don't just take our word for it!! When you register for ASHFSA, you have the opportunity to select the vendor lunch you wish to attend. If you did not select one and still wish to sign up, e-mail me at acollins@alacartinc.com, and I'll make sure you get on the list! If you are unable to attend the lunch, be sure to visit us at our booth to say hello and learn what is new with `A la Cart, Inc.! I DualTemp120 Users-Product Update he supplier of our clear 9" dome cover for the round entree plate some customers purchase from us, has changed their packaging which impacts the quantity and price per case. The item number will remain #90809-2, but they will now be packaged 24ct/cs. (as opposed to 48 ct/cs.)The price per case is now $225.60, or half the cost of the price before the change. T Recipe Swap he following recipe was submitted by David Saraco, Director of Food & Nutrition at Coney Island Hospital. While the prodution techniques suggested may prevent you from being able to carry this one off with authenticity in a hospital setting, it certainly lends itself to success at your next large famSunday Gravy ily gathering! (My Italian Tomato Sauce & Meat Balls) T Gravy/Sauce Ingredients: Olive Oil Onion, 1 medium Garlic, never too much Crushed Tomatoes , 3 ea. 28-35 oz. cans Whole Peeled Tomatoes, 1 ea. 28-35 oz. can Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste Fresh Basil, lrg. bunch 1/2 lb. Ground Beef 1/2 lb Ground Veal 1/2 lb. Ground Pork 1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage 1 lb. Lamb Necks Italian Red Wine (Just a little for the sauce, a lot for you!) Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Dice onions and garlic, and saute in the olive oil until transparent and tender. Add ground beef, veal and pork and brown. Add sweet Italian sausagew and lamb necks and brown. Season with salt, pepper, fresh basil and saute slowly. Pour a glass of wine and turn up the music. Chop whole tomatoes so they are chunky. (You can use your hands, but make sure they're clean.) Add crushed tomatoes and chopped whole tomatoes to the pot. Let gravy/sauce simmer for at least 1 hour with all the meat inside the pot releasing all that wondeful flavor.! Taste and readjust seasoning if necessary. Hey! Lets not forget the meatballs. You know what I mean? Have another glass of wine!! Meatball Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs Beef, Veal, Pork Fresh Garlic, minced, there is never enough garlic Onion, small, minced 1 cup bread crumbs Salt/Pepper to taste Flat leaf Italian Parsley, chopped Grated Parmigan-Reggiano cheese Three Eggs Mix together well (you can use your clean hands) Rinse your hands with cold water and lightly shape mixture into 2-inch size balls. While they are still raw (that's right, trust me) drop them into your simmering sauce so they can cook releasing all that flavor into your sauce! Once all the meat is cooked through, remove the meatballs, lamb & sausage from the sauce and set aside on a platter to be served after your favorite dish of pasta. Never serve meat in the same dish as your pasta! Don't forget the Italian bread and the wine! La famiglia la travola-qui si mangia bene! (The family at the table-here one eats well.) Buon Appetito tutti! Sing it Frank! (Thanks Dave! I missed the part where any of the wine went into the sauce...) So what special recipes do you have to share? Still looking for good recipes for Mexican/ Hispanic themed menu items. Any offerings?! Send them in to acollins@alacartinc.com and we'll include in the next newsletter! Tech Talk hat should you do if you need warranty or technical service, need to report an equipment problem, return a warranted part, or order parts? The most recent TechTalk issue addressed these questions. Warranty & Support Any customer who needs technical assistance should have their repair technician call our toll-free telephone number between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM EST. Phone support is free to all of our customers. Terry Smith, Technical Supervisor, is at ext. 106, and Melanie Richardson, Dir.. of Customer Service is at ext. 107. All W parts are warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship. The warranty policy does not apply to damage resulting from fire, water, burglary, accident, abuse, misuse and acts of God. Attempted repair or improper installation by unauthorized parties may void any warranty. All new equipment comes with a minimum of a 90-day parts warranty. No labor warranty is provided unless otherwsie stated, as with System II. Refer to your warranty letter or contract for details of coverage. In order to track replacement parts which are warranted for 90 days from invoice date, it is a good idea to log work done on each piece of equipment. If a part that is under warranty should fail, it is to be replaced from the spare parts kit if available. The faulty part is then to be marked with a RMA (Return Material Authorization) number obtained by calling 800-762-2278 and sent back to the Charlotte office. Once the faulty part is rcceived, `A la Cart will determine the warranty status. If the part is under warranty, `A la Cart will repair or replace the part and return it. When calling for warranty assistance or technical support, please have the following information available: √ Facility/Business Name √ Address √ Contact Name √ Telephone # √ Equipment Model (System II, DualTemp 120, etc.) √ Equipment Serial and Cart # √ Date of Receipt Questions regarding warranty status may be directed to Customer Service (ext. 107) or Technical/Field Service (ext. 106) at 704-583-6070/800-762-2278. Our mailing address via UPS for parts is : `A la Cart, Inc 10900-A South Commerce Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28273 USPS mail should continue to be addressed to: `A la Cart, Inc P.O. Box 7108 Charlotte, NC 28273-7108 Non-Warranty On-site technical support beyond that covered by any labor warranty may be arranged for a fee. A quoted estimate for work will be provided, along with a recommendation for any parts required for repairs. To request a quote, call 800-7622278. www.alacartinc.com, or by sending a fax to 704-583-5961, if web access is not available. We do not accept orders over the phone. Operational Tips recently attended a meeting in New York City where 12 Sodexo General Managers who are all `A la Cart System II Users were gathered. We took 20 minutes for a little Q & A. I thought I would share responses to two of the questions. I Cart/Chiller Matching: `A la Cart has always recommended that whenever possible, System II users macth the same cart to the same chiller at each meal. This requires more coordination and planning when lining up carts for the trayline. However, this practice prevents the "virus" phenomenon that occurs when a cart with a faulty heater can blow out fuses and cause faults on multiple chillers. Matching the same cart to the same chiller isolates the problem. One GM indicated that 90% of his equipment issues went away after he insisted on this practice. At first the employees were resistant, but they came around when they discovered how few trays were cold due to equipment issues! The benefits outweighed the burden, even for this facility that serves over 850 meals per mealtime! Chiller Fuses I was asked how to prevent the frequency of chiller fuses failing. As you may know, each heater is controlled by a relay/fuse in the chiller that is protected by a 1 amp fuse. This fuse may be blown when there is an unusual electrical arcing caused by poor contact between the pin in the cart connector (male part) and the pin in the chiller cable (female part.) The two pins may not have good contact if the connector is not completely tightened and locked into place during the docking procedure, or if there is a short pin in the cart connector. Train employees to turn the connector until the locking ring "clicks" into place, and do regular visual inspections of the cart connectors to flag any short pins. Log these observations on the Cart Chiller Maintenance Log to communicate with your service technician. Amy Collins, Project Coordinator Upcoming Holidays Our office will be closed for the following upcoming holidays: May 25 Memorial Day July 3 Independence Day Keep these dates in mind when you are placing orders, as no orders will be processed or shipped on these dates. System II Users, don't forget to stock up on your patriotic traymats! #90668-1 1000/cs Call us to obtain part numbers, pricing or additional information before placing your order. When placing a part or supply order, please include part #, model number, quantity, purchase order number, account name, address, contact name, fax and phone number. You may place orders either on our website at page 2 `A la Cart, Inc. P.O Box 7108 Charlotte, NC 28237 (800)762-2278 www.alacartinc.com