New LEED Certifications for Foodservice Design

With a growing interest in the foodservice community about LEED, the U.S. Green Building Council established the third version of the LEED for Retail guidelines in 2009. The foodservice portion was dramatically updated through the work of the Richard Young and Food Service Technology Center in California. Along with other foodservice professionals, they developed a "prescriptive path" to selecting commercial cooking equipment and fixtures to meet and/or exceed LEED certifications. FSTC created a chart for designers to follow that shows just how efficient certain equipment needs to be. For example, all Energy Star products meet these standards but there may be others as well. Even if your building is not trying to achieve LEED certification, which is very involved, operators can use this chart as guideline for a "green" restaurant.

Foodservice Equipment and Supplies Magazine featured a story about the new LEED for Retail in April. The full article can be found here.

Griddles and Convection Ovens Now Energy Star Approved

It's been several months since my last blog post, but I've noticed an increase in traffic lately so I thought I'd post again.

A couple months ago, the EPA approved griddles and convection ovens for Energy Star certification. Only AccuTemp, and just recently, Vulcan have approved griddles. Both manufacturers partner with Boston Showcase Company. Several manufacturers, including Vermont-based Blodgett and Vulcan have approved convection ovens.

Boston Showcase Company is an Energy Star Service and Products Provider and always steers customers toward the most energy efficient commercial cooking equipment.

Manitowoc the "New" Enodis

Enodis, which includes Delfield, Garland, Jackson, Scotsman, Ice-O-Matic, Varimixer, Frymaster, Cleveland, Lincoln, and other companies, is now under the Manitowoc umbrella. BSC works closely with all of these manufacturers to provide the highest quality equipment and service. Here's a brief synopsis of each company.

Delfield: Known for their customization ability. Can create full chef's counters with built in hot and cold elements. Also make regular refrigeration items, such as pizza prep tables and reach-in refrigerators.

Garland: Carries a full line of heavy-duty cooking equipment, including ranges, charbroilers, griddles, convection ovens, and salamanders.

Cleveland Range: The experts in steam equipment. Their products include tilting kettles, steam jacketed kettles, direct steam kettles, in both electric and gas.

Jackson: One of the many leaders in warewashing, dishwashing, and other types of washing. Have a full line of flight type, undercounter, and door-type machines.

Varimixer: For all of your mixing needs. Unlike other mixing companies, they focus solely on mixers and carry a 150 quart capacity model.

Scotsman/Ice-O-Matic: Although the are two separate companies, they carry similar products. Both companies are leading the way in energy efficient, Energy Star rated products. Both carry cube, flake, and nugget style ice cubes.

Frymaster: Although not as popular a Pitco in New England, they are the leaders in frying equipment along with Pitco. They carry dozens of energy efficient, Energy Star rated products that save end user money on both energy costs and oil costs. They do an excellent job of putting several fryers together into a battery.

Lincoln Foodservice/ Lincoln Smallwares: There are two sides to Lincoln: equipment and smallwares. Equipment includes Merco Savory heat lamps as well as Impinger ovens anc conveyor toasters. The smallwares side features pot and pans mainly, many of which BSC stocks in our Newton location.

Picking the Right Range

With dozens of manufacturers out there, all of which make ten types of ranges, how do you know what's right for you? The following information will hopefully help you decide.

Heavy Duty vs. Restaurant

A heavy duty range is more expensive but is built to take a beating from pots and pans. This type of range also has larger gas valves and higher energy outputs for quicker cooking times. A heavy duty range can be part of a battery of equipment as well. This is recommended for foodservice operations with more than 150 seats, such as big restaurants, hotels, cafeterias, prisons, commissaries, and hospitals.

A restaurant range is less expensive and has lower costs to maintain. A restaurant range is viable as a free standing unit. It will hold up well in a smaller operation or if it is an infrequently used item. Some buyers use restaurant ranges because they are inexpensive and with proper care, can extend the life dramatically. This is recommended for small restaurants, churches, snack bars, and other operations that are less than 150 seats.

So now that you've learned more about these two types of ranges, you'll be more prepared to make your purchase. BSC carries some of the finest commercial brands including Vulcan, Wolf, Garland, Jade, Montague, and more.

Warehouse Sale

Boston Showcase Company will be having the first annual Warehouse Sale on May 9, from 9 AM to 1 PM. Refreshments will be available for the first few dozen visitors. We are selling everything from equipment to smallwares to tabletop. Our showroom will be open to view as well. We look forward to seeing you there!

Did you know?

Every few months I will discuss a particular product or product line that BSC carries that is not as well known as other products that we sell. While many people are familiar with BSC as an equipment, supplies, and tabletop dealer, we carry hundreds of other types of products as well.

Furniture: BSC carries a complete line of furniture, including tables, chairs, booths, and outdoor furniture (umbrellas, plastic chairs, etc.). We work with numerous manufacturers including Grand Rapids Chair, which is rapidly, no pun intended, becoming a a leader in the industry with its unique designs. BSC also works with American Tables and Seating, M. Deitz, MTS Seating, Maple Wood Furniture, and many other quality manufacturers. Let us help you for your next project.

Hand Dryers: BSC works closely with both Excel Dryer and World Dryer to bring customers the leading hands free dryers for their bathrooms. BSC has supplied dozens of Xlerator hand dryers from Excel in the last year. Xlerators are the most energy efficient hand dryers available and are the quickest to dry your hands. Xlerators all feature the same interior construction and are available in five finishes show below. (Stainless Steel, Graphite, White- Zinc Cover, White- Resin Cover, and Chrome)

Filtered Water is the "Green" Way to Hydrate

One of the many exciting "green" trends in our industry is filtered water, which eliminates the need for bottles. Plastic or glass bottles are not only costly, but are bad for the environment when not recycled properly. Everpure makes a product called Exubera, which is plumbed in and provides clean, cold drinking water. Harvard University has installed this system in more than a dozen dining facilities. Not only do you get better quality drinking water than in a bottle, the cost is drastically reduced to just 1 cent per gallon! The Exubera dispenses three types of filtered water, including ambient, chilled, and chilled carbonated. When served in an elegant pitcher, operators can charge close to the same amount for filtered water as bottled water. While the machine requires some maintenance and carbon-dioxide tanks, the profit margin is staggering. BSC is proud to carry the Exubera system, which will help reduce your carbon footprint and your operating costs.