Boston Showcase Company and the Foodservice Equipment and Supplies Industry

New LEED Certifications for Foodservice Design

2009-08-12T09:21:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-06T12:04:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-28T11:55:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-27T16:26:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-27T16:24:00.002-04:00

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?

2009-03-23T10:53:00.004-04:00

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

2009-03-13T15:49:00.005-04:00

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.

Spring Sale at BSC

2009-03-13T11:55:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted and I apologize for that. This spring, BSC will be having the first annual Spring Sale, which will feature smallwares, including glassware, china, flatware, and kitchen supplies, as well as some pieces of equipment. The sale will take place at BSC in the front of our building, which is located at 66 Winchester St. in Newton. All of the information is below. Contact Andy for more information.

Event: Spring Sale at BSC

Date and Time: May 9, 2009 beginning at 10 AM.

Location: 66 Winchester St. Newton, MA 02461

What's For Sale?: China, glassware, pots, pans, kitchen utensils, equipment, etc.

BSC Hires New Sales Coordinator

2009-01-22T09:45:00.002-05:00

Jack Durgin, formerly of Restaurant Equipment Sales in Wilmington, DE, recently began working at Boston Showcase Company as Sales Coordinator. Jack has more than a decade of experience in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry, specifically in dealerships, having worked at RES. Jack will assist in several areas including purchasing, sales support, interfacing with manufacturers, and inside sales.

Price Increases for 2009

2009-01-19T10:00:00.004-05:00

While some manufacturers update prices throughout the year, most announce changes for the beginning of the year. At Boston Showcase Company, we only raise prices when manufacturers have increases. Some manufacturers' prices have not gone up in many categories due to the declining cost of fuel and metal. Some manufacturers lowered prices in some categories as well. For updated prices on items that you purchase, please contact BSC directly.

Prices Updated for January 1, 2009

A.J. Antunes & Co.
Advance Tabco
Amana Commercial Products
Amco
American Metalcraft
American Panel
ANETS
Arctic Air
Ascend
Bally
Bar Maid
Belleco
Berkel
Best Value Textiles
Bizerba
Blodgett Combi
Blodgett Conveyor
Blodgett Oven
Blodgett Range
Blodgett Steam
Bloomfield Ind.
Bugambilia
Cambro
Canada Vollrath
Candle Lamp
Cardinal
Carter-Hoffmann
Cecilware
Chef Specialties
Connerton Company, Inc.
CookTek
Cooper Atkins
Cornelius
Crestware
Cuno
Curtron
Detecto
Dexter Russell
Dispense-Rite
Diversified Ceramics
Doyon
Dutchess Bakers
Dynamic International
Edgecraft
Electrolux Dito
Electrolux Professional
EmberGlo
Everpure
Fagor Refrigeration
Follett Corporation
Forschner
Freestyle
Gemini
Giles
Glass Pro
Glastender
Goldleaf Plastics
Groen
Grosfillex
Hamilton Beach
Hammerall

Harford Duracool

Homer Laughlin
Hussmann
International Patterns
International Tableware
ISS

John Boos (Flyer)
Kelmax
Kelvinator/Electrolux
Kloppenberg Company
Kolpak
Lang Manufacturing
Lang Marine
LBC Bakery

Legion
LPI
Manitowoc
Market Forge
Mars Air Doors
Maywood Furniture
McCall
Meiko
Metalfrio
Midwest Folding
Mod-U-Serve
MVP Group
New Age
Oliver
Oreck Commercial
Prince Castle
Randell
Robot Coupe
Royalton Foodservice Equipment
Rubbermaid
Sage Sanitizing Systems
Salvajor
Servend
Server Products
Southbend
Spring USA
Stanton Trading
Star Mfg.
Steelite
Stoelting
Taylor Co.
TEC - Thermal Engineering
Texican Specialty Products
Thunder Group
Town Foodservice
Turbo Air
Turbo Chef
Tuxton
Ultrafryer
Universal Stainless
Univex
Vertex
Walco Stainless
Waring
Waste King
Wells
Winco
Winston
Wittco
Zeroll
Zurn

Syracuse China to Close Factory

2008-12-18T21:52:00.005-05:00

Syracuse China, which was founded in 1873, will shut down their Salina, NY factory in March of 2009. The closing will put at least 275 employees out of a job. John F. Meier, chairman and CEO of Libbey Inc., the parent company of Syracuse China, said the move was made to improve efficiency and decrease costs by manufacturing overseas. "While considerable efforts have been made at Syracuse China to reduce costs, the operations continue to fall short of our strategic expectations," Meier said to the Syracuse Post-Standard. Long-time employees and natives to the area were shocked by the decision.

A decision like this is nothing new to our industry or any industry. Several years ago, Oneida purchased Buffalo China, only to close the factory and manufacture overseas under the Buffalo name. Cheap labor and materials abroad makes being competitive in the U.S. increasingly difficult. Almost every smallwares manufacturer imports products from foreign countries to remain competitive. While it's upsetting to see a quality factory close, the china business is cyclical. Last year, Niagara Ceramics took over the Buffalo China factory and began manufacturing products under their name. Niagara produces high quality, American made patterns that foodservice operations have been using for years, including Manhattan Gold, Undecorated, and Patriot, which is equivalent to Espree from Buffalo. Niagara's products are significantly less expensive than Buffalo because they have low overhead and can control costs easily. Plus, customers are buying an American made product and supporting our economy. In an industry that is seeing far too many products imported from overseas, it's nice to still be able to buy from a company like Niagara. Niagara isn't alone as Homer Laughlin still manufactures all of their china in West Virginia.

BSC Earns Recognition for Kitchen Design

2008-12-08T13:30:00.004-05:00

Boston Showcase Company recently earned the Facility Design Project of the Month from Foodservice Equipment and Supplies magazine for the design of Davio's at Patriot Place. BSC's Gary Strickland, Vice President of Engineering, designed the kitchen with help from the owner and architect. Read the fully story here.

Controls for Griddles

2008-12-01T13:57:00.006-05:00

Griddles are now available with three options for controls. Five years ago, nearly every griddle sold had manual controls. Now, snap-action and solid state thermostatic controls give the operator more flexibility and control of the griddle. These controls are also seen on other equipment, including Char-Broilers, convection ovens and fryers. The key element when selecting this option is to know what you will be cooking and how often. Some griddles are energy efficient as well. The good people at Fisher Nickel, a company that evaluates commercial foodservice equipment's energy efficiency through testing, determined several energy efficient griddles.

Manual - This is the most basic control and the least expensive but places the most responsibility on the operator to control the temperature. Manual controls operate like a typical household gas burner. Operators can raise or lower the flame by turning the knob. The biggest downside of manual controls is that if left untouched, the griddle temperature will continue to rise as the plate continues to absorb heat, even on the lowest setting. This is the biggest reason why manual controls are slowly becoming obsolete. When there is a slow period in the kitchen, food like eggs and frozen meat are difficult to cook without burning. Manual griddles are recommended for users looking to save money, have an experienced operator, or use the griddle consistently throughout a shift.

Snap-Action Thermostat - This allows the operator to control the thermostat at temperatures ranging from 150 to 550 degrees, depending on the manufacturer. Most manufacturers guarantee the temperature within ten degrees, plus or minus. The temperature will stay fairly consistent with snap-action controls. When cold food hits the surface and the temperature begins to drop, the thermostat will "snap" on and heat up. On the flip side, the thermostat will not let the surface get too hot.

Solid State Thermostat - This is the Cadillac of griddle controls. With solid state controls, the griddle surface will maintain heat to within one degree of the thermostat. Chains such as McDonalds demand equipment that maintains the exact temperature, which allows their operators to follow an exact cooking plan. Even with a snap-action thermostat, a burger that is supposed to be cooked for four minutes at 325 degrees might be undercooked if the temperature drops eight degrees for two of those minutes. A solid state thermostat produces consistent food and reduces operator's errors.

Many of the manufacturers that Boston Showcase Company works with have these options including Vulcan, Wolf, Star, Magi'Kitch'N, and Garland/US Range.

Boston Showcase Becomes an Energy Star Partner

2008-11-11T09:41:00.007-05:00

Boston Showcase Company is now an official Energy Star Partner! Every business has a responsibility to "go green," which is why we push Energy Star rated products to our customers. Currently, there are six categories for Energy Star rated commercial foodservice equipment. They are solid door refrigeration, steam cookers, dishwasher, fryers, hot food holding cabinets, and ice machines. Boston Showcase has supplied dozens of Energy Star products in the past couple years and is committed to offering clients as many energy efficient items as possible.

In an upcoming project, we are working with Captive Aire to supply an exhaust hood with a pollution control unit. Captive Aire states on their website that a pollution control unit is, "designed specifically for the removal of smoke and grease particles from the air stream of commercial exhaust systems and to eliminate or reduce odor to an acceptable level." Essentially, this system will significantly reduce the amount of toxins released by an exhaust hood into the environment. This is just one of many commitments by Boston Showcase Company to "go green."

Selecting the Right Tabletop Items

2008-11-10T18:32:00.007-05:00

At Boston Showcase Company, we pride ourselves in being the premier resource in New England for tabletop items. This includes glassware, china, flatware, bread baskets, candle holders, and much more. My grandfather, Jason Starr, who served as President for thirty years received numerous awards for his creative tabletop arrangements. His passion for tabletop trickled down through the generations, from my father and uncle to myself.

While some might think that the first thing to consider when selecting tabletop items is price, you would be somewhat wrong. I would say totally wrong, but obviously price is always a concern. The first thing to consider is usage, storage space, and how the items will be transported to the dish room. One of my loyal customers always mulls the possibility of switching from heavy, clunky china to a more elegant, modern pattern. However, their restaurant is extremely high-volume with bussers rushing buckets in and out of the kitchen, quickly scraping leftover food and stashing glasses in racks. If they switched to all high-end items, their tabletop bills would skyrocket because of breakage and loss. It's not that only a small, upscale restaurant can have high-end tabletop items; in fact, hotels often have some of most expensive items, especialy china. This ties into the aforementioned key criteria. The small, upscale restaurant can have high-end tabletop items because they are used infrequently, maybe only one turn each night, and thus, are handled less. And the smaller the restaurant, the smaller the quantity of items, making storage a cinch. While usage is huge in a hotel, they can maintain high-end tabletop items because of their ability to transport and store everything. In a banquet room, hundreds of plates, glasses and flatware hit the tables, but hotels use plate dispensers, poker chip dollies and glass rack dollies, items that can't possibly fit in a normal restaurant, to for storage and transport.

Now that you have sifted through the first set of criteria, you can start to select the styles that you prefer. More than ninety percent of china in commercial settings is white, but the shapes are becoming increasingly different. Squares and rectangles all all the rage today, but even funkier shapes with multiple curves and indentations are starting to sell. Villeroy and Boch, Steelite, and Front of the House, which represent three price points, all push the envelope with innovative new china concepts. Recently, Libbey, a company known for their traditional, durable glassware, released the Quadra line (see below), which has a solid, heavy base and a rounded square body. Walco Stainless, which has dozens of classic patterns, including Pacific Rim, Derby, and Fan Fare, also showcases progressive patterns such as Ironstone, Modernaire (see picture), and Frosted Vogue.

The hard part is over now and if you and your sales associate have done your homework, there will be two to three options for china, glassware, and flatware. Now is the time to look at price. Before making any selections, determine a rough budget for the whole package rather than per item. Even though you might love the unique shape of a certain pasta bowl, for $30 per bowl, it's probably too expensive. And if you pass on it, you can buy a higher quality round dinner plate and a customized steak knife. You can go the other way too and buy cheap glassware because those pasta dishes are your signature. Buying tabletop is about give and take, but having an overall budget makes this process easier.

Ranges with Electric Pilot Ignition

2008-11-07T19:41:00.001-05:00

Friday afternoons can either be incredibly hectic or just the opposite. Luckily, all the craziness today occurred prior to three o'clock so I was able to spend some time with Jerry Perkins, a manufacturer's representative for Garland, Intermetro, and Frymaster, amongst others. I asked him to help me specify a range for a new project and we began discussing ranges with electric pilot ignition. Jerry also helped with some of the content in this post.

Electric pilot ignition operates similar to the residential gas range. The user simply pushes in the gas valve, which begins the flow of gas and then presses the electric ignition, which creates a spark that lights the pilot. Once the pilot is on, the valve is used to increase or decrease the flame just like a standard restaurant range. Gas will not flow until the user is ready to start cooking, which differs from a standard restaurant range. With a standard range, the pilots are open and gas flows at all times, whether you light them or not. These open pilots typically operate constantly or if the gas supply is interrupted, someone on the kitchen staff has to manually light them. Safety pilots supplied with electric ignition are closed and gas will not flow to a pilot or burner unless the operator required it.

There is no question that a restaurant range with this feature is significantly more expensive than a standard but the benefits are significant. First, you are not wasting gas that leaks out when the pilots are on as with a standard restaurant range. In today's commercial kitchen, the gas often turns on when the exhaust fans are turned on but users may not light the range for hours. Second, you only need to operate as many burners as required. If you only need four burners on a six-burner range, simply turn those on and the other two will remain off and not leak any gas through the pilot. Third, electric ignition ranges are safer to operate because only burners that are operating need gas. Many school districts are now making this type of range mandatory for safety reasons.

Boston Showcase Company works with several manufacturers who provide restaurant ranges with electric ignition including Garland, Blodgett, Southbend.

Part of Being a Sales Associate

2008-11-06T22:51:00.001-05:00

As a foodservice equipment and supplies sales associate, I drive around Boston at least three times a week visiting customers and it never ceases to amaze me how little pedestrians care about possibly getting hit by my car. The light is fully green, the Don't Walk sign is fully orange and not only do people walk right in front of my car, they don't even look. And when they do, it's the look of disgust that I, the driver, even contemplated interrupting their stroll through the city. The simple solution is to drive less but I'm carrying countless samples and catalogs in my car that I can't possibly lug around all day. So until I start riding a Segway or videoconferencing becomes standard, I'll keep finding questionable parking spaces and shaking my head at those unruly street walkers.