Mother’s Day Madness – Horizon Chafer Series from Polar Ware
The busiest holiday in the restaurant industry is fast approaching. Usually Mother's Day consists of pandemonium behind the kitchen with cooks and servers scrambling to get food out to an enormous crowd of hungry people in a reasonable amount of time while still maintaining great service, proper etiquette.....and their composure. One that works in a foodservice establishment might even go as far as to say that this day of the year is torture.
To those of you who this may be feasible consider trading out your food trays for chafers this year to bring order to chaos. Chafers are a great way to take some of the pressure off of your employees while still being able to serve great food to your guests. Maybe have a buffet special to meet the competition or just keep the food in the back so it can be retrieved whenever it's ordered. No matter how you implement chafers into your establishment you will allow your cooks to work at a much steadier pace by having a method to keep the food warm even after it's ready. And your servers will have more time to tend to the other needs of their customer's like keeping their drinks full and their atmosphere ambient.
Chafers come in all shapes and sizes so there's very few things that they won't hold. And if your using them in a buffet set up their stylish designs add a touch of class to your establishment that will make Mom believe shes eating fancy. while they may seem like a sizable purchase up front you will be able to use them for years to come with their durable stainless steel construction. Check out the Horizon Series from Polar Ware for simple yet functional value chafers.
Okay so maybe we didn't invent the buffet or the chafer, but we like to think that we brought an obvious option to your attention. By having the food hot and ready to go you'll have more time to worry about other things, like how your going to count the cash instead of how your going to feed a large group of people all at once. And your employees will thank you when they realize that they won't loose their sanity this year.
The In’s and Out’s of Food Cabinets for Restaurants
Food vendors must prepare food on a daily basis and most of that food is not going to last for an extended period of time; this is why heated food displays are so critical to the restaurant industry—namely fast food establishments and food court vendors. For those of you who are just starting out in the restaurant business, a heated food display is a glass enclosed case that encapsulates and retains heat to keep your already cooked food warm for longer periods of time all while showcasing your food items to customers.
There are a variety of heated display cases for almost any restaurant operation imaginable. Most of these display cases are seen in mall food courts or convenience stores. The most common display cases are the countertop units, which are used for putting pretzels and pizzas on display. As the name suggest, these cases sit on top of a counter and are displayed in what is typically considered a hexagonal-style glass enclosure. Most of them even have a turning mechanism to ensure the hotdog weenies or pretzels are warmed evenly. They usually come with glass doors that retain heat and are typically used when either displaying smaller food items or when there is not enough floor space for large display cases.
If you have larger items, such as meats, breads, etc. then you would want to use a floor model heated display case instead. These typically have stacked shelves that are deep and allow for adequate room for display. Most of these models come with a curved glass display that allows your customer to view the food items from various angles. It’s always a good idea to make sure your display cases come with sneeze guards. This is especially important when using open style models.
Not only are there heated display cases but also refrigerated display cases. These are great for displaying sushi or fish that should be kept in a chilled environment. They are great for use in supermarkets as well as when you choose to display food items in the open while keeping them refrigerated, most of these cases come self-contained.
Regardless of whether it is heated or refrigerated, we can’t forget about buffet lines. Most buffets have both heated and refrigerated cases with a clear opening. These displays must be equipped with sneeze guards before buying. Not only will the heated buffet cases protect your food and plates from germs, but they will also keep them warm for hours, both prove to be a necessity on almost any buffet line.
As you can see, there is a variety of food display cases made to accommodate your needs. All of these are designed to do two things: keep your food at a desired temperature for an extended period of time and show your customers what you have to offer them from your restaurant. There is the possibility that if you can’t find a food display to fit your restaurant needs, you can always have one customized to suit both the aesthetics and function of your establishment.
A Great-Tasting Family Tradition: How A Local Family Recipe Started A Barbecue Empire
Brian has always had a sense of taste when it comes to the quality of slow cooked barbecue. A traditional family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation turned a lucrative profit for him and his family four years ago. It was at that time Brian decided to take his family recipe and start what is now known as BareBonz BBQ. Since this time, his establishment has garnered more than 80 BBQ awards around the state of South Carolina including the Laurens Squealin’ on the Square grand champion award and the Gerald Ledbetter Award for Barbecue at the South Carolina Festival of Discovery. His barbecue has become so well-renowned that it has even been featured on the Food Network. During this four year duration, Brian has found himself building what some might call a barbecue empire.
He also established a catering service that took off around the upstate area of South Carolina. Their flexible menu offers a variety of meals for large groups. The beauty of their catering service is that BareBonz provides the option of bringing food in containers for self-catering and then coming back to clean up after the party is over. They also offer a buffet service where they are fully-
involved from start to finish. At this point, they provide everything from setting up the meals in a buffet to having employees on standby ready to serve guests to cleaning up after the party or event is over. BareBonz Catering can provide customizable catering events for a variety of parties and adheres to the customer’s wishes. They even bring a concession trailer to ensure everything is at the customer’s disposal.
Last year Brian and Co. opened BareBonz Express, an extension to their primary barbecue pit that is based on both efficiency and quality that locals came to expect from the original BareBonz BBQ. BareBonz Express serves great-tasting barbecue from ribs and briskets to baked beans and sweet potatoes.
Here are just a few of the delectable fixin’s you can come to expect from BareBonz:
Ribs
Their ribs are trimmed down and then rubbed with both seasoning and spices. After that they are smoked for hours into hickory wood, which gives the ribs their mouth-watering aroma and flavor. After the ribs have cooked thoroughly, they are then topped off with Brian’s gourmet, family-owned barbecue sauce that gives it the prominent flavor locals have come to expect from BareBonz.
Chicken
BareBonz only starts with the freshest chickens possible. Each piece is first washed and trimmed and then a medley of herbs and spices are seasoned on top. The chicken is then smoked in a special way exclusive to BareBonz until it reaches an ideal temperature making it mouth-watering and succulent.
Pork
The premiere food of BareBonz is their pork, which is patted down with their very own rub and smoked close to a pile of great smelling hickory wood for up to 12 hours. Once the pork reaches a certain temperature and provides that great-tasting aroma and flavor, then each piece of delectable pork is wrapped tightly in foil to seal both natural juices and flavoring.
Brisket
Each brisket is vacuum sealed six weeks before they are rubbed with a Texas rub and smoked close to fresh, hickory wood chips.
Enhancers
Meat enhancers are actually embedded into the hickory and help bring out the intense flavor of each meat.
Rubs
The rub that BareBonz puts on their meats is a special blend of sugars, salts and other spices with a variety of prepared meats.
Sauces
The sauce in BareBonz provides everything you would come to expect from a true Carolina barbecue. Its mustard base sauce combines with a hot sauce and gives their meats just the right amount of flavor to be considered in a league all of their own.