The Official Blog of JES Restaurant Equipment

The kitchen is the center of your business. You need high-quality, high-powered commercial kitchen equipment to withstand daily use and keep your staff organized and happy. Before you start purchasing equipment for your kitchen, it’s crucial to note which appliances are right for your restaurant.

Starting a restaurant easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Equipment, space, menu design, and marketing are all big-ticket items that add up quick. Throw in staff and inventory and your funding may start to look flimsy. While these factors may seem nonnegotiable, businesses before you have made it by on much less money than normal and still seen success. Read on to find out how you too could start a restaurant with a barely-there budget.

Smoothie bars are all the rage and have been for a few decades. They are a convenient way to get a cool drink and a serving of fruit and veggies. Popular places to have one is near a health club or in malls or on the beach. There are several different types of equipment you’ll need to start up your smoothie bar. This is a guide along with some recommendations to help you get started.

During the hot summer months, everything tends to run a little slower. To help your ice machine run more efficiently, so you can keep cool,Ice-O-Matic has some helpful tips for maximum ice machine productivity.

Health inspections for commercial dining venues are a fact of owning such a business, and thank goodness for them, because we’d never want to eat out if there weren’t any guidelines. The experience can, however, be unnerving to the point of downright terror if you allow it to be. There are some common sense ideas in preparing for a health inspection that can make it less painful and more successful.

With the constantly increasing awareness of world energy use becoming a more and more pressing concern with every passing year, many food service establishments are beginning to look for ways to reduce their waste production and excess energy use. The mental image of trash being emptied into slowly crowding landfills is powerful motivation for many restaurateurs to begin minimizing their waste – not to mention the increasing costs of waste disposal services. While taking steps to reduce waste is often slightly less convenient, and will take more time and effort from both you and your restaurant staff, the financial, environmental, and social impact of minimizing waste will almost certainly be worth it in the long run. Here are a few tips to start reducing your restaurant’s waste production.

When it comes to motivating your servers, business writers suggest you hold daily contests with the winners receiving small monetary prizes. They suggest, basically, that once a day you should gather your waitstaff in the kitchen, flash a fifty dollar bill, and then tell everyone that whoever sells the most surf-and-turf plates that evening goes home with the fifty tucked inside their billfold. The logic here is everybody wants money, and so when you dangle $50 over your employees’ heads, they’ll jump however high it takes to snatch it. Well, if that sounds reasonable to you, then listen up because this is important. Contests are for chumps.

It’s no secret that every good chef needs a great kitchen timer to ensure a delectable meal. Whether you are a residential or commercial chef, purchasing the right kitchen timer is a priority for avoiding over or undercooked meat. The kitchen is a very serious place to be when using electricity, heat, etc. Therefore, timers are a great asset to have to keep from setting your kitchen ablaze from absent-minded cooking habits.

So you want to open your own restaurant.  It’s a more popular field than ever before because less people are taking time to cook.   Maybe you’ve seen that perfect old building being remodeled in town, and envisioned it fully of happy diners expounding on your brilliance.  Seems like a good place to start?  Wrong answer!  There’s a logical process to opening your own restaurant, and it doesn’t start with the cutest old building you’ve ever seen.

Maybe it’s because you’re swamped. Or maybe you’re just lazy. Regardless the reason, that thing you’re doing… it’s disgusting. Anyone who works in the service industry has skipped some important sanitation procedure before—it’s only when you start making a habit of uncleanliness that your restaurant begins to suffer. So be honest with yourself, are you guilty of these ten sanitation no-no’s?

Food-based allergies have symptoms ranging from barely noticeable to imminent threat of death.   Research suggests that approximately 15 million Americans have food allergies.  A 2015 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that food allergies in children increased by about 50% between 1997 and 2011.  The most common allergen for children is cow’s milk, while the most common allergen for adults is shell fish.   Peanuts aren’t the most common allergen for any segment of the population, but they are frequently the most violent.  Some are so allergic to peanuts they can’t be in the same room with a peanut butter cookie.   Food allergies are increasing in all segments of the population.   It’s not clear whether allergies or reliable diagnosis is on the rise, but one thing is certain.  The health threat can’t be ignored.  Food service is feeling the impact strongly.

Stocking the cabinets in your commercial bar or home kitchen with the right kind of glassware can sometimes be a daunting – or at least financially intimidating – task. The sheer variety of different types of beverageware will mean that most establishments won't have the budget or space to keep every single kind of glass on hand.

Customers will pass judgment about your restaurant the second they sit down. That is why picking the right dinner plate is so important to the restaurateur. Dinner plates are an important part of your restaurant experience and thus should be well thought out before purchasing. It should complement the color and design of your establishment. When choosing dinner plates, you should consider several things including materials, colors, shapes and sizes.

Outside dining is upon us again. The chance to enjoy our meal outdoors is a deciding factor for many people, including me, when choosing a restaurant. If we’ve gone to the trouble of finding an ocean, we like having dinner beside it. Side walk window shoppers and carefully tended lilies are preferable to walls of art we’ve seen before, even if we love them. Patio furniture grants us the freedom to savor your menu selections while we savor the season.

If you don’t have a lot of room in your commercial kitchen but you are finding yourself in need of a good fryer, then you might look at a commercial counter top electric fryer as an option.

If you are in the market for a new refrigerator or freezer, with all the features, options, brands, and manufacturers these days, your search can turn into an overwhelming mess pretty quickly. Luckily, we are here to help. In this blog we will compare three different refrigeration manufacturers and their equipment to ensure when you are choosing your next piece of refrigeration equipment, you are well-informed to make a good decision and choose the correct fridge or freezer to fit your needs.

It’s important to know what those certifications tell you about your purchases, so we’ve listed our most common ones. The next time you’re shopping on our site, you’ll have a better understanding of the quality of products you’re considering.

Kitchen Knives come in many different varieties and it can be overwhelming trying to find what kind of knife you need.

It has been said that smells trigger memories more than any of our senses. Maybe a cologne reminds you of your grandfather, or a hair spray reminds you of your aunt, or a specific fabric softener reminds you of a previous relationship. The power of smell cannot be under estimated.

Although food trucks have been a long-standing part of American culture, the popularity of these mobile eateries has come to an all time high within the last few years, and for good reason. Motivated entrepreneurs can start a mobile food business for a fraction of the cost to open a brick and mortar restaurant and yields several advantages over the traditional foodservice method by allowing owners to bring the food to their customers and requiring less employees to operate.

Shop JES Restaurant Equipment's Food Truck Category Here.

Do you feel like it’s time to buy a new commercial sink but you aren’t sure what type to purchase? First, you should understand why you are buying it. The cost of the sink is usually in direct comparison to the job for which it is used. If you are purchasing one for the mud room of your home, then a sink that is not NSF approved will work fine; however, if you are in an industrial environment or a restaurant, then a NSF approved sink is imperative.

American Range is a recognized leader in the commercial food service industry. With over 30 years of experience, innovative technology, and robust engineering have advanced their professional cooking equipment to withstand the challenges of the most demanding chefs and kitchens. American Range heavy-duty commercial series ovens are utilized by some of the world's most renowned restaurants, such as, WYNN Las Vegas, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, and Cafe' Gray NYC. These highly flexible and valuable oven bases and rangetops are modular and can be reconfigured to accommodate any kitchen or cooking style. American Range's residential professional line of gas ranges, French-door wall ovens, slide-in rangetops and cooktops are commercial grade; with the soul and capability of a commercial range blended with luxurious style.

Many large restaurants and cafeterias offer food bars to give customers a myriad of options. Most of these food bars are rather large and tend to take up more space than necessary. Not only does this reduce the amount of possible table space, but it also minimizes serving options for your patrons.

Atmosphere is very important in a restaurant. It sets the mood for how people receive your food. Having a trendy themed restaurant can be a bit temperamental, with the fleeting nature of trends. However, here is a list of trends that we think aren’t going to go out of style any time soon.

Are all dishwashers the same?

Today we are starting a new series where we will feature advice from our owner Eric on various problems you may run into when setting up a commercial kitchen. Here’s our first post in the series.

Everyone loves a good hotdog. It’s no secret that the best hotdogs are made on a grill. If you are a hotdog vendor and want to make a great hotdog then there is no better way to do that than making them on a hotdog roller . The question is why does a grilled hotdog taste better than a boiled dog?

Wine glasses are a topic of moderate controversy among various beverage connoisseurs. One wine drinker may insist that the shape of your wine glass matters a great deal, while another might feel that it doesn’t make a significant difference. Some avid wine enthusiasts would argue – perhaps pedantically – that each type of wine tastes better when served in a very specific type of glass matched to the qualities of the wine in question, but most home budgets can’t afford to keep over two dozen different types of wine glasses at the ready, and that’s not to mention the cabinet space that that would require. However, there are some generally accepted rules about what sorts of glasses to use in most everyday wine situations, and having a few different styles on hand should keep you well covered to properly serve just about any type of wine.

It’s Christmas, but bear in mind it’s also almost the end of 2013, and there are some very good things that might not be around after 2013. One of those is the Section 179 Business Tax Break, which is substantially greater than it was in 2012, and not something you want to let pass by. If you’re thinking about purchasing, now truly is the best time.

There are many ways to tenderize meats. One way to enhance the food’s color and flavoring is to slowly cook meat in liquid to produce tender, moist meat. Stewing is one method of choice but to really use less liquid in order to retain those juices and flavors the best method would be to braise your meats. This particular method surrounds the meat around the juices and moisture created by the cooking process.

Range ovens are a necessity in any restaurant. These ovens allow you the option to cook more than one thing at a time whether it's baking rolls in the oven or cooking stir fry on the stove top griddle.

Social media marketing has rapidly become an increasingly influential presence in the sales world over the past several years. With more and more companies and individuals joining social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest each year, these online networking tools have grown into an undeniably powerful name-making and brand-establishing tool when looking to build one’s business.

We at JES are happy to introduce Annette our newest addition to our web department. As content writer; Annette will be writing many of the new blogs coming up as well as the many product descriptions for the products being added everyday to JESRestaurantEquipment.com. Welcome Annette! – Jarrett

Regardless of where you are in America, one thing is for certain: Americans love coffee! Coffee is always a necessity no matter where you go. The average coffee shop sells $550,000 worth of coffee in a year. 52% of Americans drink coffee daily. 15% of Americans buy at least one cup of coffee at a coffee shop every day. This number is increasing 3-4% per year.

With the end of the fiscal year approaching and the elections behind us, many businesses are looking for ways to get the most out of their savings and drive 2012 sales. In the face of upcoming tax law changes, we want to remind our loyal customers as well as other businesses out there of a very important and powerful sales tool.

Many restaurants use deep fat fryers, griddles and other large restaurant appliances for commercial use in their kitchen. If any of these appliances are used, then they will need a ventilation system with an exhaust hood to filter out the smoke and particle emissions. A standard ventilation unit is one method of ventilation control; however, if you are a restaurant owner, you may want to consider a ventless ventilation system.

Whether you’re a restaurant, hotel, or any other business owner, you need to welcome your customers with warm and open arms. A great way to draw your customers in is using a custom logo floor mat. These inexpensive commodities can really add elegance to your company and gives it a more official look.

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J.E.S Restaurant Equipment and Time Payment provides a better way to meet needs while expanding your sales . Time Payments financial products were designed to work with new and existing restaurants. It will provide restaurants a way to preserve their cash and give competitive advantage to close new sales with three features that enable them to do this faster.

Nowadays owning a restaurant is more or less a constant bout with your competitors for attention. There is an incessant flow of information piling up on consumers in almost every media outlet imaginable. Smaller restaurant owners have to fight the Goliaths of the restaurant world today to catch their consumers’ eye. So, as a restaurant owner how are you going to get your company name as a frontrunner in the restaurant industry?

Pouring wine at the table has long been considered the purview of high class and expensive restaurants. While you do need a bit of knowledge and a fairly well-stocked wine selection to justify performing the wine serving ritual, bringing the wine pouring routine out to the table will help to add a bit of interactivity and a touch of class to any restaurant. Here is a quick run-down of the process for anyone interested in serving wine at their customers’ tables.

Although manufacturer warranties have made the world of expensive consumer purchases a much safer place to shop, they can sometimes be tricky things. Many warranties come with sets of extenuating circumstances that can render them invalid if the product is used in the wrong way or in the wrong location. Restaurant equipment often includes several of these special-case details, so it is important to read through the warranty sheets on your new equipment before replacing any old machines.

We noticed that a bizarrely large number of customers have called in recently asking us how to install new water filters in their ice machines—we’re talking like a sudden six-fold increase in filtration-related questions here—and we couldn’t help but wonder if maybe the universe is trying to tell us something. Now, the J.E.S. New Employee Corporate HR Handbook has a short section in it that warns employees against “needless attribution of unexplained phenomena [to] serendipity,” and then goes on to discourage “reading too much into, or explicitly trusting and/or believing in, so-called ‘Signs from the Universe,’ ” but, just this one time, we’ve chosen to ignore company policy and listen to our guts and take the time to draw up a diagram for y’all to use. We hope it helps!

For years, Blodgett, located out of Burlington, Vermont, has been a leading manufacturer in commercial ovens, priding themselves on their product’s sustainability and quality. Now they are stepping it up a notch by extending their warranties on a number of commercial ovens

Starting January 1, 2014, restaurants are no longer able to count automatic gratuity as tips for servers. The new rule actually passed in June 2012 and was implemented January 1, 2013 but the IRS is not enforcing it until January 1, 2014 to give restaurants time to adjust and comply to the change. The IRS now classifies automatic gratuity as a service charge which is considered part of the server’s wages, not a tip. Service charges for restaurants are a previously agreed upon price to be charged for services provided.

Stocking glassware for your bar or restaurant can often be a daunting proposition. With so many different types and styles of glassware , it is only natural to wonder if you are buying the “right” glassware to properly compliment your drink menu. Although the “rules” concerning what drinks go into what sort of glass are mostly arbitrary (reasonable customers will forgive you for not always having exactly the correct glass for every occasion), having a variety of different glasses in which to serve your various drinks will help add interest and flair to your beverage offerings. The types of glasses that you need, however, will ultimately depend on what sort of drinks that you are going to be putting into them. Here is a quick overview of the “necessary” glasses for different kinds of beverages.

You know that you’re neck-deep in the holiday season when your tables are perpetually close to capacity and your guests perpetually, splendidly tipsy. For about two months straight, your equipment must keep pace with a no-vacancy dining room, and if you haven’t adequately prepared, by like 12/23 the whole operation’ll be practically wheezing.

Between now and December 31st, Manitowoc is offering JES customers 0% Financing for Two Years on any order over $1,000. Using this deal, you can divide your checkout amount into a handful of easy, incremental installments without any due interest whatsoever. To qualify for this offer, fill out our short online application and then fax or email us a return copy — we will reply within hours as to whether you’ve been approved. For detailed information, click here or call us directly at (866) 200-6056.

One of the most beloved foods around the world, hands down, is pizza. The entire world craves this famous dish that originated from Italy. There is no denying that people love going out to eat. Nowadays with as many people that don’t have time to cook, more and more are starting to eat out. This have left a big avenue open for the pizza industry. This great dish can feed sometimes 6-8 people at one time and leaves an outlet for those wanting to get creative with their culinary expertise.

Regardless of what type of restaurant you decide to open, one thing is for certain: Everyone loves ice cream! Ice cream shops are a great idea for marketing to all age groups from toddlers to senior citizens. The average American eats approximately 6 gallons of ice cream a year, therefore an ice cream shop can be a great investment for you as an entrepreneur.

One of the more costly items to buy when opening a new restaurant is the equipment. Despite drawing a loan, money goes by quickly in the restaurant industry. You are probably going to have to start your own restaurant with a low-budget but thousands of dollars can be spent in a short period of time. Many restaurateurs choose to buy used equipment as an alternative investment when their funds are tight. There are several things you as a restaurateur should be aware of before purchasing used equipment .

Hosting a wine tasting in your bar is likely going to be a much more intimate and personal experience than the more open “convention center” feel of larger, exhibitor-style tastings. Bar tastings allow a unique opportunity for conversation and community building, but it can sometimes be challenging to balance a bit of “wine professionalism” into the pre-existing atmosphere of your bar. In part one of this post , we discussed how to select your wine order. While your wine is ultimately the main attraction at your event, the presentation and surroundings can make or break a good wine selection. Here are a few things to consider when organizing the layout of your tasting.

Hosting a wine tasting at your bar or restaurant can often seem like an intimidating and daunting task, particularly if you are not an expert in all things wine-related. With thousands of years of history and countless wine companies and brands to investigate, even thinking about tapping into the wine industry can seem like an overwhelmingly complex endeavor. But while putting together a good wine tasting does take a bit of time and planning, it can actually be much more manageable than many people may think.

There is a considerable amount of buzz these days about “Going Green“, but what exactly does that mean? Well “Going Green” is a very broad activity, but in a nutshell is has to do with anything that is environmentally friendly, from using biodegradable cleaning products, recycling, turning off lights when not in use and the list goes on and on.

With the mobile food industry growing at a rapid rate it’s more important than ever for owners of these meals on wheels to utilize social media. Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are some of the most valuable, and initially free marketing tools available to business owners, allowing them to reach out to potential customers and encouraging current customers to return for your products or services. But in order to get the most effective results there are certain steps you need to take to increase your number of “friends” and “followers.”

Shop JES Restaurant Equipment's Food Truck Category Here.

While refrigeration temperatures are an important part of running a food and beverage business, bar beverage chilling is rarely ever addressed. While this may not be very important to a restaurant with a full dinner menu it is something a small bar-focused establishment might want to consider. All alcoholic beverages are not created equal and therefore should not always be stored at a single temperature setting. Separate refrigeration units should have their temperatures set based on whatever type of beverage is being stored in them.

Any time is a good time for baking. Whether youâ€Ã¢â€žÂ¢re making cookies, baking bread, or constructing a birthday cake, having the right equipment is important and can make the whole experience less stressful and more enjoyable. Here are the Top 10 basic supplies you need to get your kitchen ready for baking.

Time to save money again!!  Do you own a restaurant?  One thing that you have in your store is an exhaust hood or two. In the summer time down south it gets hot and humid and sometimes cooling your building can seem impossible. Maybe all that cool air is being sucked out with the hot air from your cooking equipment through the exhaust hood.  Here is a test to see if this is happening in your restaurant.  With all of your exhaust hoods running, make up air included, go to the front of the building open the entrance doors and take note of what you feel.  Did you feel a rush of air come past you, or did you feel resistance when opening the door?  If you did then you have negative pressure in the building and all of your high cost AIR CONDITIONING is being sucked up through the exhaust hood.  Do you want to fix this situation?  If so there are companies that will balance test the building and bring this situation under control.

There are many expenses opening a new restaurant can incur, and to first-time owners these can sometimes come as a big shock. For instance, one of the largest purchases that new owners aren’t always prepared for is the hood system In many cases this several-thousand-dollar item can make or break your budget. So what about operating a restaurant kitchen without the hood?

Here’s some more words of wisdom from John Eric Smith, Mr. J.E.S. himself, on how you can still legally operate a restaurant if the expense of  a hood system is just too great for your finances:

When a restaurant needs to increase revenue , many owners look to quick, surface solutions like charging more money or extending business hours. By overlooking the reasons why a restaurant isn't making the profits it should, it only digs them into a deeper hole. Read on for six unexpected strategies to help increase restaurant sales and keep them up for good.

Another frequently asked question we receive is, “what’s the difference between a radiant & lava rock charbroiler?” (often called a chargrill as well). Well the main difference is the way in which the heat is transferred to the food. On a radiant chargrill the burner is positioned under a cast metal radiant from which the heat is radiated towards the food being grilled. The radiant is usually pitched like a roof allowing the excess drippings to run off and not carbonize; although some of the drippings from the meat will actually “burn” and provide that chargrill aroma we are all so familiar with. Lava rock charbroilers use a bed of lava rock positioned above the burners to catch and radiate the heat towards the meat above.

There are very few foodservice companies that have built as many top brands as Manitowoc Foodservice. With brands like Frymaster, Lincoln, Merrychef, and Manitowoc Ice, Manitowoc is known for great brands and quality products. In 2011 Manitowoc added Cleveland Range to their list of brands. Since they acquired Cleveland Range little has changed until recently. In 2014 Manitowoc dropped the "Range" from Cleveland Ranges name and now they are simply Cleveland and branded the Cleveland Range Combi ovens and steamers as Convotherm. In 2015 they removed the Cleveland Combi ovens from their product list and birthed the brand Convotherm.

We are currently overstocked on these Update Intl. TD-1114L Paper Towel Dispensers and have them priced to move.  This manual paper towel dispenser is a great fit for any bathroom, break-room or food prep area where easy access to paper towels is needed.  Get one (or two) today, they are sure to go fast at this incredible price.  Visit our website today and let J.E.S. be the one stop shop for all your commercial restaurant equipment and restaurant supplies.

Stainless steel is one of the most valuable and durable materials of the industry, restaurant equipment included. That being said, its also one of the greenestmanufacturing materials today. Stainless steel is 100% recyclable, and because it can be recycled without any degradation it is highly sought after. A stainless steel item or appliance retains it is value even after decades of use because of its iron content and other elements.

Quality of water has always been an important factor in the success of any foodservice operation. Between cooking, serving beverages to customers, washing dishes, making ice, and a variety of other tasks, restaurants need to use the cleanest, purest water available to ensure the health and safety of their customers. In 1974, the Environmental Protection Agency passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to reinforce this idea. The SDWA moves to keep the concentration of chemical and mineral contaminants below the accepted “safe for consumption” values in all sources of public drinking water.

Just because you have a refrigerator or freezer doesn’t mean it’s cold enough to store your perishable food products in it. This is especially true for commercial refrigeration products because the food service industry regulations are so strict. The temperature at which foods are stored can affect their appearance, taste, nutrient content and most importantly their safety.

Foodservice establishments must sanitize their dishes in one of two ways: chemicals or hot water. While using a low-temperature dishwasher is more energy efficient, the cost of chemicals far outweigh the electric bill making high-temperature dishwashers more common in the restaurant industry.  So why do you need a booster heater?

The Magic Inside A Glass Of Coke
In 2006 Coca-Cola ran a commercial that imagined the inside of a vending machine as a magical, motorized ecosystem where small creatures prep each bottle of Coke before it’s eventually dispensed. Dust bunnies slobber condensate on the bottle; an industrial fan shreds snowmen into ice flakes, which then blow and stick onto the bottle’s glass; a climactic parade with brass band playing, fireworks exploding, and confetti swaying downwards marches the Coke along a miniature Main Street before sliding it ceremoniously down the vending chute.