Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazines is an industry resource connecting foodservice operators, equipment and supplies manufacturers and dealers, and facility design consultants.
Issue link: http://fesmag.epubxp.com/i/499977
Case Study: Slapfsh Restaurant Group 20 • SPONSORED CONTENT • MAY 2015 THE SOLUTION: As luck would have it, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCal Gas) began instituting an emerging technology program to replace restaurants' ineffcient fryers with ENERGY STAR®-rated mod- els, including Pitco's Solstice Supreme SSH75, a high-effciency ENERGY STAR®-rated line that has a 75-pound vat and operates on 125,000 BTUs an hour. The study identifed operations utilizing old fryers and replaced these units with higher effciency ENERGY STAR®-rated equipment. SoCal monitored how these fryers worked by recording the gas and oil savings, while also getting feedback from the restaurant. "This program was developed to encourage more operators to purchase energy-effcient fryers by showing them the benefts of the oil and energy sav- ings," said Nicole O'Rourke, SoCal's senior program advisor-Food Service Equipment Center. In California, ENERGY STAR®-rated gas fryers receive a rebate of $749 per vat. When Southern California Gas Co. approached Gruel about replacing his outdated, ineffcient fryer with Pitco's Solstice Supreme, he agreed to participate in the month-long study. BENEFITS: The numerous benefts Slapfsh expe- rienced by switching to the Pitco's Sol- stice Supreme SSH75 were immediate. "The improved production and enhanced quality of our products was noticeable from the start," said Gruel. In addition to achieving faster recov- ery times, which produced less greasy results, the Pitco Solstice Filter Drawer provided a number of unexpected but welcome benefts. "This fryer's self-fltration system can remove smaller particles from the oil than the cone," said O'Rourke. "Plus, because this process is a lot less labor intensive and safer for employees, the restaurant could now flter its oil twice a day." Not only does cleaner oil improve food quality and taste, but the fryer's self-fltration system also has increased the oil shelf life. The restaurant went from utilizing 1,330 pounds of oil to just 620 pounds. "This has saved us a lot of money," said Gruel. After incorporating the more energy-effcient fryer, Slapfsh also experienced signifcant gas savings. "By the end of the test period, Slapfsh not only reported saving $347 a month in oil costs, but also saved $95 a month in natural gas expenses," said O'Rourke. And, by incorporating Pitco's Solstice Supreme SSH75 into its operations, Slapfsh received a $2,100 rebate from SoCal. "We have replaced all of our fryers with Pitco Solstice Su- preme Fryers and, with nine more locations opening by the end of this year, we plan to purchase many more," said Gruel. For more information on new technologies, visit middleby.com or contact sales@middleby.com. For more information on Pitco, please visit www.pitco.com or email sspittle@pitco.com. Slapfsh is described as a 'modern seafood shack' that offers high-quality seafood, with the convenience of a fast-food restaurant. There are currently three locations in South- ern California, in addition to a site in the United Arab Emirates. THE PROBLEM: Along with a number of fried items, includ- ing battered fsh, the growing chain is well-known for its homemade potato chips prepared in its fryers. The restaurants' 65-pound vat, 150,000-BTU-an-hour fryers not only were ineffcient with slow heat recovery times, but cones were used to hand-flter oil, which was labor intensive. "In our business, there is a constant rush of frying 12 pieces of fsh continuously at one time," said Andrew Gruel, Slapfsh's chef and owner. "We needed a fryer that could maintain ideal temperatures, achieve fast recovery times and get through the fry- ing process quicker."