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94 • FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES • MAY 2015 salamander. Much like the plating station, the sauté station's cold-line equipment includes another refrigerated table and a small worktable, which hold ingredients for use during cooking as well as sauces, garnishes and more. The next station, used for hot sides, also straddles the hot and cold lines. Under the hood sits a steam table for soups and hot sauces and two to three fryers (each using oil with duck fat added for favor). This station's cold equipment con- sists of just a speed rack that holds sheet pans of ingredients destined for the fryers, like blanched cut potatoes. At the fnal station, garde manger, staff produce cold items like appetizers, sides, salads and desserts and prep fat breads for fnishing on the sauté station. The station consists simply of a 24- to 48-inch refrigerated table that, depend- ing on space, either sits on the cold table or around a corner toward the prep area. Bar 145 uses a fairly standard prep area. As part of a scratch kitchen, the combi oven emerges as the real workhorse here. Staff use this unit to cook bacon that Bar 145 cures, seasons and slices in-house; bake focaccia bread and desserts; and even smoke tomatoes for the house-made puree. The space also con- tains several worktables and countertop equipment like a slicer for meats and cheeses and a high-end food processor, though, "I really try to promote everybody cut everything by hand," says Lucas, the corporate chef. Storage areas include dry shelv- ing and a walk-in refrigerator that typically measures 18 feet by 11 feet. The stores have no freezers other than a small undercounter unit used to freeze bacon before slicing (which makes pieces more uniform). Bar 145's commitment to fresh food means it receives shipments seven days a week, including daily produce shipments, meat every three days and seafood twice a week — none of it frozen. To manage the demands of a scratch operation, staff execute the most labor-intensive prep in bulk, Lucas notes. On Mondays for instance, the prep team makes 90 pounds of duck leg conft (for Bar 145's version of wings) that will be used over the course of several days. While this approach helps control labor, it doesn't bring these costs down to the level of restaurants that use prepared foods. But that's a bet the chain is willing to make, says Lucas. "You have to make a commitment to say we are going to run a little bit higher labor according to industry standards. If everything goes according to plan, you can charge to make up the difference. We're not the cheapest bar and grill on the block, but we're not as expensive as fne dining." What Market's Best? So far, Bar 145's bet is paying off. All six of the restaurants continue to thrive. Interestingly, though, the chain has yet to nail down exactly the market types it targets. One unit is near a university and draws a slightly younger, grad school-aged crowd; another is more of a neighborhood spot, while others are in shopping areas. "They're all working — we're just trying to fgure out the best location. Toledo didn't have anything like us that focuses on business clientele and that has entertainment," says Fitzgerald. Bar 145's existing locations share a few common traits, though. Instead of opening in large cities, the chain has targeted markets with 600,000 to 800,000 people. This approach offers some distinct advantages, says Fitzgerald, including less compe- tition for the entertainment dollar, cheaper rent and advertising and less effort to fnd and keep good employees. The chain, Fitzgerald says, seeks to add locations in Ohio and Michigan, at least in the short term. Wherever Bar 145 does expand, though, it gives customers an experience they'd be hard pressed to fnd anywhere nearby. "Everyone's sick of the white linen cloth, but they want the quality food and experience," says Fitzgerald. "At Bar 145 you're giving them the food, the atmo- sphere and then the live bands at night. It's very unique." FE&S; chain profle Top: When space is at a premium, the chain swaps out its six-foot chargrill for a fve-foot infrared grill, which cooks fast enough to make up for its smaller size. Below: Bar 145's plating station receives many items from the other cooking stations. Plated food is then passed to the expediter, who assembles trays and directs what dishes should be cooked and when.