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Published on: 12/11/2007
Last Visited: 12/11/2007
Amos Rice, Senior Buyer, Chick-fil-A, Inc.When it comes to selling foodservice equipment to restaurants, know your customer's business and how they use their equipment.That's the frank advice of Amos Rice, senior buyer for Chick-fil-A.And when it comes to restaurants seeking a dependable provider of equipment and services that solve their problems, it pays to have a vendor who pays attention to your business.Rice cites as a strong example the more than 50-year working partnership between Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A and Hobart, and Hobart's refrigeration brand Traulsen.
Rice says Hobart provides mixers and food cutters to Chick-fil-A while its Traulsen brand provides reach-in and undercounter refrigeration.The two companies have enjoyed a strong relationship for so long, he adds, because Hobart helps address issues Chick-fil-A is facing including food safety.Chick-fil-A restaurants have used Even Thawâ„¢ equipment from Hobart and Traulsen for years to safely and quickly thaw frozen chicken before cooking.
"Hobart specifically helped us to address NSF7 food safety codes with their refrigeration equipment," Rice says."They have a strong engineering department at Hobart and Traulsen and they assist our Brand Development department with rollouts and new company initiatives."
Regarding trends in quick serve restaurants and foodservice in general, Rice says the foodservice industry is currently enjoying its 13th consecutive year of growth, according to a source* at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.With $440 billion in sales, full service restaurant grew sales 4.6 percent in 2004 while QSR sales increased 3.9 percent.The same source indicates a total economic impact of $1.2 trillion.The foodservice industry employs 13.5 million people, and the number of foodservice managers is expected to increase by 15 percent by 2014.
Those statistics add up to several trends occurring in the restaurant industry, Rice says.He says the need for consistency in the food and the equipment used to prepare the food has become more vital than ever as restaurants compete with each other in expanding markets.He says top-down training is necessary to reinforce that consistency.
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Rice says vendors must have the capability to provide equipment, service, parts and warranty in the international growth areas along with the restaurant chain in order to protect the chain's product and service consistency.
Finally, Rice says, take out/delivery continues to grow as an increasing percentage of America's meal consumption.
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Equipment should have proven reliability and durability for years of service, Rice says.Periodic repair and maintenance require a well-trained, professional service team.Service agents are in the restaurants on a regular basis.Their promptness, professionalism and ability to provide quick, successful repairs are a vital ingredient for maximizing uptime of the equipment.
Rice adds that a good manufacturer will bring their ideas for reducing operating costs.They let buyers know about new products and design changes that will reduce labor costs or have a positive impact in some other way.
These criteria, Rice says, are the many reasons why Chick-fil-A has been in business partnership for so long with Hobart and Traulsen.
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