Welcome to the Pace Reps Foodservice Equipment Blog

Anyone who has spent time in a commercial kitchen knows that details matter. And one of the details that can matter most to kitchen personnel is the floor in their work area. With a wide variety of flooring systems available, it can be difficult to choose the best flooring solution for a commercial kitchen. So it’s worth considering the qualities that are truly most important to have in any kitchen or walk-in cooler/freezer flooring system.

Since the introduction of the first commercial bowl-type food processors by Robot Coupe almost a half-century ago, these units have become indispensable equipment to commercial kitchens around the globe -- and for good reason. No other machine provides quite the same versatility to chop, blend and mix that a bowl food processor provides. From processing puree diets for healthcare, blending sauces and salad dressings, chopping nuts and making bread crumbs, to mixing doughs and batters, bowl food processors provide solutions considered essential to almost any foodservice operator.

Foodservice has spent the last 14 months focused on delivery and to-go options to keep up with local and state mandates as well as to offer safe solutions to consumers taking precautions when out in public.

As schools open back up, finding innovative ways to reduce long lines and break up large crowds during breakfast and lunch looks a little different. Some schools are utilizing classrooms for meals and bringing options directly to students while others are splitting lunch crowds into smaller groups and alternating time periods for eating. Many campuses are finding success by offering pre-packaged grab and go options, which is helping to offset the strain and stress of dealing with certain COVID-related concerns.  

Every day in the United States, children go to bed hungry. According to the non-profit organization No Kid Hungry, around 13 million children in the country live in food-insecure homes -- meaning their homes don't have a reliable way to get an adequate amount of food daily.

Americans love shrimp. According to Seafood Source, shrimp is the top seafood choice for most of us, and, on average, US consumers each eat almost five pounds of shrimp per year.

Food waste in the United States is an enormous problem that foodservice operators across the country are trying to combat. According to the USDA, approximately $161 billion of food is wasted in this country every year – money literally thrown into the trash, waste disposer or landfill. This number includes foods that have spoiled during storage and are no longer able to be consumed. How foodservice operations store their food, and the steps they take to preserve its usability, plays a huge role in reducing how much food waste -- particularly unusable produce -- heads to landfills.

Consumer dining habits are changing. The demand for grab & go meals is on the rise, and many consumers want seasonal, local products all year round. School commissaries and healthcare facilities face new challenges to providing nutritious meals while saving on labor costs. These trends can be a challenge to any commercial kitchen -- how do you work more efficiently, with less staff, and provide meals consumers desire?  Henkelman’s CombiVac Performance Series bags and food trays can help.

Restoring consumer confidence in the safety of indoor eating environments is one of the top challenges restaurants face until COVID-19 vaccinations can fully cycle through society. Only by creating this level of confidence can restaurants hope to achieve previous levels of business and profitability as they look to serve their patrons. 

For anyone running a restaurant or business that offers a limited menu, finding a way to keep food warm before the customer orders is key to delicious, crispy food. Fried food is especially challenging to keep warm and crispy, and there's nothing worse than soggy French fries or limp chicken tenders. You need a plan in place to keep your fried foods hot and crispy. A Carter-Hoffman Crisp n' Hold Station for fried foods may check off all the boxes you need to ensure your customers are happy and keep coming back for more.