Wallin Foodservice Resources

Wallin Foodservice Resources: 2020 High Notes If there ever was a year for reflection and searching for silver linings, 2020 was it. We are so proud and appreciative of our local foodservice community’s courage, resilience, and ability to adapt to near-constant change and adversity. The difficulties were many this year, but you rose to the challenge and inspired us every day to find ideas and solutions to help you do what you do best—safely. Here’s a look back at the events and top stories of the year that could never have happened without the relationships with our customers and industry partners that we hold so dear. New Name, New Look In June, we unveiled a new name that honors our heritage as the Wallin Group while reinforcing our commitment to serving the foodservice industry: Wallin Foodservice Resources. With our new name came a brand-new logo, tagline, website  wallinfsr.com , and the Wallin Resource blog.  Our Name is No Match for Our Service, So We’re Changing it...

Merry Christmas to you and yours  from your friends at Wallin Foodservice Resources!  

Bartending Tools for Making Merry Margins 2020 is coming to an end. Whew! We’ve all been shaken and stirred most of the year, so now it’s time to pour some joy as we prepare to toast the arrival of a New Year that brings more hope and promise than any we can remember. It’s also a prime time to generate some much-needed revenue since alcohol profit margins average 75-80%, skewing toward the higher side when cocktails are included in the mix.   Whether you’re able to serve on premise or are limited to takeout and delivery business, relaxed liquor laws, professional-grade bartending tools, and ingenious packaging solutions are making it possible to keep high-margin cocktails flowing. Do you have the tools you need to take advantage of the record-high demand through the holidays and beyond? Measuring: The Jigger Accurate measurements are essential for each cocktail to taste exactly as designed and the same every time. They’re also key to controlling pour costs and preserving prof...

Cut Takeout Packaging Costs Over 90% Disposable clamshell containers were everywhere in 2020—not just restaurants. From K-12 schools to healthcare, universities, correctional facilities, and beyond, they met the urgent need to make meals portable and protected. As time goes by, what began as a short-term solution is now taking a toll of its own, eating up tight budgets and filling up dumpsters. One school district recently reported to the School Nutrition Association that their grab-and-go meal service has already cost $22,000 in packaging materials alone since school started in August. Sound familiar? If your operation is getting overwhelmed by the cost and waste of disposable containers, you do have options. Reusable containers such as the O2GO ®  system by OZZI are a sustainable alternative that eliminates traditional disposable takeout containers by doing everything disposables can plus a few things they can’t. Like disposables, O2GO containers come in popular takeout cont...

Improve Profitability with Digital Slicing Would you believe that 300 million sandwiches are eaten across America every single day? With a population of about 330 million, that’s a high per-person average! The sandwich has long been an American favorite for a wide range of reasons from ease of prep to customization capabilities to portability, all necessities in our fast-moving world. With deli meats being a top sandwich-stuffing option, if you serve or sell sliced meats and cheeses, you’re in a prime position to meet the consistently high demand for sales of sandwiches, sliced meats by the pound, and deli platters. The right slicing equipment can put you in an even better position to increase throughput and consistency, which will ultimately add dollars to the bottom line. As many aspects of our lives and operations have gone digital, so have slicers. Bizerba recently introduced the fully automatic slicer series VSI, and they are indeed game changing. Here’s why you’ll want to ...

Order Customization Made Easy Remember when asking for omissions or substitutions when ordering a meal was considered impolite? Things have changed a lot since then. Customization is no longer the exception: it’s the rule. Having the operational agility to take special requests and customizations in stride has become essential to serving today’s discerning consumers. The right infrastructure and the proper tools make it easy for staff to quickly handle customizations in the space you have, without missing a beat. Productive Prep Stations A well-designed prep station provides a foundation for seamless order customization. Important features include maximized space utilization, pan wells deep enough for flush-mounted 6" deep pans, and consistent safe temperatures below 41° F. A sizeable, cutting-board work surface and refrigerated storage beneath the table add up to efficient use of space and labor. Another space-optimizing feature to look for is stations that are 100% front b...

An Added Line of Defense: Antimicrobial and Antibacterial Surfaces In our last post, we talked about cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting as a critical part of every foodservice operation. Even with a vigorous cleaning and sanitizing program, multiple layers of defense are always a good idea to protect your operation and those you serve. One of those layers of protection is antimicrobial and antibacterial surfaces, but they are often misunderstood. These surfaces don’t replace frequent and thorough cleaning and sanitizing, but they do provide an additional line of defense in between cleanings. The idea of manufacturing high-touch products with antimicrobial surfaces was born in the late 1960’s, but it took a couple decades to create truly antimicrobial polymeric   products for both medical and consumer applications, and even longer to make them widely available and affordable. Fortunately, a number of commercial foodservice equipment manufacturers were early adopters of the t...

Remember once upon a time, when the biggest villains in the kitchen and dining room were E. coli and norovirus? And those were the good old days from today’s perspective.  Now that our roster of dangers has grown as quickly and dramatically as it has , cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing have become a central part of our foodservice operations, serving the dual purpose of safety and visual reassurance to those we serve. The distinction between cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing can be confusing, however, which can lead to safety gaps. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides the following clear and helpful explanation of the differences on cdc.gov: Cleaning removes germs , dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects. Cleaning works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. This process does not necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.   Sani...

5 Powerful Reasons to Buy Local When we’re looking to make a purchase decision for our foodservice operation, brand, product specifications, price, quality, and value usually top the list of criteria. For more complex products, we do our research and maybe even talk with a trusted colleague or sales rep to help us make the best choice. Once we’ve decided on a product and are ready to buy, it can be deceptively convenient to do a quick search online, click on the first familiar link, and buy it right then and there without giving it a second thought. Here are 5 compelling reasons to skip the “buy now” button and talk with your local dealer before you invest precious budget dollars with an e-commerce store thousands of miles from your business. 1.      Price One leading e-commerce site for both consumer and business products is known for its complicated pricing algorithm. Prices can unexpectedly go up on high-demand items and throw a wrench in your budget or make t...