The hottest – and coolest – display cabinets

Technology to maintain temperature

The days of soggy sandwiches and stale baguettes are long gone and consumers now have a greater expectation of fresh, seasonal and local food-to-go options, according to Gary Thacker, sales director at display manufacturer Fri-Jado UK.

“Operators need to consider their food holding and display equipment carefully,” he says. “Getting this right can mean the difference between a grab-and-go offering that barely covers its own costs and one that can deliver significant profit and repeat business.”

Fri-Jado’s portfolio includes the Multideck Display (MDD) range of modular heated counters, which combine advanced airflow technology with an attractive design. Patented ‘Hot Blanket’ technology, efficient DC fans, insulation and double-glazed glass are designed to enable a low total cost of ownership too. “Built on the principle of putting food in the spotlight, each element of the MDD range has been constructed to enhance visibility to encourage impulse sales,” Thacker adds.

The slim range is available with three to five shelves, in widths of 60cm, 90cm or 120cm, single or multi-temperature shelves and as a solid back or pass-through, allowing it to integrate with a site’s existing set-up.

Meanwhile, Pantheon Catering Equipment director, Nick Pendlebury, advises: “When choosing display equipment for grab-and-go products, consider that internally lit cabinets attract customers and help enhance the appearance of the food on display. And it’s worth making sure the units can be accessed easily by staff as a frequently replenished, full display is far more attractive than one that is partially empty.”

Pantheon’s heated display cabinets are designed with a generous holding capacity and are internally lit, with both front- and rear-sited sliding doors – the front doors can also be locked.

Multideck cold display units

On the cold side of displays, Williams Refrigeration is finding that its chilled multidecks are proving popular in the grab-and-go sector.

Walkers Garden Centre in Blaxton, near Doncaster, chose a range of equipment from Williams, including multidecks, which were installed with remote refrigeration systems, providing low noise levels and easy access for servicing.

“Sustainability is important to us,” says Philip Armstrong of Armstrong Butchers, which is located at the garden centre. “Our Williams equipment helps with this by lowering energy costs as well as reducing wasted food – they’re very eco-friendly.”

The manufacturer’s latest Gem multidecks use a combination of airflow features, heat exchangers and green refrigerant for energy efficiency. Williams also offers a wide range of customisation options to help operators make “a standout display”, says sales and marketing director, Malcolm Harling, adding: “Catching the customer’s eye with a striking display is one of the best ways to boost sales and showcase different menu items.”

The Gem range is available in a choice of colours and finishes, including Williams’ Chameleon vinyl wrapping.

Best of both

The vast array of options for grab-and-go display can be daunting for operators. Roz Scourfield, national sales manager at Hoshizaki UK, says: “Open-front chilled cabinets are particularly popular, but can run the risk of malfunctioning and require significantly more energy to keep products cool compared to classic refrigerators. The trouble with classic refrigerators, of course, is their doors obscure displays. As a compromise between aesthetics and energy efficiency, operators could instead use glass-doored refrigerators to get the best of both worlds.”

The refrigerator manufacturer offers the Compact glass-door range, which has a concise footprint suitable for small outlets. Available as 220- or 420-litre models, it comes with a stainless steel or white exterior in a hygiene-led design for staff to wipe down seamless surfaces in minutes. Internally, Compact units have fully removeable gaskets and anti-tilting shelves to prevent spillage.

Glass doors units are also finding favour for ice-cream displays. Ice-cream equipment specialist Carpigiani UK says the IFI Panorama square cabinet has generated interest. Project and sales manager of build and design David Lewis says: “This cabinet has individual glass doors that operators can serve from, giving them the visibility of a traditional cabinet but preserves the ice-cream far better than a traditional open-backed cabinet – which also makes it significantly cheaper to run. We are specifying a lot of these cabinets into companies that don’t do ice-cream but want to offer it.”

The small-footprint unit can be built into an existing or new counter, and can be specified with additional storage which is useful for compact grab-and-go outlets.

Suppliers

Carpigiani www.carpigiani.co.uk

Fri-Jado www.frijado.com

Hoshizaki www.hoshizaki-europe.com

Pantheon www.pantheonce.co.uk

Unox www.unox.com/en_gb

Williams www.williams-refrigeration.co.uk