Whether it is purchasing new commercial kitchen equipment, redesigning your venue or researching changing consumer tastes, capital expenditures (or CAPEX) account for a big chunk of your budget.
As a foodservice business owner, food & beverage manager or chef, now is the time to look at smart ways to invest your annual CAPEX to ensure you not only remain profitable this time next year, but are profitable for years to come.
We spoke with various people from the Australian foodservice industry to find out how they decided to allocate a portion of their CAPEX on the RATIONAL VarioCookingCenter® and how this investment in new commercial kitchen equipment has drastically improved profits and productivity whilst reducing energy, water and labour costs.
Call on a colleague
How much do you value a colleague’s opinion? Apparently a lot, with a majority of the industry calling a friend as their number one reference for buying new commercial kitchen equipment. Every chef loves a new shiny toy – especially if that toy has meant better food, better profits and better processes in the kitchen. Chances are, if a colleague has a new toy that they are LOVING they will tell you about it! According to Fabio Barbiera, Head Chef of The Grounds of Alexandria, he couldn’t wait to tell his industry colleagues about his newest purchase, the FRIMA VarioCooking Center®.
“I could recommend the VCC to any kitchen – I simply could not do without it! I love how consistent the VCC is; completely even across the pan base. It’s also great that I can cook so much at a time in the 100 litre pan, I love how it cooks. I would recommend VCC to industry colleagues. At the end of the day the VCC does everything by itself.”
Ask the tough questions
As hard as it can be, you need to ask yourself the tough questions at CAPEX time to really determine how you can best invest. How much is labour eating at your bottom line? Are you willing to invest in advanced cooking technology that will perhaps remove the need for a staff member OR grow your business without a growth in labour costs? As Executive Chef Greg Slack from Emmanuel College explains, labour savings were an unconscious result of investing in RATIONAL.
“Having the VCC in our kitchen we have been able to save on energy and labour costs. A staff member resigned from our kitchen and we didn’t need to replace them. The VCC unit has paid for itself in the first year and there is less pressure on our chefs, and we have more time on our hands.”
Plan for growth – not maintenance
When looking at spending your CAPEX, it is important to distinguish between the different types of CAPEX: growth or maintenance. Where maintenance CAPEX is seen as spending to maintain your current business position by upgrading existing assets and keep profits stable, growth CAPEX is the spending companies undertake to expand operations and profits. In the volatile world of foodservice, chefs and business owners should always be gearing decisions around growth – especially when it comes to upgrading their commercial kitchen equipment. Rather waste money on another commercial deep fryer or replacing a bratt pan, why not look at an all in one unit which does both, and more, with less costs associated and more opportunities for menu and productivity growth?
“We purchased three RATIONAL VCC311+ units to replace our old bratt pans that were inconsistent and we needed something that was more efficient and give us better productivity. RATIONAL has given us that. By investing in RATIONAL we have gained solutions that we weren’t even looking for.” Craig Veigel, Executive Sous Chef, ANZ Stadium.
Experience it first hand
You wouldn’t buy a car without a test drive, so why do anything different when spending your CAPEX? James Mavros, Major Facilities Manager of Plenty Ranges Arts & Convention Centre experienced FRIMA first hand and would recommend anyone else do the same.
“The first time I saw the RATIONAL VarioCookingCenter® was at the South Melbourne Showroom at a CookingLive. What impressed me about the VCC was that it was never a hard sell – the product sold itself. V CC gives me that little bit of peace of mind so I do not have to worry about what it is that’s being cooked and whether it’s going to be consistent every time.”
X marks the spot
By following the above guide, you are well on your way to finding the perfect commercial catering equipment that’ll help grow your profits from rations to treasures.
To learn more about RATIONAL or how to best invest your CAPEX, fill in the form to contact the local team today.
