Little things add up.
But there are many little things that must go right to lead to positive customer reviews that recognize you as one of the best restaurants in the area. That’s why the right commercial kitchen equipment that creates a better, more efficient kitchen flow helps deliver such a positive return on investment.
That’s what Frank Mendoza, the owner and executive chef of El Sushi Loco, did to take what started as a food cart and expand it into three popular locations across Southern California.
Invest In Equipment That Won’t Compromise Your Signature Flavors
From the beginning, Mendoza was confident he had created something special. But he knew he needed something else.
“To be successful, I needed to make an investment,” he says. And that investment needed to make the most of his time, staff and ingredients – all without compromising the signature flavors his customers had come to love.
That’s why Mendoza invested in several pieces of kitchen equipment – from braising pans and food processors to thawing cabinets and blast chillers.
“This equipment has literally transformed my restaurant operation both financially and emotionally,” he says. “One of the best investments of my culinary career, without a doubt.”
How did the right equipment have such a positive return?
- With the Electrolux Professional TrinityPro, El Sushi Loco can slice 55 pounds of tomatoes in 5 minutes, instead of the 30 minutes it used to take.
- Staff can safely thaw 300 pounds of shrimp in an 8-hour cycle with the Electrolux Professional Thawing Cabinet. The Thawing Cabinet also eliminates the need for water or ice, reducing spoilage of shrimp from 30% to zero.
- Instead of spending 8 hours to cook only 40 pounds of shrimp in a stock pot, it takes El Sushi Loco 6 minutes to cook 120 pounds of shrimp with the Electrolux Professional SkyLine Combi Oven and SkyLine Blast Chiller.
- With the Electrolux Professional Pressure Braising Pan, Mendoza’s staff pre-cooks 80 pounds of chicken to 165 degrees in only 8 minutes, then vacuum seals and chills them. That trims the cook-to-serve time to 4 minutes and eliminating the health risk of undercooked chicken.
“Once you have beautiful equipment that you can press the button and go, you can do something with that time that’s going to be more effective,” Mendoza said. “When you create efficiencies, you’re going to make more money. And when you create more money, you can do something with that money – you can give back to the community.”
Because of his investment in Electrolux Professional, Mendoza can use the ROI to take care of his staff – offering them higher wages, school scholarships, and even zero-interest loans.
