July 2009 - The Burkett Blog

Blenders…Which One Do I Need?

Jul 24

So should I save money and buy a basic bar blender for less than 100 bucks knowing I am doing ice drinks and smoothies? Or should I spend a little more and have it last longer?

A basic bar blender is designed for about 1 to 24 drinks a day. If you make a little more than that look into one with a half horsepower motor and is designed to crush ice effectively. With a stronger motor and a blade configured for ice it will do a better job of blending the product.

Need more production? There is a blender that gives you 3 horsepower at peak operation. These are rated at 75 drinks or more per day. Remember the right equipment for the task at hand.

–Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and long-time sales consultant at Burkett Restaurant Equipment.

Restaurant Equipment Repair or Replace?

Jul 15

So your ice machine, convection oven or your fryer is down. You have had it repaired a number of times and your’e thinking repair again or replace. If you have repaired it a number of times and it is breaking down in other ways, it may be time to stop throwing money away and just replace it. If you consider going reconditioned, make sure you buy from a company that has a service staff that can refurbish that unit so that it meets todays code and can give you some type of warranty on it. The problem with used is it may break down in six months or so as well. With the economic times being tough, it will be less costly to buy used and get up and running and look to buy new as soon as possible. If you are just starting a restaurant than I can suggest buying new and used to lower your start up equipment cost.

Something to consider when buying new is that a lot of equipment is Energy Star rated, which equates into lower operating cost thru energy efficiency. Depending on your location in the USA there may be some credit from your electric company. Do your research and ask questions of your dealer so you can make an intelligent decision.

Jerry Kraushaar, Burkett Restaurant Equipment Sales Consultant and Local Chef.

Look for Sales Consultants, Not Sales Order Takers

Jul 03

It is so important to find the equipment you NEED not the equipment you WANT. Jerry Kraushaar, former chef and current restaurant equipment sales consultant at Burkett, says as a sales person in the food service equipment industry, he has come across a great deal of people who want to start a restaurant with very little knowledge or experience. They should seek out a professional who can listen to what they want to accomplish and then guide them through the process.

If a sales person just tries to “sell” them what makes him or her the most money, then in my opinion that person does not have the customers best interest at heart. A consultant should develop a relationship with the customer to the point that he or she becomes a partner with the customer and can tell the customer that the item they are looking at may not be the best piece of equipment for the job.

Not always do you need a top of the line piece of equipment to do the job. On the other hand the cheapest piece of equipment just to save money may not be the most cost-effective way to go either. So remember do you want to deal with an order taker who has only his or hers interest at heart or someone who has the customers long-term interest at heart.

Jerry Kraushaar is a leading sales consultant at Burkett Restaurant Equipment.