It's been a long time coming, but we can't be any more excited at the latest trend in "greener" restaurants. Finally, folks are taking a moment to evaluate their energy use, waste disposal practices and even making an effort to source locally -grown or -produced goods. Companies here in the Bay Area have done a great job at minimizing waste at all other levels of their business and have finally taken a look at their cafeterias and restaurants to make sure their energy use is minimized, as well.
Although the economics of energy savings are far from compelling, saving every little bit starts to add up as we scale this effort into hundreds of companies, each day. Our Perfect Fry hoodless hot oil fryers (www.perfectfry.com) recently received $200 PG&E rebate status for all models, including the PFC and PFA lines and are also compliant with the new UL 300 standards for ventilation hoods (they are actually governed by UL 167 guidelines since they are hoodless). These units are extremely efficient and will use about 80% less energy than an open fryer, since power is used only when cooking.
We see similar benefits from the Instant Burger grill (www.smokaroma.com) that is up to 50x (that's 5000%) more efficient than a flat top grill. Since this unit uses no heat to cook, it is enormously more efficient at cooking, rather than keeping the cooking plates hot all day. Average use amounts to less than $100/year in annual electrical costs!
Finally, we're very excited to have a number of new recyclers that are taking used cooking oil for use in bio-diesel manufacturing. Here's a list:
Cooking Oil Pick Up Companies (Northern California Region)
San Francisco SF Greasecycle (has online application)
http://www.sfgreasecycle.org/fse.shtml
East Bay - Blue Sky Bio Fuels (has online application)
http://www.blueskybio-fuels.com/grease.php
Fresno, Turlock & So. Cal - Darling International
http://www.darlingii.com/facilities/index.asp
If you know of others that offer similar services, please let us know! Email us at westernfreezers@sbcglobal.net.
Happy Holidays and here's to a greener and less wasteful New Year!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
America's Favorite Cookie boosts sales across US
Here's a great article on the power of branding and the recognition of the Oreo Cookie to be America's favorite!
Menuing ‘America’s Favorite Cookie’
Dairy Queen’s Nissen says the right brand name can provide a big boost by communicating to customers in one word what the flavor pr ofile of a new offering is. When Dairy Queen introduced a spicy burger it purposely chose to partner with Tabasco in an advertising campaign. The company could have simply used Tabasco or one of its competitors, but by drawing up a licensing agreement and ad campaign, “It instantly communicated the flavor profile on this burger was different. It’s hot and spicy,’’ Nissen says. Nabisco notes, for instance, that its research suggests Oreo is considered its own flavor alongside chocolate and vanilla.
At Baskin Robbins, a variation of an Oreo cookies-and-cream treat has been a top-five seller for years and product extensions featuring the Oreo are always a good bet, says Scott Colwell, vice president of marketing. “They have a lot of credibility with consumers,’’ he says. During the fall, the company rolled out six Oreo-themed products including: an Oreo cookie pie; a new Oreo cake; a new flavor, Jamoca; chocolate and Jamoca Oreo shakes; and an Oreo-layered sundae. The company won’t reveal sales figures but says the new offerings helped sales jump the first week they were introduced in August and are “exceeding expectations.”
Like pizza and Oreo, frozen dessert restaurants are in a competitive environment. The category’s sales increased by 2.2 percent from 2005 to 2006 while units dropped by 1.2 percent according to data gathered from Technomic. Dairy Queen sales were flat from 2005 to 2006 with a slight increase in same-store sales while Baskin Robbins experienced a 6.5 percent jump in sales with a small same-store sale bounce. Newer competitors like Cold Stone Creamery, which saw a double-digit jump in sales in 2006 and higher same-store sales, are chasing both venerable brands.
Cold Stone, of course, made its name with its smorgasbord of mix-ins. And like its competitors it has its own Oreo creation, Oreo overload.
(See the entire article at: http://http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/features/110/oreo-3.phtml)
Menuing ‘America’s Favorite Cookie’
Dairy Queen’s Nissen says the right brand name can provide a big boost by communicating to customers in one word what the flavor pr ofile of a new offering is. When Dairy Queen introduced a spicy burger it purposely chose to partner with Tabasco in an advertising campaign. The company could have simply used Tabasco or one of its competitors, but by drawing up a licensing agreement and ad campaign, “It instantly communicated the flavor profile on this burger was different. It’s hot and spicy,’’ Nissen says. Nabisco notes, for instance, that its research suggests Oreo is considered its own flavor alongside chocolate and vanilla.
At Baskin Robbins, a variation of an Oreo cookies-and-cream treat has been a top-five seller for years and product extensions featuring the Oreo are always a good bet, says Scott Colwell, vice president of marketing. “They have a lot of credibility with consumers,’’ he says. During the fall, the company rolled out six Oreo-themed products including: an Oreo cookie pie; a new Oreo cake; a new flavor, Jamoca; chocolate and Jamoca Oreo shakes; and an Oreo-layered sundae. The company won’t reveal sales figures but says the new offerings helped sales jump the first week they were introduced in August and are “exceeding expectations.”
Like pizza and Oreo, frozen dessert restaurants are in a competitive environment. The category’s sales increased by 2.2 percent from 2005 to 2006 while units dropped by 1.2 percent according to data gathered from Technomic. Dairy Queen sales were flat from 2005 to 2006 with a slight increase in same-store sales while Baskin Robbins experienced a 6.5 percent jump in sales with a small same-store sale bounce. Newer competitors like Cold Stone Creamery, which saw a double-digit jump in sales in 2006 and higher same-store sales, are chasing both venerable brands.
Cold Stone, of course, made its name with its smorgasbord of mix-ins. And like its competitors it has its own Oreo creation, Oreo overload.
(See the entire article at: http://http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/features/110/oreo-3.phtml)
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