Equipped and ready for action

Back bar and cellar equipment are

the business drivers for most pubs,

as Graham Ridout discovers

Double-door bottle coolers are the backbone of most licensed premises and their popularity shows no sign of waning, according to Simon Gordon, managing director of Foodfresh Refrigeration.

He has noticed, however, that there is a movement towards energy-saving machines. He says: "Machines like the Autonumis Eco-chill are much more popular than they have ever been. They offer a 30% energy saving and they are not a lot more expensive - about £60 - so they soon pay for themselves."

Gordon also reports that sales of bottle dumps are increasing since the introduction of the smoking ban, with licensees running electrical extension leads into outside areas set aside for smokers. The bottle dumps come in three sizes, capable of holding between 234 and 441 bottles.

Another item of equipment that is finding favour is the refrigerated shelf.

He adds: "It's like being back to the old days as refrigerated shelves are coming into fashion, especially in outside bars. The condenser is attached to the shelf so you get a very quick drop-down time in temperature."

As an added incentive for people buying a bottle cooler, Foodfresh has combined with Autonumis and Mexican lager brand Sol with a special offer. For £540, buyers will get a double-door cooler, £720-worth of Sol when sold at £3 per bottle, together with a comprehensive point-of-sale and merchandising kit. Foodfresh says the deal will give a £180 profit.

Another firm reporting interest in coolers is Cater-Kwik. Steve Doyle, manager at the Cumbria-based operation, reports "really good prices" for its own-brand bottle coolers. "We are pushing the boundaries on prices, especially for energy-efficient coolers."

Apart from its own brand, the company stocks ranges from other leading manufacturers, which Doyle says use 30% less power than conventional coolers and can save half a tonne of CO2 emissions per year.

Buyers still driven by price

He says: "Energy-efficient machines aren't as popular just yet because many people are still driven by price. Although they are more expensive, they will save you money more quickly because they use less energy."

Doyle offers this advice to licensees considering buying a new cooler: "Make sure the machine has a decent pull-down time; fitted door locks are a bonus."

He also recommends that licensees check the extent of the warranty they are getting and the price of spares should problems arise. "Some people charge a fortune for spares."

He further advises that people should consider extended warranties for both parts and labour. "We offer an extra year for £85, which covers parts and labour." Although buying is the preferred option for most, the company can also arrange lease agreements.

Mark Ahuja, general manager of Project Distribution, of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, senses the buying patterns of licensees are changing. "We are receiving signals about a lack of confidence and there's talk about a recession," he says. "Sales of our high-premium brands have been affected because people are going for entry-price models and our ownbrand Prodis machines are doing well."

Change in buying patterns

Ahuja says the company's best-selling model is its Prodis double-door bottle cooler. "It is very rugged and is very good value for money."

Project Distribution offers on-site or back-to-base warranties on its products, which can be bought via the internet or through a network of suppliers.

"This gives us a national and local presence," explains Ahuja. Customers can choose to extend the warranty at the end of the first year, but Ahuja addss: "Machines are getting more and more reliable so people are prepared to take the risk. Only 10% of our customers bother to extend their warranties."

The second biggest sellers from the com-pany are its ice makers. "Again we find a lot of people don't bother to maintain them properly. They don't bother to put filters on or clean the ice-making jets.

"The machines work in a very difficult environment - they have to cool down to make the ice and then heat up to release the ice. People could save themselves a lot of money in service calls if they only looked after the machines."

At the beginning of the year, Project Distribution launched a new range of light-

weight catering equipment including items such as fryers, toasters and griddles. Ahuja says that although the products have only been available for less than a month, signs are encouraging.

He expects the products will appeal to licensees looking to expand into food to offset the effects of the smoking ban.

Can pod machines help you?

Coffee won't replace beer in pubs, but there's no doubt that more licensees are getting into serving fresh coffee. Yet for many, there is the dilemma of choosing the right machine to meet demand.

Bean-to-cup espresso machines need the throughput to justify the expenditure and low usage can also affect the quality of the coffee as the bean can go stale in the hopper. Additionally, they need well-trained staff to operate them.

These factors have led to the advent of "pod" machines that use vacuum-packed pre-ground coffee capsules.

Warwickshire-based Espressione UK has tapped into this market to the point where sales manager Steven Allen reports 90% of the company's business is in pod machines. He explains: "The pods have an 18-month shelf life, whereas beans only stay fresh for three to four days."

Allen says there are other compelling reasons for pod machines like the Amie Select and the Mia Select, in that they are easy to install. Both machines are compact and do not need to be plumbed into a water supply. Both can be plugged into a normal 13-amp circuit, doing away with the expense of routing a 20-amp circuit that many other machines require.

The Amie is a pod-only machine, whereas the Mia can be fitted with a grinder so that it can produce freshly-ground espresso as well as pod coffee. The machines have a five-litre water tank, which is sufficient to make 100 espressos without refilling. Another benefit is that they can steam milk and make coffee at the same time.

Allen adds: "You just have to turn them on and 10 minutes later, you are up and running. And you can easily unplug them and carry them out into the garden or a function room."

Allen says the Amie can be leased for £1.43 a day: "Typically, you only need to sell two cups of coffee per day to break even." Bought outright, the Amie will cost £1,295.

Espressione offers four different blends of pod coffee, but customers aren't tied to its own coffee.

Allen reminds licensees: "Coffee is exceptionally profitable and we will show licensees how to differentiate their offering by serving things such as layered latte and liqueur latte."

Avoiding slip-ups

Slips and trips are the most common cause of major injuries in the hospitality industry. In financial terms alone, it is estimated by the Health & Safety Executive to cost at least £512m per year. Added to this are the disruptions that injuries can cause via staff not being available for duty or the possibility of being sued or taken to court if negligence was a contributory factor.

Although the kitchen is the highest risk zone, the back-bar area can also present hazards, particularly if spillages occur.

The easiest ways to protect the workforce is to ensure that spillages are quickly cleaned

up and a non-slip floor surface or covering

is fitted.

Leicestershire-based Coba specialises in providing rubber non-slip matting for a variety of applications in both the catering and bar areas.

For behind the bar, there is Coba's Deluxe matting - 1.5m x 1m x 19mm thick mats that are connected together to cover the area needing protection. The mats have open holes on the upper surface that allow spillages to drain away.

Another plus poi