Kitchen Equipment: Form vs. Function

Manufacturers strive to meet chefs’ calls for kitchen equipment that blends European style with American durability.

By Christine LaFave, Associate Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 3/15/2008

Open kitchens, as at Domaso in Arlington, Va., call for the use of sturdy but viewer-worthy kitchen equipment. With European-inspired panini sandwiches remaining a strong seller in the states, panini grills still place high on chefs’ plan-to-buy lists.

And therein lies a conflict of desire for Fedozzi and many chefs across the country. On visual appeal, European kitchen-equipment manufacturers sometimes have an edge over their American counterparts. "European equipment looks more stylish, just like everything else that comes from Europe," the Italian-born Fedozzi says.

But for handling the high volume and heavy output common to stateside kitchens, American manufacturers get the nod, chefs say. Fedozzi says that when the primary consideration is how long a piece of equipment will last, he prefers to buy American.

Behind this stylish/sturdy divide are differences in kitchen design and food-production priorities in Europe versus the United States. With more large restaurants and more chain restaurants in the states, manufacturers producing for American buyers have to offer equipment that meets the need of volume-feeding operations. And although American- and European-based chains are growing in number and popularity in Europe—The New York Times noted in August that McDonald’s sales for the first half of 2007 increased 15% in Europe versus 6% in the United States—European restaurants generally still operate on a smaller and slower scale.

"The whole setup of the kitchen is different in European kitchens," says Peter Schonman, corporate executive chef at Bloomington, Ill.-based Biaggi’s Italian restaurant chain. "[In Europe] the stove is in the center and everyone works around the stove." This creates a production process that, although impressive to watch, can be "not as productive," Schonman says.

Out with the Old, In with the Open

But American dining interests are changing, and manufacturers are having to answer American operators’ demands for both style and substance in foodservice equipment. Open kitchens traditionally were the purview of European restaurants, but Americans’ resurging interest in cuisine and cooking (and their well-established interest in a show) has led to a growing number of U.S. restaurants that feature at least a partially open kitchen.

In response, American foodservice-equipment manufacturers are rounding edges, softening lines, increasing user-friendliness—essentially, making more equipment look open-kitchen-worthy. "They try to be on the same level, which is a little more modern and elegant," says Fedozzi.

Growing interest in healthier cuisine and in a wider variety of "authentic" ethnic offerings also affects American operators and foodservice-equipment manufacturers. Wood-fired pizzas, rotisserie-roasted meats and panini sandwiches enjoy wide popularity, and all can influence kitchen design and equipment purchases. Among operators who reported that new menu items would influence their equipment purchasing decisions in 2008, 45% said they planned to purchase a panini press, according to the 2008 Industry Forecast from Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, an R&I sister publication.

Fedozzi, for one, looks forward to seeing additional European-inspired options from American manufacturers. "I would like to see a little bit more from American manufacturers as far as wood stoves," he says. "I would add a wood-burning grill or [a wood-burning] stove and if it’s possible, both of them."

More with Less

One top concern for both American and European manufacturers is improving equipment efficiency, says Peter Backman, founder and president of London-based foodservice research consultancy Horizons for Success. Equipment that not only saves space and time but also requires less energy, water or labor to operate and maintain can help contribute to a healthy bottom line.

"What we are seeing already is because of food-price inflation, which is really beginning to bite now, the operators are very reluctant to raise their prices because the consumer really doesn’t want to pay more," Backman says. Cutting operational costs by reducing energy use and/or streamlining kitchen processes, then, becomes a major priority.

This is one reason why combi-ovens, the oven of choice in the majority of generally smaller European kitchens, are finding favor among more American operators, Backman says. Being able to steam, roast, bake or perform multiple cooking functions at once using a single piece of equipment holds obvious appeal from space and energy perspectives.

Also, Backman observes, manufacturers are incorporating more intelligent-technology and easy-use features into their equipment. Stoves that give digital feedback on an item being cooked, for example, can promote food quality as well as energy efficiency.

Schonman, who studied in restaurants in eight regions of Italy before launching his culinary career in the states, is grateful for the changes he has seen from American manufacturers in the nine years Biaggi’s has been in business. "Manufacturers have been cognizant of making things a little easier for us," especially in terms of cleanup, he says.

With budgets this year crunched by a halting economy, operators are likely to consider more carefully their equipment-buying priorities and the timing of their purchases. In FE&S’ Industry Forecast, 20% of operators predicted that their equipment-and-supplies-purchasing budget would decline in 2008.

"A decision to buy a piece of equipment can be put off for six months, and that is happening," Backman says. However, the competitive pressure that this places on manufacturers is likely to lead to expanded options for customizing equipment, more-streamlined functionality and better energy-saving features—effectively blending further the best of European and American design. "It is possible," Fedozzi says. "You can have style and durability."