Groove Train – Achieving Menu Consistency Across Franchisees

One of the core ingredients of quick service restaurants is speed. In fact, the entire customer experience can be shattered by long wait times, no matter how impressive your food offering is.

Comcater showcases its new Cambro Mobile Flex Stations.

Comcater makes a case for equipment that eliminates hot oil handling.

Quick, delicious, efficient and profitable... the Muzz Buzz Drive Thru coffee chain has it down pat.

From breakfast, burgers and beyond, eggs are increasingly becoming a must have item on any QSR menu. And we’ve got an egg-cellent way to ensure yours are cooked to perfection each and every time without a single chef in sight.

With 23 locations nationally and no signs of slowing soon, The Groove Train has exemplified the Quick Service Restaurant Scene in Australia. In part one of our interview, we sit down with Richard Lawrence, The Groove Train VIC Executive Chef to talk about how the franchise has seen such fantastic success and all things quick service related. We also find out why Frymaster fryers are the fryer of choice for The Groove Train Group.

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In the world of fryers one size does not fit all, and as an operator there are several business factors that should be explored when adding a fryer to your kitchen or replacing a current fryer. Some of the questions you should be asking when considering your frying options are:

Initially opening its first Metro Store in 2012, the fresh food people at Woolworths have upped their game in the convenience space with the opening of the new Pitt Street Metro Store.

In a competitive industry where every dollar counts, it's natural for those in the foodservice business to seek out means of cutting costs. While economising measures can come in a number of forms, from streamlining certain processes to running services with minimum staff, one area you can't afford to compromise on is your kitchen equipment.

One of the core ingredients of quick service restaurants is speed. In fact, the entire customer experience can be shattered by long wait times, no matter how impressive your food offering is.

With the burger game in Australia as strong as ever, finding ways to stand out are becoming harder and harder. Having already made a statement in the Melbourne burger scene with his ‘secret burger menu’ at Dandenong Pavilion, Melbourne foodie Dani Zeini knew he’d have to take some serious risks to make his newest burger venture work.

It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, it’s fair to say that most Australians have a sweet tooth. Over the last year, 93 per cent of consumers purchased ice cream, according to Nielsen Homescan, highlighting our love for this frozen dessert option.

Frymaster’s FilterQuick fryers are the ultimate oil-conserving, high-performance fryers that drastically help improve profit margins with labour and energy saving features, contribute to green and sustainability initiatives and safeguard workers. With simple push button filtering and auto top-off (ATO) of frypot oil, the FilterQuick will not only save you up to 40% in oil costs, but allow you to become a true fry master.

One of the toughest decisions for QSR operators is whether to ditch or fix a piece of kitchen equipment. But when it comes to commercial deep fryers, the decision to repair or replace the unit becomes even more critical. Safety issues, temperature overshoots, excessive oil consumption and poor food quality are just some of the signs your fryer is failing you – not to mention failing your hungry customers.

Can you tell us more about Lincoln Countertop Impinger Series?

It’s here. The most beloved and widely celebrated day of the year is finally here. Happy International Burger Day everyone!

With several new kids on the QSR block putting their own spin on the classic hot chip, it has become increasingly difficult to make this classic side dish stand out. You can try different seasonings and sauces, but what truly makes customers come back is a perfectly cooked chip, every time.

In a recent article, we explained the concept of speed ovens and some of the benefits of having them as part of your kitchen. While this is great for those in the industry who are new to speed ovens, it's also good to get under the hood and look at the technical specifications.

Bring out all of a burger's flavour by serving it on perfectly toasted buns with the Antunes ‘Roundup’ Vertical Contact Toaster.

Cambro proves to be a reliable partner for storage and shelving.

It is the most user-friendly speed cooking platform.

The warmer drawers and holding cabinets use the revolutionary Halo Heat® technology.

This reliable equipment makes pebble ice – a midpoint between fast-ice and the classic flake ice. 

Guilty of serving a soggy burger that is too far from what it is supposed to look like as you have advertised? 

This unit guarantees food quality without increasing operational expenses.

Find out how Comcater's equipment addressed Sneakies Kitchen's pain points.

Find out how Garland XPress Grill gives you perfectly cooked food each time. 

A new generation of food holding for QSRs has arrived in Australia with Merco Max holding cabinets, bringing with it a FRESH approach to hot food holding.

Deep frying is serious business. Although fish and chips is considered one of the simplest dishes for a restaurant to produce, there is a massive difference between one cooked in a high quality deep fryer and one that is not.

With the shock collapse of Eagle Boys, it’s clear that the Australian pizza industry is high risk and highly competitive. For even the most astute pizza shop operators, keeping a keen eye on upcoming trends, staying familiar with industry reports and constantly seeking new and improved ways of serving, ordering and enjoying your pizza is key to your continued success. Luckily for you, the recently released Pizza Restaurant and Takeaway in Australia report from IBISWorld provides some extraordinary insight into those trends, tastes and tactics you should employ if you want to keep ahead of your competitors. Read on to find out how pizza shop operators can easily stay ahead of these trends by switching to the Lincoln 1100 Series Conveyor Ovens. 1. Go Gourmet – whilst traditional pizzas remain popular, the trend towards more gourmet pizzas at a higher price point is clear, now accounting for 7.3 percent of the industry revenue in 2016-17 according to IBISWorld. Gourmet toppings such as goats’ cheese, mussels and truffle require a much more delicate cook, something which can be difficult to achieve in wood fired ovens where staff must constantly tend to and monitor the cooking process, adding additional labour costs to your already higher produce costs. By utilising conveyor ovens such as the Lincoln 1100 Series however, chefs can set specific temperatures and speeds for different menu items plus access the pizza mid-cook via the industry’s only front loading door to add those more gourmet toppings at the correct stage in the cooking process. This ultimately means a more controlled, consistent cooking of menu items resulting in a truly gourmet experience (and at a reduced price!).

For the past 40 years, Comcater has been dedicated to delivering quality and innovative commercial kitchen equipment to the Australian Foodservice industry.

One of the great innovations for the modern foodservice industry has got to be the ability to vacuum pack food. Removing the air from food packaging can be an invaluable advantage for any QSR operator, helping to safely prolong the life of expensive produce, easily store individual portion sizes as well as explore opportunities for sous vide cooking.

Buns are the next big frontier – and we’re not talking about those you get from doing squats in the gym.

Combining microwave, infrared and convected air heating, the Menumaster MXP is the answer for when a microwave can’t produce the quality you need and a convection oven is simply too slow.

When it comes to commercial kitchen equipment, knowing when to replace a broken unit or whether to repair it will always be a tough decision to make. What questions should operators be asking to ensure they spend their money on the right solution?

Rick Palesh set about opening the authentic American smoked BBQ house aptly named Twelve Boar.

It’s no secret that the food truck scene is taking the quick service concept by storm, but for Ameer El-issa he knew that a truck wouldn’t make the impact he needed for his unique bakery concept.

One of the biggest trends in the food industry over recent years has been an increased focus on sustainability. This has presented itself in all sorts of ways, from selection of ethical produce right through to more efficient pieces of commercial cooking equipment.

With a rich history as Australia’s largest home-grown quick service restaurant brand, Red Rooster has the nation’s craving for roast chicken covered.

A Comcater Burger Day showcasing state of the art equipment fit for burger royalty helped Melbourne burger ledgend Dani Zeini fitout the King Of Kitchens at Melbourne’s hottest burger joint, Royal Stacks.

Let's face it - grilling can be an art form. With skill shortages in kitchens, training a grill operator can take weeks. With customer expectations of food quality only increasing, now is the time to ensure your restaurant has the equipment to deliver high standards every day of the week.

David Magnanini, Comcater Product Manager, discusses the new Frymaster FilterQuick and how it can help quick service and fast casual restaurants nationwide save up to over $9,000 per year.

Trends in dining come and go, but there are certain constants in foodservice that remain unchanged.

Armed with a passion for American cuisine and a lifetime of knowledge of his native country’s food and flavours, Rick Palesh set about opening the authentic American smoked BBQ house aptly named Twelve Boar.

In part 2 of our filtration guide for beginners, we talked about how inbuilt fryer filtration can help improve workplace safety and make for healthier profits.

A video case study by Comcater found that with over 50 stores nationally Muzz Buzz relies on the high speed and the easy-to-use programmable touchscreen control panel of the Menumaster MXP to deliver consistency and quality across their national network. With the possibility of 360 programmable options, updating menus across multiple locations is a breeze with the USB port facility.

Between the rapid rise of gourmet burger joints and the desire for healthier and free-from fast food options, consumers expect variety when it comes to their bread. Here’s how operators can capitalise on this trend whilst ensuring each bread type is consistently cooked to perfection.

Are you aware of the full service history of your commercial kitchen equipment? Find out how something as simple as a routine service on your equipment could cost you thousands in litigation.

Its owner worked with Comcater to find the best solution for his concept.

When NeNe Chicken was looking for a fryer and holding cabinet that would help them serve the perfect chicken to Australians, it was like finding a Cinderella to slip into a glass shoe.

BBQ, smokey flavours, and bold cuts of meats are just a few trends that don’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

It seems that almost every year, another version of deep fried food appears on a list of top trends. While some might appear crazy and just plain weird, other deep fried trends have a little more merit.

Always wanted a combi oven but don’t have adequate space or funds? RATIONAL’s newest product introduction could change all of that and much, much more.

With each new advancement in commercial kitchen technology, businesses can enjoy faster prep times, more intuitive interfaces and better quality menu items. These innovations are fantastic, but how can they also provide benefits to your bottom line and to staff wellbeing?

The ability to diversify your drinks menu with just one piece of equipment is an almost magical feat, and one that is wholly achievable with a little help from a blender. For cafes and bistros, this means spicing up your offering with everything from smoothies, to frappes and milkshakes, while for bars it could vastly broaden the scope of cocktails on offer.

The product of an unexpected discovery by engineer Percy Spencer back in the 1940s, the microwave oven has become a mainstay in innumerous homes around the world.

Cambro understands how critical it is to keep perishable foods in the best environment possible and have prepared a guide to help you confidently store your fruits and vegetables in the safest way possible and in the right container every time! Independent testing has proven that when used properly a Cambro food pan with a seal cover an extend the shelf life of produce by 2 – 3 days beyond storage with disposable wraps, foil or no covers. The guide offers operators food storage solutions that are not only designed to retain the freshness of perishable foods but also the quality, appearance, flavour and nutritional value for as long as possible. For more information on why Cambro is the only storage supplier of choice for QSR operators, or how Cambro’s innovative solutions can help keep your food safe, visit www.comcater.com.au/brand/cambro

In the chaotic world of quick service restaurants, finding innovative ways to serve delicious food, fast can be one of the biggest challenges operators will face. But what if consistently good food could be produced up to four times faster with minimal staff intervention?

In part 2 of our Groove Train Fitout, we once again sit down with The Groove Train's Executive Chef for Victoria, Richard Lawrence, to discuss why the group have used the Garland Restaurant Range (GF Series) for over 16 years and counting. We also take a look at the awesome bar at The Groove Train Knox and what Comcater product is helping keep The Groove Train cooler than its competitors.

Keeping up with the time demands of the quick service industry can be extremely difficult to manage, especially when you’re cooking to order. For Royal Stacks owner Dani Zenini, choosing the right type and the right amount of grills was paramount in ensuring service demands could be met.