Restaurant brands looking to better serve customer demands while also increasing back-of-house efficiency had a host of beverage product options to explore at the NAFEM show earlier this month.
Every year, the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) holds its foodservice equipment and supplies show, where a host of innovative products are on display.
Nation’s Restaurant News provided an inside look at some of the beverage products on display at this year’s NAFEM show and the common threads that run between them, namely reduced waste and increased efficiency and convenience.
One such product was the Bottoms Up tap system, a product that has been around a decade but has recently made fans out of large franchise brands like Taco Bell, Schlotzsky's and Pizza Hut. The automated system fills a pint or pitcher of beer with a touch of a button, the pour coming from the bottom using a metal ring and a magnet (adorned with the brand’s logo as a marketing measure). The pour automatically stops when it reaches the preprogrammed amount, and the magnet creates a seal at the bottom of the glass when all is said and done.
The article noted that “while the system seems like a labor-saving move, Bottoms Up representatives say restaurants and bars adopt the tap machine because it results in nearly zero keg waste and it enables multitasking.”
Other cool equipment featured in the article included several self-serve blenders, one-cup smoothie machines and a customized cocktail dispensing tap system.
Read the full article here.
