• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • 1.800.253.2991
A.J. Antunes & Co.

Antunes

Because your success is our success.

  • Cooking Products
    • Toasters
    • Food Steamers
    • Countertop Grills
    • Condiments Dispensers
    • Kitchen Timing Products
    • Hot Food Merchandising & Display Cases
    • Water Bath Cooking
    • Restaurant Automation Equipment
  • Water Products
    • Commercial Water Products
    • Residential Water Products
  • About
    • About Antunes
    • Awards
    • Customers
    • Social Responsibility
  • Contact Us
    • Technical Service
    • Customer Service
    • Equipment Registration
    • Authorized Service Agencies
    • Representatives
    • Our Distributors
  • Careers
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Residential FAQs
    • Videos
    • Technical Service Training

Order Up — The Growth of Individual Food Preparation

You are here: Home / Articles / Commercial / Order Up — The Growth of Individual Food Preparation
April 12, 2018

On-campus dining at a university Banquet catering at a country club All-day menu offerings at a bakery-café Drive-thru service at a fast food restaurant

Although all of these foodservice operations value quality, consistency and customer satisfaction, the ways each addresses food preparation varies.

The approach to meal preparation is largely dictated by an operation’s approach to their customers and takes into account a number of considerations, including:

  • Number of customers
  • Speed of delivery
  • Prioritization of the “fresh” proposition
  • Ingredients
  • Available labor
  • Space or footprint for preparing food
  • Daypart(s)

There are situations where the batch preparation of foods makes sense in order to serve a large number of patrons at one time. Foods like rice, vegetables, chili and soups are more heavily used in batch preparation and holding — creating efficiencies and saving labor.

For a majority of QSRs and fast casual restaurants, however, the batch preparation method is not used often; they have evolved to preparing individual, made-to-order meals.

The “fresh to order” trend is being largely driven by younger generations; Gen Z and Millennials not only want higher-quality ingredients, such as organic products and those supported by “farm-to-table” messaging, but they also want everything prepared on site. This perception of freshness is a key advantage for individual meal preparation.

When creating individual servings, equipment plays a pivotal role. Understanding the growing importance of this approach to food preparation, Antunes offers two key pieces of equipment to meet operational needs: the Egg Station and the Jet Steamer.

Some national QSR chains have gone to serving breakfast menu items all day with freshly cracked eggs for individual preparation, while other national chains prepare eggs in batches and rethermalize them on premise, which impacts the perception of freshness and quality.

Antunes Egg Stations with Dual Zone (ESDZ) offer a convenient way to serve freshly cooked eggs on demand, avoiding the food degradation that can occur when an item is pre-cooked and held too long.

Additionally, the recently introduced Antunes Jet Steamer uses bursts of steam to quickly and efficiently prepare small portions of a wide range of foods, including eggs, oatmeal, rice, pasta vegetables, seafood and soups.

The unique shape of the unit’s steaming cup combined with the velocity and temperature of the steam mixes and heats foods significantly faster than traditional methods — from scrambled eggs in 12 seconds to tortellini in 45 seconds.

As chains expand their menus, they are taking into account the growing importance of fresh, made-to-order meals as the target audience shifts to younger generations. The right equipment can turn individual food preparation from an operational challenge to an exciting opportunity.

For further insight into how QSRs can address both quality and speed, check out this article.

Category: Articles, CommercialTag: order-up-individual-food
Previous Post:Ron Zuehlsdorf Joins Antunes Team as National Account Manager
Next Post:Why We’re Looking Forward To The 2018 National Restaurant Show

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

Subscribe

A.J. Antunes & Co.

Corporate Headquarters

180 Kehoe Blvd.
Carol Stream, IL 60188 USA

Local: +1 630.784.1000
Toll-Free: +1 800.253.2991
Fax: +1.630 784.1650

Products

  • Commercial Toasters
  • Commercial Food Steamers
  • Commercial Countertop Grills
  • Commercial Water Products
  • Commercial Condiments Dispensers
  • Hot Food Merchandising & Display Cases
  • Water Bath Cooking
  • Kitchen Timing Products
  • Kitchen Innovation

Information

  • Home Page
  • About
  • Commercial Cooking Products
  • Contact Us
  • Authorized Service Agencies
  • Careers
  • News
  • Technical Service Training
  • Terms

Subscribe for Updates

Join our mailing list and stay up to date on the latest foodservice innovations from Antunes

Copyright © 1955–2023 A.J. Antunes & Co. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Design by Flying Orange | Sitemap

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
Save & Accept