How have restaurant equipment needs changed or evolved over the past few years? What are the trends in restaurant equipment? What are the approximate costs to equip a restaurant? Industry experts offer up answers to these and more on the restaurant radio show hosted by Restaurant Brokers, Robin and Eric Gagnon. Listeners can tune in at 12 Noon EDT to Atlanta’s AM Talk 920 or Sunday at Noon on the Wall Street Journal Network Biz 1190AM.
About This Week’s Guests: The Restaurant Brokers are joined on this week’s show by the following expert guests on the topic of equipping a restaurant for success.
Joe Carbonara is the editor in chief of Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazine, a position he has held since 2005. Joe also serves as editor of restaurant development and design magazine, Zoomba Group’s newest publication. In his role, Joe oversees the entire editorial process for both magazines from concept to completion. He regularly moderates webcasts
hosted by the magazine, too. Prior to joining FE&S, Joe was a marketing manager for SmithBucklin Corp., where he spent six years working with NAFEM.
Nick Giagkou's unique experience in the food industry started as a 5 year old accompanying his father, a Greek immigrant and refrigeration technician, on service calls throughout the city of Chicago. Fast forward 35 years later and Nick’s expertise in the food industry is not only in sales, but his technical and restaurant operational knowledge is unparalleled. This intimate knowledge of kitchen operations equips Nick and his team at Olympic Store Fixtures to assist Restaurateurs with designing their Kitchens from the very fabric of their Restaurant’s DNA. From the smallest of equipment design elements to large scale CAD Drawings, Nick and Olympic have done it all for some of the most well-known restaurants in Chicago and the Midwest, including: Trump (Sixteen), Sumi Robata Bar, Embeya, Feast, The Gage, Henri, Gilt Bar, Giordano’s, The Dawson, and many more.
Richard Gorowitz currently serves as the Sales Manager of Atlanta Fixture and Sales for over ten years. Prior to this, Richard held a position in Foodservice Manufacturing Sales with Broadline Foodservice Distributors coordinating with Broadline Foodservice Distributors throughout the state of Georgia. In addition, Richard spent over seven years as a Territory Sales Representative in Foodservice with Ryfkoff Sexton and U.S. Foodservice.
Weighing in on the topic of equipping a restaurant for success, the restaurant brokers asked the expert panel a series of questions important for any operator. Joe Carbonara says "food service operators don't get into the business because they love equipment", and restaurant broker Eric Gagnon pointed out that operators are juggling a lot of needs these days...they have a lot on their plate (pun intended), budget constraints, some are working to be "green", their are space constraints and always ongoing operational and maintenance concerns.
Restaurant Broker Robin Gagnon asked about the topic of assisting established restaurateurs. Richard, of Atlanta Fixtures, mentioned that many seem to be switching from gas to electric these days; referencing a long-term well established local business that generally asks "What'll ya have?" upon entry that saved approximately $1M per year switching from a gas to an electric fryer. Nick, also provided input here, stating he is seeing more and more competitive bids, seeking to repairs rather than replace in recent years.
The radio show is available for download on iTunes or online at www.wesellrestaurants.com. Take a moment and LIKE the restaurant brokers on Facebook.com/wesellrestaurants or follow the restaurants brokers on Twitter @sellrestaurants. We Sell Restaurants is your industry authority and source for information on all things restaurant related.