Winterhalter passthrough machines save energy and give ‘brilliant’ results
Garden Centres are becoming major catering destinations. At Belton Garden Centre, Lincolnshire, when owners Karen and Graham Elkington decided to rebuild their small coffee shop they knew they would be handling large numbers, which was why they would need warewashing equipment that could cope. In the event, the new catering facilities are serving up to 800 people a day – and the huge quantities of dirty crocks, glasses, cutlery and utensils are being washed by their three “brilliant” Winterhalter passthrough machines.
“Catering is a very important part of business at Belton Garden Centre,” says Karen Elkington. “When we redeveloped the site we decided to totally rebuild the catering facilities. Now the coffee shop restaurant offers something for everyone, from a snack to a full meal. Cakes are a specialty, we aim to offer British baking at its finest – our scones were voted some of the best in Lincolnshire!”
Clearly the catering side of the business is a big success – which brings its own issues. “With the numbers we’re doing, the warewashers have to be reliable and give excellent results – we don’t have time to rewash. The Winterhalter dishwashers work flat out and are great – the main issue is keeping up with them! The passthrough glasswasher even gets rid of lipstick, and there’s no need to polish glasses.”
Dishes are washed by two of the passthroughs, which are linked to form a TwinSet system, which can be operated in tandem or singly. Charles Howarth of Vision Commercial Kitchens, who supplied and installed the warewashers for Belton, explains the rationale behind their decision. “It’s the first time Vision has installed a TwinSet, also known as a Jack and Jill,” he says. “The alternative was a conveyor machine but the TwinSet was less expensive and it gives more flexibility, it means in quieter periods they can turn one machine off, saving costs. The added benefit is that if one breaks down, the other can carry on doing the washing.”
The third passthrough, which is used as a glasswasher, is connected to a RoMatik reverse osmosis system. “We use it for glasses and cutlery, and because we don’t have to hand polish it saves us time and money,” says Karen.
Belton Garden Centre also uses Winterhalter chemicals. “The water round here is really, really hard,” says Karen. “The P3 Plus detergent is designed for extra hard water and gives perfect results. We’ve used an alternative and it was nothing like as good.”
Sustainability is a key issue for Belton Garden Centre. “We try to be as ethical and environmentally friendly as possible,” says Karen. “That’s one of the reasons we chose the Winterhalter machines, since they are more energy efficient and use less water. However, there was an added issue: we were close to the limit of our electricity loading for the site, and the Winterhalter Energy models reduce the connected load by up to 6KW per machine.”
Karen says she’d soon be aware if there were problems with the machines, because staff would be letting her know! “I’m not hearing any stories, so everything is hunky dory. It’s not just the results, the Winterhalter machines are easy to clean and easy to operate, too. They are really well built, far superior to other makes we’ve had.
“They work a treat.”
Winterhalter Warewashing at Belton Garden Centre
The TwinSet at Belton links two passthrough units together, side by side, allowing combined operation but with the option of using one machine alone during quieter periods. Each machine can handle racks up to a maximum size of 500 x 600mm and has a theoretical capacity of 70 racks per hour. Compared to two separate passthrough machines, the TwinSet allows operators to work more quickly and process more racks during busy times. This is because both hoods can be opened at the same time, allowing simultaneous loading and unloading. It also saves space, since both machines use the same feed-in and unload areas. Meanwhile the TwinSet offers a flexible alternative to a full conveyor warewasher system, since it can adapt to peaks and troughs of work. In slack periods, when only one machine is required, it saves 50% in terms of energy, water and chemical consumption.
The passthrough glasswasher is connected to a RoMatik reverse osmosis (RO) system. RO is recognised as the best way to treat water to ensure perfect glass washing results, with no smears or odours. Water is passed though an ultra-fine membrane which removes nearly all the impurities and particles that cause cleaning problems. But traditional systems are large – often too large for the site. Winterhalter’s RoMatik systems are compact, reliable and keep running and maintenance costs low. Any reverse osmosis filtration system creates waste water. The RoMatik generates a reliably high yield of osmosis water of up to 60%.
Winterhalter provides a total solution for warewashing, from pre-sales advice to after-sales service, training and maintenance. Alongside its market-leading dish and glasswashers, the company’s range includes utensil washers, advanced water treatment machines, cleaning chemicals and detergents. For further details, call Winterhalter on 01908 359000, see www.winterhalter.co.uk, or www.winterhalter-scout.biz or email info@winterhalter.co.uk.
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Links:
Belton Garden Centre: www.beltongardencentre.co.uk
Winterhalter: www.winterhalter.com/uk-en/
Vision Commercial Kitchens: www.visionck.co.uk