Winterhalter’s new warewasher payment model lets pub use state of the art equipment
The Butchers Arms in the Suffolk market town of Beccles is a proper, old-school pub. 100% wet-led, it has a loyal core of regular customers. “Horrible people,” jokes landlord Ian Willis. “They deserve the best – they got me instead!”
The clientele of the Butchers is mostly male, says Ian, young, middle-aged and older. “Despite this, we like to keep things clean and tidy.” With a selection of real ales and wine, Ian knows the importance of clean glasses – his customers are a discerning bunch. “If you hand over a drink in a glass that’s not in tip-top condition, you’ll hear all about it. We need to make sure it’s right first time.”
Ian’s previous glasswasher was not up to this challenge. “Our old machine wasn’t particularly great. You’d have to hand polish everything as it came out, which just wasted time.”
When it came time to choose a new glasswasher, getting something that bypassed this stage was high up Ian’s list of priorities. “Anything that saves you time also saves you money.”
“Winterhalter’s a make I’ve been aware of in the past,” says Ian, “But I’ve always considered it as out of my reach. I could never consider buying one as an outright purchase. So to be able to have one is fantastic!”
He contacted Ovation Commercial Services for help with choosing the right replacement. In the end, he plumped for a Winterhalter UC Excellence-I Plus Glasswasher, with an integrated Reverse Osmosis unit. The RO unit filters water before it’s used, removing salts, minerals and other impurities. “It’s great,” says Ian. “Now the glasses come out of the machine sparkling clean, ready to be used again immediately.”
Ian can afford a Winterhalter thanks to one of the company’s latest developments, Pay Per Wash (PPW). This is part of Winterhalter’s Next Level Solutions initiative, which seeks to harness the possibilities afforded by the connectivity of the internet.
Simply put, operators rent their machine. The package includes racks, water treatment and chemicals, and they only pay a fixed price per wash. This means that businesses have access to high-end equipment, but only pay for what they use. This makes it ideal for start-ups, seasonal businesses or anyone looking to save money.
The price for running a Pay Per Wash system includes maintenance and repair costs. Even better, the cost of a wash is tax deductible as an operating cost.
Ian was a little sceptical at first. “When it was first put to me, I thought it sounded too good to be true! But it makes it really easy to budget, and topping it up is really easy.”
This is done by simply logging on to Winterhalter’s secure online portal, purchasing the amount of washes required, and then inputting a code into the glasswasher. “It’s so simple,” says Ian. “You know exactly how much it’s going to cost you, and I can already tell it’s saving me money compared to our previous washer.”
Ian used to rent his old glasswasher for £16 a week. “The Winterhalter is saving me loads and the results are brilliant!”
While PPW is a great option for businesses looking to save money, it is by no means a budget option in terms of service. “Winterhalter delivered the machine and installed it, checked the electrics, tested the water and made sure we had the right chemicals.”
It doesn’t end there. “If anything goes wrong, or even if I just have a question, I can call up and get help, or they’ll come out and get it fixed, all at no extra cost.
“Since getting the Winterhalter the difference in the results is like chalk and cheese. The water here is very hard, we’d always see the remains of that on the glasses with the old machine,” Ian explains. “Comparing that to the way the glasses come out of the Winterhalter sparkling, I couldn’t be happier!”
For more information about Ovation Commercial Services visit their website http://www.ocsservices.co.uk/