Winterhalter helps The Black Horse Inn with new cost-effective approach to warewashing
The sleepy West Yorkshire village of Clifton is steeped in British history. It is referenced not only in the Domesday Book, but also by Daniel Defoe, who stomped through on his ‘Tour of Great Britain’, while Robin Hood is alleged to have been buried nearby. So it’s fitting that at the heart of the village is a pub with a long history of its own. The Black Horse Inn has been family owned and operated since opening its doors in the 17th century, building an award winning reputation for quality food that makes the most of locally-sourced ingredients.
Today, The Black Horse Inn offers 22 en suite rooms, has a function room, two restaurants and a public bar. It holds a wedding license, and is marketed as a destination venue, often used for special events.
Despite being nestled away in the Calderdale countryside, the Inn’s reputation attracts customers in big numbers. Owner Andrew Russell says, “We’re fortunate because we have a vibrant trade, not just at the weekend, but midweek can be busy as well. We’re a food-led operation, we classify our dishes as contemporary British cuisine, and it really is all about the food! We’re probably catering between 600-800 covers per week.”
In order to stay on top of this demand, the Inn requires reliable catering equipment that is also cost effective. This is a challenge that Andrew has found difficult to meet in the past, especially with glass washing equipment, an appliance that he sees as a priority investment. “Every drink has its own specially designed glass, and the glass has to be spotlessly clean in order to demonstrate the drink at its very best – I have a reputation for being particularly sensitive about glassware that isn’t in prime condition.”
Andrew invested in a mid-budget glasswasher, but repeatedly had to repair it before it finally began to fail him completely. As a result, he scoured the market, exploring the potential options available, ever conscious of price and product reliability. “In the past, I’ve tried cutting corners by buying cheaply, and have found to my cost that reliability is absolutely the key,” he says.
When looking for a replacement, Andrew considered Winterhalter after discovering its innovative Pay Per Wash (PPW) finance solution, a scheme that made the undercounter UC-M model affordable. There’s no upfront cost with PPW – the machine is free and operators pay as they wash. “Once I understood the PPW concept, the decision to go to Winterhalter was an easy one,” he says.
“I view PPW in a similar light to paying a salaried member of staff as opposed to paying one at an hourly rate. When you’re busy, you feel quite comfortable paying your hourly member of staff and in slack times you don’t employ them and save the money that would have been spent on wages. That’s literally how the machine works. You pay a small amount every time you use the machine. If the machine’s not being used you’re not paying anything, it’s as simple as that!”
As well as only being charged when they use their UC-M, there are no additional maintenance or repair costs and all chemicals and components are included as part of the plan. These are all factors that make Andrew believe that he made the right choice, “I’ve heard some people think PPW is too good to be true. I would agree with them, it is too good to be true! But it works.”
The installation process for The Black Horse Inn’s UC-M had to be a rapid and seamless one, with a wedding being hosted on the premises two days after Andrew got in touch with Winterhalter. “I have to say that I am rarely impressed with service standards these days, however, the service received by all at Winterhalter was exceptional. The machine arrived at 10:00 in the morning, and was unpacked by the delivery driver – he even took all of the packaging away, which is almost unheard of.”
As The Black Horse Inn gets used to having its new warewasher, Andrew has already noted significant improvements in terms of the output. “The staff really enjoy using it, it saves us a lot of time because we’re not having to put glasses through the machine twice – they come out like new and ready to go straight back on the shelves.
“The difference in quality of the cleanliness of the glassware I’m getting out of the machine is like comparing Tranmere Rovers with Manchester United – sorry to Tranmere fans! It’s unbelievable!”
After being so impressed by the results produced by the UC-M machine, The Black Horse Inn spent the following six months replacing its other warewashing equipment with Winterhalter appliances. The Inn has added a further UC-M appliance, alongside one undercounter and PT dishwasher, all through Pay Per Wash. Andrew says, “PPW made getting high quality results a reality, at an affordable price. We save so much time and labour with our dishwashing now, our staff are so happy and excited.”
Winterhalter’s latest UC Series is capable of processing up to 77 racks per hour and is available in four sizes from small to extra-large.
For more information about Winterhalter products:
- Commercial dishwashers
- Commercial undercounter dishwashers
- Passthrough dishwashers
- Commercial glasswashers
- Commercial dishwasher detergent