No need for bars to get steamed up over the football…
Watching football is notoriously thirsty work. The Euro 2012 championships are a great opportunity for pubs and bars to pull in extra business – which will put extra pressure on both staff and the site’s glasswashers. Winterhalter, the leading glasswasher brand, offers some advice on making sure that glasswashing is up to standard, even in the busiest bars, and shows how staff and customers can keep their cool.
1 Glass or polycarbonate? Lots of bars may want to switch to polycarbonates – but does that mean they need to adjust their glasswasher? “Polycarbonates scratch more easily at temperatures over 40C, so if your machine offers it, use a lower temperature programme,” says Paul Crowley of Winterhalter UK. “You’ll also need appropriate, lower temperature chemicals. The dosing level of the rinse aid is critical, too – it may need to be adjusted to avoid clouding. Polycarbonates don’t hold heat like glasses do, so they take longer to dry. If that’s an issue, try drying racks.”
2 Low temperature glasswashing = cooler glasses, right from the wash. Nobody likes drinking cold drinks from hot glasses. A machine that offers a lower temperature wash (like Winterhalter’s ReTemp models) means glasses come out cooler, so they can be used straight from the wash. This is a big benefit when the bar is very busy.
3 Fast wash cycles. Many glasswashers offer a choice of programme times. If the glasses are not heavily soiled and the machine offers faster wash cycles, then use them to increase glass turnover in peak periods.
4 Adjustable water pressure. This feature is especially important if you have delicate glasses or serve drinks, such as premium lagers, in branded glassware. Lowering the water pressure protects the glasses and the decoration. On the other hand, if the glasses are tough and heavily soiled, adjusting to a higher water pressure will ensure they get thoroughly cleaned.
5 Cutting running costs. Glass and dishwashers are big users of energy, water and chemicals. If buying a new model, spend a little extra to get a machine that reduces consumption. As running costs rise, it will quickly pay for itself. For example, the Energy versions of Winterhalter UC undercounter machines save hundreds of pounds a year, by cutting energy consumption (they do this by recycling heat normally lost in waste steam). Also look for machines that use less water – it not only saves on water costs, but cuts energy consumption too, because the less water used the less energy is needed to heat it.
6 Want a cooler bar? Get a heat exchanger. If you don’t like wafts of steam in the bar, consider getting a glasswasher with a heat exchanger, such as the Winterhalter UC Energy. They extract the energy from waste steam to heat the incoming water supply and they don’t just save energy: because there is virtually no escaping steam when the machine is opened at the end of the wash cycle, they improve the bar environment, too.