Republic Foods minimizes liability and risk of employee injury while enhancing food quality with automated oil management
MINNEAPOLIS – Feb. 11, 2013 – Employees are less likely to suffer from slips, falls, burns or strains at nineteen Burger Kings because Republic Foods found a better way to handle cooking oil in its franchise restaurants. Republic Foods installed an automated oil management system from Restaurant Technologies, Inc.® (RTI). Now, employees enjoy easily managing the restaurant oil – because it can be added, filtered and disposed of, even while hot, without ever needing to touch a drop.
“It’s our job to provide a safe work environment for our employees,” said Eric Oppenheim, Chief Operating Officer, Republic Foods, the largest Burger King franchisee in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. “Installing technology that makes our fried food more consistent and better tasting, and eliminates liability and risk due to oil mishaps is a win-win.”
Prior to installing the automated RTI system, employees changed out used cooking oil by manually removing it from the fry vats, pouring it into barrels and carrying the barrels outside to a grease trap behind the restaurant. It was difficult work and full of potential dangers: splashing hot oil, slick floors from spills and the potential for injuries from handling heavy oil jugs.
With the RTI closed-loop oil handling system, safety standards have been elevated because employees can now easily dispose of used oil by pressing a button. Adding fresh oil to fryers is easy too – employees simply use an oil-filler wand to add new oil. The RTI oil management system is comprised of two tanks – one for fresh oil and one for waste oil – and a secure fill box mounted to the exterior of each restaurant.
“Employees love not being exposed to hot oil during the filling, cleaning and disposal process,” said Oppenheim. “Our kitchens are simply cleaner. We’ve seen a tremendous reduction in the risk of injury because fewer oil and grease spills happen and staff no longer carry heavy barrels of oil.”
While RTI helps keep Burger King kitchens clean and employee safer, it also offers data on oil usage. The RTI Web-based Total Oil Management™ (TOM™) portal provides Burger King decision-makers with store-level visibility into oil-related activities such as daily usage and optional filtration monitoring tracking, thus optimizing oil usage and ensuring consistent fried food quality.
“Frying with smoky, black oil is a guarantee for substandard food quality,” continued Oppenheim. “The TOM™ portal helps us ensure that employees follow best practices for a more efficient and more profitable business.”
He added, “With the right oil filtration system, any restaurant owner can provide an exceptional product in a safe environment. It should be standard operating procedure in our industry.”
RTI – Restaurant Technologies, Inc.
Restaurant Technologies, Inc (RTI) is the leader in smart, safe, sustainable oil and operations management technology for the food service industry. The company’s fully automated oil storage, handling and disposal management system helps increase worker safety, improve restaurant cleanliness and minimize frying oil inconveniences. RTI data management solutions provide restaurant decision-makers with increased visibility into oil usage for better food quality and consistency. Headquartered in Mendota Heights, Minn., RTI serves more than 37,000+ customers via 41 oil depots throughout the U.S. Visit RTI online at www.rti-inc.com.
