At Rutter’s, automation—a buzz word in today’s retail environment—is at play to help bring safety and efficiency to its foodservice operation. The convenience store chain, based in York, Pennsylvania, is relying on Restaurant Technologies automated system to filter and recycle fryer oil.
Ryan Krebs, director of foodservice at Rutter’s, explains in Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazine that the 68-store chain recently transitioned to a dual tank, automated fryer oil management system. Krebs, with 30 years of foodservice experience, told the magazine that 55 of Rutter’s locations have made-to-order foodservice operations, while the remaining 13 locations use a more traditional c-store foodservice model, including roller grills.
A manual system requires a crew to manually pump grease from the fryer to a vat, wheel the grease for dumping and then lift 35-pound jugs of oil into the fryer—“a dirty and dangerous task,” says Krebs. With the automated system, he explains that when it’s time to filter the oil, “a staff member puts a hose in the fryer that connects to a box that filters the shortening. It gets the debris out of the oil and treats it to help extend the life of the oil. By flipping a switch and using a wand, a staff member can replenish the oil in a fryer.”
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