Warewashing What Should You Be Looking for in a Commercial Warewasher? February 2019
achieved. Impure water can cause cloudiness and polishing glasses increases germ transfer. Installation and servicing company Crystaltech has exclusively developed a reverse osmosis (RO) system which pushes purified water through the wash cycle, which requires fewer chemicals at lower temperatures to deliver perfect results and can reduce the need for cleaning chemicals by 70%, making it a much more energy efficient proposition. It also removes the need to hand polish glassware post wash, therefore saving valuable staff time and potentially transferring germs with cleaning cloths.
Keeping your dishes and glasses clean is essential to the reputation of your business. Cleaning your soiled glass, crockery and cutlery is a major success or failure point for health inspectors, and, particularly in these days of online “court of public opinion” it can make or break your establishment's reputation. A survey which hit the headlines in 2017 revealed that people visiting the hospitality establishment would be put off by dirty crockery. “The survey has shown that over 97% of respondents said they would be put off by eating or drinking in an establishment where they are served with dirty or cloudy glasses and crockery. And, that a staggering 94% of those surveyed said they had been on the receiving end of dirty crockery or glasses, with over 70% of those saying they would not return to that establishment, and would have concerns over hygiene and general cleanliness. According to the survey, the message is very simple: Operators aren’t currently paying enough attention to their warewashing to ensure that all glasses and crockery are scrupulously clean, every day, every wash!” So, what exactly is Warewashing? Well, in simple terms it’s the term used to refer to the process of collecting dirty catering equipment such as cutlery, glasses, pots, pans and dishes, scraping them, washing them, rinsing them and then placing the collected equipment to undergo sanitization before drying. Warewashing is simply an industry name for dishwashers and glass washers and will include cabinet washes, pulldown hood, rack conveyor, flight, and of course the glass washer. Often described as the unglamorous workhorse of any hospitality, catering and licensed establishment, but anyone who has worked in the industry knows their value! Ever been working a busy environment when one has broken down? Then you will know how important they are to the smooth running of the operation. Choosing the right warewasher is a balancing act, price will always be a critical factor, but these days environmental factors, and running costs should weigh at least as heavily in the buying decision, and of course suitability for the needs of your business is paramount . When deciding on a warewashing system, choosing a quality brand is an absolute must! You will want equipment that minimises water, fuel and chemical use, saving the environment as well as money, and warewashing machines that
deliver reliable and consistent levels of cleanliness. A machine that’s built to use less energy and last longer may cost more initially but should give a better return on investment over the years. In addition, it will be more reliable. Luckily, suppliers are ahead of the game, and have been for some time, with dishwashing solutions in all sizes, from the smallest undercounter models to industrial rack conveyor machines. A recent survey of pubs, hotels and restaurants undertaken by British warewashing brand, Classeq, has highlighted that operators prefer to have simpler, easy to use and reliable warewashing equipment, over machines that have various features and wash options. 96% said that performance and reliability were more important to them than having the latest technology features when it came to influencing factors in the decision to buy a new warewasher. According to Adam Lenton, Marketing Manager for Classeq: “The findings are a very strong indication that it’s not always about having additional features to a machine, often operators, are actually looking for a warewasher that is reliable, consistently performs, gets good results and more importantly is really easy to use, especially for the smaller independent operators. “And, when it comes to purchasing new equipment, the survey also identified reliability as the top factor, followed by effectiveness and quality of wash and ease of maintenance. These are the elements that operators said were of most interest to them when specifying warewashing equipment for their establishment. “It’s all about the final results and the least stressful and most effective way of achieving a top-quality wash and finish to all crockery, in line with available space, footfall and cost. Our ethos at Classeq is ‘Warewashing Made Simple’, this is not just our machines, and we aim to make buying from us or working with us an effortless experience at every stage. Our machines are ‘genius in their simplicity’ – we’ve listened to our customers and worked hard to strip out all the complexity that adds confusion and takes up valuable time. Warewashing appliances can also be the main source of cross contamination within the catering environment, if the right combination of chemicals and temperature is not
Derek Maher from Crystaltech, is an expert in achieving perfect warewashing results within the hospitality and catering industry and advises, “To lengthen the life and maintain the output of a warewasher, we recommend that staff are given training on the basics of keeping dishwashers clean, including loading properly and using the right level of chemicals. Daily cleaning of the filters and inside of cabinet and ensuring that the chemicals are topped up and machines are kept clean and food residue is removed prior to loading are all key factors in using warewashers in the best possible way.” Ensuring that crockery being used to serve dishes to customers is always clean should be a number one priority for operators, as this alone can directly affect repeat business. Says John Shepherd, UK & Ireland Country Manager for Wexiödisk: “As the primary source of crockery cleaning, having an effective warewashing system offers the simplest solution to ensuring consistently cleaning dishes. Arguably, one of the most common, yet least effective pre-rinse systems is the traditional overhead spray arm. Washing from above, spray arms are extremely inefficient when it comes to ensuring that the crockery is free of debris before entering the warewasher. Bowls, upturned plates, pots and pans retain almost all of the debris and contaminants such as grease and sauce, which then enter the warewasher. As a result of inefficient pre-rinsing this debris then enters the washing tank contaminating the clean water and thus resulting in poor quality wash results. Not only will the wash results be increasingly poor but operators will also need to change the water more frequently, increasing costs as well as water, energy and chemical consumption.” Recognising this as a key problem with the pre-rinsing process, Wexiodisk has developed a much more effective solution that gives both better, high quality wash results whilst saving time, money and staff labour. Wexiodisk’s patented PRM machine replaces the sink and overhead spray arm utilising the same space next to the warewasher and uses the waste water from the wash tank to pre-rinse the crockery. By reusing this water, the crockery is pre-rinsed with warm, chemical enriched water which is sprayed from above and below inside the hood of the PRM machine ensuring that most of the debris is washed away. This whole process is done inside of the machine, which means to there is no excess water splashed onto the walls, operator or floor thus providing a more comfortable environment for staff too.
Apart from superior finished wash results, the biggest advantage of the PRM machine is that it saves 3 to 4 litres of fresh water per basket. Thanks to a better quality pre-rinse, the operator is able to then select a shorter main wash cycle on the warewasher which in turn saves energy and increases the throughput of the machine. What’s more, the wash water in the warewasher tank is useable for a much longer period of time, again saving yet more in energy, water and chemical consumption.”
COST EFFECTIVENESS Maidaid Halcyon has achieved the impressive mile-
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stone of supplying cost effective, high quality products to the professional catering industry for over forty years. We are firmly established as leaders within the industry. Maidaid Halcyon specialises in commercial warewashing equipment and icemakers Whatever the range or product type, our machines have a longstanding reputation in the UK marketplace for durability, reliability and serviceability. Our approved distributor’s network is expanding and our client base is growing, couple this with the six recent industry awards earnt indicates that we must be getting it right! Our customers are from all spectrums of the catering and service industry, ranging from small coffee shops through to large Holiday resorts and Hospitals. For front of house, our undercounter glass and dishwashers – with cycle times from 72 seconds – can keep the busiest restaurant or bar supplied with clean glasses throughout their service. What’s more, our machines reduce energy and resource costs.
In the kitchen, our undercounter, pass through & rack dishwashers, with cycle times from 70 seconds, are designed for simple, quick operation – vital in the busy workplace. They are versatile, energy saving and superefficient. Utensil and pot washers complete our warewashing offering. All designed for the busy, restaurant kitchen environment. Our product range is only part of what we bring to our customers: Maidaid Halcyon works with a fully trained, Nationwide Distributor Network. Each of our distributors truly understands a customer’s needs and can be relied upon to offer expert advice. Where necessary they will carry out site surveys and work with clients to ensure the right machine is specified and installed. To further support end users, our distributors liaise with us to provide competent, professional assistance in all the associated technologies of water treatment, chemical choice, service and maintenance. We are dedicated to providing comprehensive onsite training. We are passionate about good housekeeping and how imperative it is to clean warewashing equipment and ice machines on a daily basis. Not only will this make the machine last longer but most importantly it will help to maintain high levels of hygiene and give better, cleaner results. Basically we, and our team of trusted distributors, do whatever it takes to make our customers lives easier – before and after sale.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING In 2018 The Woodspeen a renowned Michelinstarred restaurant and cookery installed several of Meiko’s latest innovations, including an M-iClean H hood type dishwasher as the mainstay in the kitchen and an M-iClean undercounter glasswasher for the bar. Having worked in hotels and restaurants around the world, The Woodspeen owner John Campbell’ practices environmental conservation and recycling as much as possible.
“Everything we do is about consumption and waste and running the business efficiently,” says John Campbell” Key to both new machines is the GiO reverse osmosis water treatment, which removes the need for water softeners and provides sparkling, spot-free results with no hand polishing required. The M-iClean H also features Meiko’s new energy saving heat recovery systems, delivering up to 21 per cent savings, compared to predecessor Meiko models!
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