The Vollrath Company, a Sheboygan, Wis. based leading manufacturer of smallwares and equipment for the foodservice industry has partnered with two of the industry’s top foodservice consulting firms to design show-stopping mobile serving carts as part of the company’s exhibit at the 2015 North American Association of Food Equipment (NAFEM) show February 19-21 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
The Vollrath Company selected Webb Foodservice Design and Camacho Foodservice Consulting & Facility Design because of their outstanding reputations in the foodservice community. Webb Foodservice Design, headquartered in Tustin, California, is known for breaking through industry tradition to develop facilities with signature market presence and distinction while incorporating the personality of individual clients. Atlanta based Camacho Foodservice Consulting & Facility Design is recognized for creating designs that are very energy efficient, ergonomically friendly, and flexible in nature. The company offers unexpected ideas and needs that positively influence operation, design, and budget.
Paul Egbert, vice president of marketing for The Vollrath Company said “We believe that our mobile serving equipment capabilities are a best-kept secret in the industry when in fact our carts and kiosks are in thousands of schools and hundreds of sports arenas, healthcare facilities, and businesses. We expect this endeavor to increase market awareness of our capabilities and demonstrate the remarkable results when a high-endmanufacturer partners with two of the best foodservice equipment consulting firms in the industry to provide an exceptional solution for foodservice operators.
The only criteria The Vollrath Company gave Reggie Daniel of Camacho and Ben Pollock of Webb Design was to design for two vertical market segments including business and industry (B&I) and college/universities. The design and selection of equipment and materials was wide open. “Basically, we asked Reggie and Ben to go a little crazy.” said John Wojcik, director of equipment sales. “We were hoping to see designs that incorporated a variety of different materials and unique lighting techniques while still highly functional.”
Designed for the B&I segment, Daniels leveraged his artistic talent and background to develop an action station with striking geometries, bold colors, and materials that convey solidity and strength. The action station includes a Vollrath Hot/Cold Drop-In and the company’s recently launched award-winning Downdraft Vent System, which will allow for front-of-the-house cooking of menu items like stir fry, made to order omelets, etc., ultimately providing a unique experience for employees as they reenergize for the work day.
“When I was asked to design this cart, I thought about the design elements that appealed to me and how I could apply them,” said Daniels. “My biggest concern was creating an unobstructed sight line to the food so I selected a dramatic pallet that would be eye catching but not distract from the color and texture of the food. I had faith that Vollrath could handle anything that I threw at them so it was my opportunity to try some asymmetrical shapes. It’s always gratifying to see your design come to fruition. Vollrath was easy to work with and exceeded my expectations from a quality standpoint.”
Pollock, a master at creating contrasts with varied elevations and geometries using natural and man-made materials, designed a modular action station for the college/university segment. The remarkable outcome embraces a combination of earthy wood tones, natural and man-made materials, and modern lighting techniques, all of
which have a high appeal for the college age demographic. The action station also includes Vollrath’s Hot/Cold Modular Drop-in and Downdraft Vent Module as well as its award-winning Drop-in Induction Soup Warmers.
“The design challenges presented in the higher education programs can be unique. I was excited when asked to design this mobile action station because there are so many applications for this type of mobile, modular equipment. I put Vollrath to the test with some varied material selections and lighting design to create an attention-getting food service platform that is functional and may even be easily installed into an existing serving line. Vollrath met the challenge and exceeded my expectations.”
Both action stations are built on casters adding mobility and the flexibility of serving in the cafeteria and at special events in and out of the cafeteria.
A presentation of artistry, distinction, and state of the art fabrication, the dramatic mobile serving equipment can be seen in Vollrath’s booth #3020 and is expected to be one of the top destinations at NAFEM 2015.
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