MILAN, Italy – All formats, including food delivery, are looking for new smart solutions, in washing and in cold storage, to make the work more efficient, quicker, easier and safer. Technology has the answers.
Technology is advancing and coming to the kitchen, bringing with it innovation and changing the way the work is done, but also the approach to diners.
This is what we heard from Manuel Petrucci, head of marketing and communication at KRUPPS. “Professional catering is going through a major evolution, from both a culinary point of view and in terms of the equipment that is being used on a daily basis. There is an ever-growing awareness of the importance of choosing the right product. The need is for new, increasingly advanced equipment, with personalised, integrated solutions that consume less than in the past and improve staff efficiency.”
This trend extends into the area of washing: “We were the first to connect up a professional dishwasher to the Wi-Fi network. This has enabled restaurateurs to focus their attention on their job, without having to worry about the technical aspect of their equipment: the dishwasher is becoming independent, communicating directly with the support service, which can intervene remotely and directly.”
The washing system is becoming more and more important in the kitchen, as more care is taken over hygiene and over the achievement of perfect wash results. “Restaurateurs today insist on perfectly clean, shiny cutlery and crockery, and on spotless glassware so they need a complete washing system that is advanced yet easy to use, with intuitive icons so that the kitchen team can interact naturally with all the various items and appliances.”
The future of washing in three words? Integrated (into the kitchen system), technological and specialised solutions.
Filippo Fazio, area manager for Moduline, also believes that the food service industry is evolving: “Commercial catering in Italy is seeing rapid change, prompted by two factors in particular: demographic changes, in terms of both social grouping and ethnicity, and the Food Delivery phenomenon. Immigration is conditioning and accelerating the spread of fast food, which allows whole families to eat out at a lower cost than is possible at traditional Italian food outlets.”
The new vogue for themed outlets offering inexpensive food, has led to the appearance over the last few years of a number of formats including steak houses, tex-mex restaurants, piadinerias and pizzerias. “It is a fast-growing sector and the only one where new jobs are being created. Many foreigners use such services and, thanks to the constant growth in tourism, the sector will continue to grow, especially in view of the fact that Italy is one of the last European countries to develop this trend.”
Another fast-growing phenomenon is that of Food Delivery, in the professional and domestic fields. “The future of Food & Beverage, outside the mid-range foodservice sector, will be very much about the accessibility of products on demand. It’s a phenomenon that will grow in terms of volume and quality, and that will push prices up somewhat.”
Driven by these developments, Moduline is working towards achieving success through both food delivery and the various food outlet formats. “Operating successfully in these new forms of foodservice requires good planning so that you are sure you are providing real quality solutions.
And that can only happen if you use equipment that maintains the flavour and aroma of foodstuffs being regenerated from temperatures of +3°C or -18°C. Moduline already supports various food delivery concerns, supplying 10,000 Bento boxes a day in Kuala Lumpur, 150 kilos of regenerated noodles a day to a takeaway chain in Singapore, 7,500 regenerated meals a day in biodegradable containers from a catering company for primary schools in Ireland and so on. But a lot more challenges still lie ahead.”
The future of the sector in three words? Quality, Speed and on-demand Quantity for all commercial catering sectors.
