Pizza restaurants’ ability to handle takeout and delivery gave the foodservice industry a sliver of good news in an otherwise lousy year in 2020.
In fact, according to PMQ’s 2021 Pizza Power Report, independent and chain restaurants’ combined sales remained relatively steady year-over-year in 2020 despite the pandemic.
The bad news?
Because of labor inconsistencies, higher cheese prices, and cheese waste, some pizza restaurants may have struggled to maximize profits even with higher sales.
That’s where the Randell Cheeser Station® comes in handy.
What is a Cheeser Station and how does it work?
You are probably wondering: what the heck is a Cheeser Station?
The Cheeser Station is a new product that features a refrigerated holding bin that accommodates 30 pounds of cheese, with a stainless steel grate to hold the pizza during preparation. Whoever is preparing the pizza sets it on the grate and reaches down into the holding bin to get the right amount of cheese. Any pieces that don’t land on the pizza end up back in the holding bin – not on the floor or prep table.
This allows for 100% cheese utilization, which adds up significantly over time.
The Cheeser Station has visible external electronic controls for quick verification of proper settings and runs on an energy-efficient R290 compressor system.
At only 2-feet wide, the Cheeser Station does all this without taking up valuable space.
Fighting back against unpredictable cheese prices
Volatile and drastically rising cheese prices put a large dent into would-be profits for pizza restaurants in 2020. In April, the wholesale price for a pound of mozzarella cheese in the Midwest was $1.18, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
By October, the cost increased to $3.69 per pound.
This moving-target-like nature of cheese prices makes it difficult to accurately predict budget expenses. That’s what makes cheese waste a sieve for profits, draining money piece-by-piece.
Yes, there is such a thing as too much cheese
The Cheeser Station also comes with a scale and tare option, which helps minimize waste even more. It turns the cheesing process into a science – making sure employees aren’t overdoing it when they are adding cheese.
This is another example of how waste can subtly add up over time. One employee adding too much cheese to one pizza isn’t the worst thing in the world, but without a method in place to prevent that from happening, the costs can add up quickly over the course of a year.
Does an investment like this make financial sense?
A few factors can impact how quickly a Cheeser Station can pay off for your pizza restaurant.
We’ve created a Cheeser Station ROI calculator to help you find out your return on investment using the unit. Operators can see payback in as little as 6 months using the Cheeser Station.
If you’d like to learn more about the Cheeser Station, visit theCheeserStation.com or contact Randell Product Manager Dave Rademacher at drademacher@unifiedbrands.net.
