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5 Benefits of Industrial Drying Racks

Benefits of Industrial Drying Racks

It’s peak hour at a restaurant, they are hauling out plate after plate of delicious appetizers, entrees, and desserts. You walk into the bustling restaurant with smiling faces and chatter coming from every table. The servers are delivering drinks and food while checking in with customers. The hostess brings your group to a table, you all take a look at your menu and decide on your main dishes. Your server swiftly shifts from the neighboring table to yours to take everyone’s orders. With drinks in hand, time passes quickly and you suddenly see your food nearing the table. It’s time to eat. Let’s pause now. This is what the front-of-the-house looks like, happy customers and attentive staff, but let’s venture back into the kitchen at this same moment. 

 

The kitchen consists of laughter and chatter. Chefs are plating dishes and servers are coming in and out to deliver plates. As tables are finished, the bussing team is sure to clear tables quickly and efficiently to allow the next group to have a seat. All of the dirty plates, bowls, flatware, and glasses are being dumped into the back of the kitchen near the washing sink. These dishes are piling up as service continues to speed up and the bussing team does not have the capacity to clean and dry all of the dishes while still tending to tables. Some dishes have been washed but are in piles waiting to be dried while the one side of the sink has a heaping stack of dirty dishes. How can this problem be solved? Industrial drying racks can be the ideal solution.

Purpose of Industrial Drying Racks:

These drying racks are built for efficient and convenient drying that also provide storage all in one. Having to dry each item by hand takes lots of labor and time. Drying racks allow you to reduce the time your team puts into washing and drying dishes. Once a dish has been washed, it can simply be put on the drying rack to air dry on its own. Not only do these industrial drying racks serve as a place to allow airflow around dishes, but it also serves as a storage. Your trays, pans, and dome lids can remain situated on their drying rack until the next day’s service begins. The convenience these carts offer benefits the entire back-of-the-house staff and can save valuable time, especially in the current labor crunch the foodservice industry is experiencing. Below we will outline the main features and benefits drying racks offer. 

Efficiency:

Eliminating the need for human labor in one portion of the washing process saves a lot of time for staff. When you only need to run your dishes through the commercial dishwasher and no longer need to dry each item, the time it takes to get through post-meal dishes can be reduced tremendously. After dishes come out of the dishwasher, they can quickly be placed onto drying racks and let time do the drying for you. 

 

Not only does this help eliminate the time it takes to wash dishes, it also provides mobile storage that can be easily moved out of the way when a drying rack is full. Drying racks help ease the strain on your staff. In AHF’s recent study, the top three concerns for their members were

  • Staffing
  • Training, development and employee engagement 
  • Budget financials 

 

While a drying rack can not solve all of the main concerns in the foodservice industry, it can help  staff as they are able to remove one of the manual steps in their back-of-the-house operations. Industrial drying racks are also budget friendly as they offer a drying solution as well as a mobile storage solution.

Mobility: 

Being able to move your storage around can make a world of difference in the foodservice industry. Dishes, trays or pans that are not needed at the moment can be pushed out of the way to offer up more space creating better flow within your kitchen. In one instance you may need the drying rack right next to the sink or dishwasher to quickly load clean items onto the rack, but as soon as that rack is full it can easily be transferred to a storage space. 

Lakeside drying racks come with No-Mark polyurethane casters that help offer a smooth ride to keep items in place during transit. Easy maneuverability within all aspects of kitchen operations allow you to keep up with your fast paced back-of-the-house operations.

Convenience:

As we have discussed above, Lakeside drying racks are multifunctional by offering your dishes not only a place to dry, but also a place to house them while they are not in use. GlobeNewsWire predicts that foodservice operators are “shifting toward smaller-sized kitchen equipment to optimize their space and perform multiple functions at the same time.” Multifunctional equipment is going to be the new name of the game in the years to come as it offers the same functions which means less pieces of equipment are needed to serve the same functions. Lakeside drying racks are not only a multifunctional investment, but also an investment that will last for many years to come. 

Durability:

With Lakeside drying racks being constructed from stainless steel, the lifespan of these racks spreads far and wide as they are able to serve a foodservice operation for generations. Investing in equipment that will only last 5-10 years may be a quick solution, but not a long term solution. Thinking down the line is crucial in the foodservice industry and investing in the right equipment will set your operations up for success for years to come. 

Lakeside racks are made from a 14-gauge stainless steel frame and an “L” support to increase the stability of the cart and prevent accidents. The stainless steel base ensures superior strength and balance so your rack is sure to hold up to the task. The stainless steel construction also provides for easy cleaning and sanitizing which helps extend its lifespan.

Sanitation:

Ensuring your dishes remain mold free is crucial as food-safety is the number one priority when serving food to customers, patients, guests, students, or staff. Drying racks allow items to be spread out which reduces the risk of mold and bacteria growth. Wet nesting your trays or pans can lead to an unwanted surprise of mold the next time you use them. Lakeside drying racks help reduce the potential for mold with dividers on the rack as well as completely open construction. Some of our models have drain holes to help ensure faster draining while also reducing the possibility for mold build-up. 

Investing in an industrial drying rack may seem daunting at first, but the benefits they offer can help improve back-of-the-house efficiency in various ways. Lakeside drying racks are built to last and offer a durable solution that will stand up to your heaviest load of dishes. Are you ready to explore what drying rack will work best for your operations?