Toby Weber
- Contributing Editor, Foodservice Equipment and Supplies
Articles by Toby Weber
Get the Most out of Second-Gen Spaces
Building a new restaurant is expensive, so many operators look for spaces that were previously occupied by another concept. Operators can take advantage of the infrastructure in such places — the hood, utilities, tap system, etc. — to save big on their own construction costs. These second-generation spaces aren’t always a slam dunk, though.
Service Tips: Warewashers
Warewashers are key to keeping professional kitchens running smoothly. While there are many types of warewashers, there are some best practices that apply to all. Train your team not to overload your warewasher. An overfilled unit can wear out components like pumps more quickly. You may also end up with more chipped dishes that need replacing. Don’t just keep an eye on your warewasher, keep an ear on it, too. If your unit is running loud, that’s a sign that a breakdown may be coming.
Cheba Hut Is Keeping It Real
This sandwich shop is growing thanks to good food and a one-of-a-kind brand. Most sandwich shops don’t have a lot of personality. Staffers assemble sandwiches in front of the customers. Interior design tops out with a vinyl wall covering that displays the chain’s logo. Since most people take their food to go, the dining room often consists of just a few basic tables and chairs. Cheba Hut, a concept based in Fort Collins, Colo., is not like most sandwich shops. The reason: Cannabis.
Avoid Installation Errors
Partnership and preparation are key to getting new equipment up and running. Installation isn’t just the last step of a new kitchen equipment purchase. It’s also a key step toward successful operation. If done right, an installation can help the investment on that new unit pay off as soon as possible. If done wrong, it can cost operators time, hassle and money they may not have. Hire the Right Installer A common question that often follows an equipment purchase is who handles the installation.
Project Profile: Moxies
Premium-casual concept Moxies is a stalwart in its home country of Canada, with 50 locations spread from coast to coast. The chain has also been making moves in the United States over the past several years. Moxies now has 10 stores south of the Canadian border with plans to double that count by early 2028. One of Moxies’ most recent openings is a flagship location in downtown Washington, D.C., which opened in December 2025.
Keeping Casters Clean
Casters obviously aren’t kitchen equipment in and of themselves. But they are a key part of rolling racks and an option for many units, like sandwich tables, that help make cleaning under and behind these pieces simple. These casters require maintenance, too. Here are a few tips to keep the wheels turning: Clean the casters regularly. Wipe off dirt and remove foreign objects, like bits of paper or hair, from the unit. Keep the casters lubricated. A cloth can help lubricate the larger parts.
How to Avoid Warranty Woes
One of the advantages of purchasing a new piece of equipment is the warranty. For an operator, knowing they are covered if anything goes wrong for the first year, or more in some cases, is a load off the mind. If only it were that simple. Several problems can arise that a warranty does not cover. And operators may need to take certain actions on their end to ensure the coverage applies. Order the right equipment for your space It happens more often than you’d think.
Big Chicken Is More Than Its Big Founder
The brainchild of an NBA Hall of Famer, this chicken tenders/sandwich concept intends to succeed through more than its name. To hear Josh Halpern tell it, operating a celebrity-driven restaurant concept can be both a blessing and a curse. On the blessing side, the celebrity’s name alone gets attention, making it easier to get people through the door. Many will try it for the novelty value alone. But the curse is expectations.
Project Profiles
Chain Profile The brainchild of an NBA Hall of Famer, this chicken tenders/sandwich concept intends to succeed through more than its name. Facility Design Project of the Month The 459 Commons dining facility at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., was aging. Facility Design Project of the Month Eagle Mountain–Saginaw Independent School District in Fort Worth, Texas, opened its fourth comprehensive high school for 2,400 students with a cafeteria and bistros in Aug. 12, 2024.
III Forks Reinvents Its Brand with New Addison Prototype
III Forks is a steakhouse concept with three locations in Texas and one in Florida. The chain positions itself as a top-tier option in every market it enters. Go into any III Forks and you can get an A5-graded Wagyu steak from Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture or fresh fish that was flown in that very day. The produce is local and all the food, down to the sauces, dressings and desserts, is made from scratch.
Service Smorgasbord
A look at some of the most pressing issues facing the service sector today. The service sector plays a crucial role in the foodservice equipment supply chain. Service agents see what equipment holds up under stress, offer guidance on new purchases and understand the small missteps that can make or, literally, break a piece of kitchen equipment.
Know What to Look for When Purchasing Used Equipment
A piece of used equipment may seem like a bargain, but it can turn into a bad investment if you don’t make smart purchases. Donald Jones, refrigeration service manager for the Beltsville, Md.-branch of EMR, has extensive repair and maintenance experience with both hot and cold side equipment. He’s also seen many purchases of used equipment that, after repairs, ended up costing as much as a new unit. What’s worse, used equipment often has no manufacturer’s warranty and a shorter lifecycle.
LIME Fresh Mexican Grill Takes Another Shot
This fast-casual concept seeks consistent success through international flavors, easy-to-execute sauces and a full bar. Chain restaurants looking to rejuvenate themselves often turn to their roots for inspiration. That’s the case for LIME Fresh Mexican Grill, but it comes with a twist. Founded in South Florida in the early 2000s, the chain changed hands a few times over the past 20-plus years, with more than 30 locations opening and closing during that period.
Eliminate the “Nusciance” Repair
Some service calls can be avoided by checking a few small issues. Every service tech has a story like it: They go to a kitchen for an emergency repair, only to find the “broken” unit isn’t broken at all. Instead, a valve just got turned the wrong way, or a switch needed to be flipped. These so-called nuisance calls are a problem for everyone involved.
Project Profile: White Castle
“The Castle of Tomorrow.” It’s a lofty description for the new design of a 100-year-old burger chain. How “tomorrow” could a place that sells sliders get, after all? This new prototype from Ohio-based White Castle earns the description, though. While other concepts tinker with elements like AI ordering and kitchen robotics, the Castle of Tomorrow makes White Castle one of the first legacy brands to truly integrate these elements into its design.
Tips for Smooth Emergency Repair
No one enjoys an emergency service call. Beyond the expense, foodservice operators do not like having their kitchens disrupted, especially during the operating hours. Field techs feel the same way. Servicing equipment is a harder, dirtier job as line cooks flip burgers two feet away. While emergency calls can’t be eliminated, there are some steps operators can take to help them go more quickly and smoothly for everyone involved. Step one takes place when making the initial service call.
Project Profile: Panda Inn
In 1973, Andrew Cherng opened the first Panda Inn restaurant, in Pasadena, Calif. Since then, Cherng and his team have grown that singular location into Panda Restaurant Group, which owns more than two thousand restaurants across the United States, primarily under the Panda Express banner. During all that growth, the original Panda Inn location kept operating in the same spot in Pasadena, year after year, decade after decade.
Efficiency in Many Forms
Operators have plenty of options when it comes to running smarter. Efficiency is a broad topic for every business. It touches labor costs, ordering, energy usage and facility design. For food-service operations, that last piece, facility design, involves creating a kitchen that runs smoothly. This task includes the obvious: developing a space where orders flow easily from one station to the next and staff don’t have to take extra steps — and extra time — to do their jobs.
For K-12, a Break Doesn’t Equal a Shutdown
During the course of a year, school foodservice operations stop working for weeks to months at a time. That doesn’t mean the kitchen should shut down completely, as well. According to Rusty Parke, vice president of operations for Indianapolis-based Vanco Commercial Service, there are different guidelines for the hot side vs. cold side equipment that’s going to be inactive during summer and winter breaks.
Designing for Growth
One of the most important tasks for emerging chains is developing a prototype that will help hit growth targets. Thumb through any restaurant-focused industry publication or scroll through any industry website and you’ll find piece after piece on new chain concepts that are planning for big growth phases and ready to find franchise partners. For these emerging chains, a lot more goes into such stories than putting out a press release.
Open Kitchens Need Strong Relationships
Whether a service call is for planned maintenance or an emergency repair, having techs in a kitchen is a fact of life for foodservice operators. But for restaurants with open kitchens, the presence of these techs can be particularly disruptive. “You obviously don't want anybody to see equipment being worked on while you are serving food,” says Joel Melton, Tech Advisor with Georgia-based SAM Service.
Fleming’s Unexpected Turn
If your dinner companion makes reservations for a steakhouse, you know what to expect: low lighting, dark woods, white tablecloths. It’s about as traditional as a restaurant design gets. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, however, is bucking tradition. With its new flagship location in Tampa, Fla., the chain is embracing the opposite of what guests expect. Brighter lighting, lighter tones and a variety of experiences under one roof is just some of what they offer.
Have an Adventure with Hawkers
This street-food concept seeks to recreate the hawker centers of Asia. In less than a year, Hawkers Asian Street Food has gone from Chapter 11 to growth mode. In September 2024, the Orlando, Fla.-based chain filed for bankruptcy protection. The move, according to the company, wasn’t driven by the actual performance of its 15 restaurants but by a dispute with its key lender.
Don’t Overlook Light Equipment
Heavy equipment – pieces like ovens, reach-in refrigerators and flattops – is often the focus of operator cleaning and maintenance schedules. That just makes sense. The purchase price of ovens, reach-in refrigerators and flattops can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Operators should work to keep them up and running. But light equipment, such as deli slicers, food processors, cheese melters and induction burners, needs proper cleaning and maintenance, too.
Peer to Peer: John Ramsay, Taco Cabana
Texas-based Taco Cabana is a fast-casual chain that offers Tex-Mex staples like tacos, burritos and fajitas alongside frozen margaritas and other cocktails. Guests can use the drive-thru or opt to dine in where they can enjoy patio seating and an extensive salsa bar. The concept currently has around 150 locations. Other than a few restaurants in New Mexico, these are all company owned and all in the state of Texas. That should change very soon, though.
rd+d - KFC Gets Saucy
In December 2024, Yum! Brands opened the first location of Saucy. Located in Orlando, Fla., this KFC spin-off specializes in chicken strips. But, according to Christophe Poirier, chief new concept officer for Yum!, Saucy isn’t all about the chicken, despite the KFC connection. The chicken is a delivery vehicle for the chain’s 11 sauces, he says. However, Saucy isn’t just about the sauces, despite the investment Yum! made in developing flavors like spicy mango chutney and jalapeno pesto ranch.
California Tortilla Goes Custom
This East Coast chain reworked its operations to accommodate custom orders and improve kitchen efficiency. Quick, tasty and fresh, burritos are perhaps the signature item in fast casual. And while this space obviously has a few 800-pound gorillas when it comes to serving up burritos, a few smaller chains have held their own against bigger rivals for decades. One of these is California Tortilla, a 30-year-old concept based in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
Famous Dave’s Goes Small
A new prototype moves this renowned barbecue operation into the fast-casual space. It’s normal for a chain restaurant to evolve, but not many attempt a change like the one Famous Dave’s seeks to pull off. Famous Dave’s was founded more than 30 years ago in Hayward, Wis., by “the” Dave, Dave Anderson. A barbecue guru, Anderson was the chain’s original pitmaster, serving everything from smoked brisket to ribs to pulled pork to barbecue chicken.
Prepping Your Kitchen for Tariffs
Tariffs threaten to raise prices across the economy and professional kitchen equipment is no exception. A significant amount of equipment is built overseas and shipped to the U.S., and domestic manufacturers often rely on components from other countries. According to Thomas “TJ” Coker, director of operations with Chicago-based Coker Service, planned maintenance is key to hedging against these rising costs. The basic logic of planned maintenance is well known.
Moxies Moves South
The Canadian “premium casual” concept looks to the U.S. for growth. Plenty of chain restaurants based in the United States have opened locations in Canada, from QSRs like McDonald’s (of course), Chick-fil-A and Panda Express to fine-dining operations like Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Nobu. The movement isn’t one way, though. While Tim Hortons is the clear leader with hundreds of U.S. locations, other Canadian concepts have dipped a toe into waters south of their border. One such concept is Moxies.
Making the A-List
A few simple steps can help operators become priority clients for service agents. No one ever really wants to call a service agent. But when you need a repair, having (and being) a trusted partner can mean the difference between equipment being down for an afternoon and being down for days. According to Nathan Miller, vice president of Orlando, Fla.-based Coastline Cooling, many service agencies sign emergency service contracts with their clients.
Remodel, Repair, Replace
Think carefully about what kitchen equipment to keep and what to replace when updating an operation. Repair or replace? Eventually, every foodservice operator will have to answer this question about every piece of equipment in their kitchen. A restaurant remodel, though, can impact that answer.
Peer to Peer: Kyle Gordan, CEO and Co-founder, Dillas Quesadillas
Founded in 2013, Dillas (pronounced “dill-uhs”) Quesadillas specializes in quality quesadillas served fast alongside french fries (regular or loaded), chips and other sides. Dillas currently has 11 locations in Texas and Louisiana. Six are company-owned, all in the Dallas area. The five franchised restaurants are in smaller markets in Texas and Louisiana. Looking to expand its franchise program, the chain began working on a drive-thru/carryout-only prototype in 2023.
Project Profile: Pokeworks
In 2013, Peter Yang and his brother, Michael Wu, went to Hawaii to open a location of a Japanese hot pot concept. They left with an idea for an entirely different restaurant focused on Hawaiian poke — sliced raw sushi-grade fish served with rice and seasonings. “During the construction process, we learned how to enjoy a nice bowl of poke as a meal,” says Yang. “Before that, poke had always been treated as an appetizer item [on the mainland], not as a meal itself.
Pancakes with a Side of Pics
This breakfast chain builds an audience through bold food and social sharing. Think of the words “breakfast” and “hash,” and what comes to mind? Probably a dish with some chopped meats, potatoes, and maybe some onions and peppers. While Hash Kitchen is a breakfast place, that’s not what the concept is about. The concept does serve a number of hash dishes — how could it not?
Project Profile: Bar Louie
This polished-casual concept used extensive consumer feedback to create a brighter, more open space designed to turn customers into regulars. What makes someone choose a bar as their regular spot to hang out? That’s a question Brian Wright has spent a lot of time thinking about since he started as Bar Louie’s CEO in 2022. It’s the question that led him and the Bar Louie team to take a deep dive into customer preferences to rework the concept’s look and feel.
A Healthy Spin
This healthy-eating chain is thriving with a multi-revenue stream model. Based in Wilmington, N.C., Clean Eatz is a healthy-eating concept with 110 locations across the country. It boasts multiple revenue streams resulting in systemwide sales of more than $100 million in 2023. It has a sister company that brings in another $30 million a year by distributing, and in some cases producing, packaged healthy snacks and meals.
Advice for the Operator: Commissary Kitchens
Commissary kitchens are high-volume operations that typically distribute food to multiple outlets from restaurants in a chain to concession stands in a stadium. While they have many of the same equipment types as standard restaurants — ovens, walk-ins, kettles — the stakes of equipment service and maintenance can be much higher. “They’re putting out so much food at one time. If they have a bread oven go down, it does become an emergency to them.
Project Profile: Häagen-Dazs
No question about it. Häagen-Dazs is a premium brand. For decades, the company’s sleekly designed pints of ice cream (backed up by what’s inside) have marked it as an elevated treat. This positioning has served the company extremely well. Häagen-Dazs products are in grocery stores around the world, and there are hundreds of Häagen-Dazs ice cream shops globally, including more than 200 in the United States.
Sushi for All
This music-themed concept is succeeding by making sushi, which is often considered niche, accessible to everyone. Sushi might have gone mainstream in many cities, but for smaller markets, it can still be a little unfamiliar — even an oddity, in the eyes of some. Sushi concepts in these smaller towns have to clear extra hurdles.
Advice for the Operator: Food Trucks
When it comes to keeping kitchen equipment running well, rules like keeping units clean and having them serviced regularly apply across all types of operators. Other advice, though, is especially important for specific operator segments to hear. The appeal of operating a food truck is obvious. Compared to a traditional brick-and-mortar operation, food trucks have a lower cost of entry and offer much greater flexibility and variety.
Advice for the Operator: Full-Service Restaurants
When it comes to keeping kitchen equipment running well, rules like keeping units clean and having them serviced regularly apply across all types of operators. Other advice, though, is especially important for specific operator segments to hear. Full-service represents an incredibly broad operator category, covering everything from 24-hour diners to the finest of fine dining restaurants. Despite this breadth, most full-service operations have much in common.
All About the Paris Experience
This fast-casual chain wants to transport guests to a French-style bistro, “no passport needed.” For a pair of non-restaurateurs, Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café co-founders Ivan and Allison Chavez were probably as well positioned to start a successful restaurant chain as anyone. Prior to starting the fast-casual concept, Ivan worked in the hospitality sector, focusing on resort development. Allison, meanwhile, specialized in real estate finance.
Project Profile: Truluck’s
It was time for a change. Truluck’s, a Texas-based fine dining seafood concept, had gone several years without updating its look. While there was no dramatic inciting incident that prompted the new design, what is interesting is the finished product. The first new prototype location opened in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas, last December and has been getting rave reviews since. Bright, airy and energetic, with design elements that practically glow, the new Truluck’s impresses.
Advice for the Operator: Grocery Stores
Different types of operations face different pressures and different challenges. This series from Service Insights provides advice to specific types of foodservice establishments from long-time veterans of the equipment service and repair sector. The grocery store has evolved from just a place to pick up a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. In addition to selling staples, many now have robust prepared food offerings that include anything from fresh sushi to hot pizza.
Advice for the Operator: Hotels
Different types of operations face different pressures and different challenges. This series from Service Insights provides advice to specific types of foodservice establishments from long-time veterans of the equipment service and repair sector. The first story in this series focused on maintenance tips and ideas for quick-service and fast-casual restaurants and the second one focuses on hospitals Many foodservice operations focus their efforts on just one type of service. Hotels are different.
Project Profile: Crooked Run
After evaluating multiple locations, this restaurant/brewery designed its newest store to match the neighborhood and clientele. Lots of hospitality operations have started with a tight budget, but it’s hard to imagine starting with a tighter one than Crooked Run Fermentation. In 2013, Crooked Run co-owners Leland Rogan and Jake Endres had just $20,000 to open their brewery in Leesburg, Va., about 45 minutes northwest of Washington, DC.
Project Profile: Layne’s Chicken Fingers
After acquiring this college-town favorite, new ownership spent years taking it from a mom & pop to a franchisable concept. College Station, Texas, is probably best known as the home of Texas A&M University. But it’s also the original home of Layne’s Chicken Fingers, a QSR brand that started as a mom-and-pop shop but just might be on its way to becoming the next great chicken chain. “There’s so much white space out there,” says Garrett Reed, CEO and co-owner of Layne’s.
Advice for the Operator: Hospitals
Different types of operations face different pressures and different challenges. This series from Service Insights provides advice to specific types of foodservice establishments from long-time veterans of the equipment service and repair sector. The first story in this series focused on maintenance tips and ideas for quick-service and fast-casual restaurants.
Rreal Tacos is on the Rise
This emerging concept is growing fast thanks to an aggressive advertising strategy and a dedication to second-gen spaces. In 2021, Atlanta-based Rreal Tacos was a fast-food mom-and-pop with one location doing about $1.2 million in business a year. At the end of 2023, it was a full-service concept with six company-owned restaurants — all opened without taking on any debt — and system-wide revenue of roughly $25 million. What changed in those two years? The company’s ownership, primarily.
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