From a swift pint to instant cocktails: Speedy solutions for fast beverage service

Speed is also of the essence at PYO or the Pick Your Own restaurant on Fenchurch Street in East London, where customers can choose from an array of organic fruit and veg to create their own personalised juices or opt for a signature offering, such as the Apple Bramble (apples, lemon and blackberry) or the Clean & Green (pineapple, cucumber and celery). The site uses a Ceado ES700 juicer, provided by Metcalfe Catering Equipment, to make a range of readymade juices for its grab-and-go area and to create bespoke versions.

 

“Before we opened we tested several different makes of juicer to make sure we would get the right yields. We do such high volumes of juice in-store that we need to be hitting the right metrics,” says PYO founder Christian West. “The yields from the ES700 are exactly as we want and we also have consistency throughout service, which is critical for any quick-service restaurant business.”

 

A juicer may have the mechanics, but it also needs to have the looks if it’s going to be situated front of house, such as in a hotel at breakfast service. IHG Hotels & Resorts offers fresh juice, vitamin drinks and smoothies to its morning guests as well as those booking meeting rooms.

 

Stephen Roach, director of food and beverage, managed and luxury in the UK and Ireland, chose Oranka Juice Solutions. “The complete Oranka solution offers a vast range of juices and smoothies suitable for breakfast, meetings, lounges and breakout areas. Its beverage dispensing equipment completely elevates the offering and creates an eye-catching visual appeal,” he says.

 

Oranka managing director Troy Smith adds: “Our presentation range has always focused on innovating for modern hospitality environments, where visual appeal is just as important as temperature control and ease of service. Two of our standout solutions are the Finesse Dispenser and the Noir Dispenser. Both are designed to lift and elevate the serving of juices and smoothies.”

Speedy beans

The sometimes lengthy ordering process for coffee (size, bean, milk type, syrup, extras) can also be a cause of queues, so a coffee machine that combines barista-style quality with speed of service is a crucial selling point. The two coffee machines in the Nespresso Aguila range have an intuitive interface to reduce training time while producing popular coffees such as cappuccinos, lattes and flat whites consistently and at the touch of a button.

 

Operators can also expand beyond the traditional hot beverages with a menu of espresso-based drinks, milk coffees and cold recipes, including iced lattes and iced cappuccinos, which can all be made from Nespresso Professional’s 20-plus coffee blends, ranging in flavour from bold and intense to smooth and balanced.

 

If you want to provide a personalised coffee experience, Cimbali Group is offering its LaCimbali Supera super-automatic machines, in two versions,  Senso and Dolcevita, where both can be configured to individual requirements. The machines include a Dynamic Thermodrive system and an HQM dual-circuit milk module, which can hold dairy milk and plant-based alternatives. A 13-inch touchscreen provides intuitive control, while the integrated cleaning system helps reduce downtime. With up to four coffee bean hoppers and two containers for soluble ingredients, operators can alternate blends, highlight seasonal origins or expand the menu with beverages such as matcha latte, ginseng or hot chocolate.

Hoshizaki BeerMatic dual tap DBF AS65WE beer dispenser

 

Time for a quickie

The fastest solution when it comes to pouring drinks in pubs and bars to make it automatic. The Hoshizaki Beermatic Dual Tap beer dispenser gives bartenders some time back by taking away the task of standing at the pump. Bartenders just need to slot a glass into place in the Beermatic and press a button. The Beermatic gently tilts the glass, pours the chilled beer and slowly returns the glass upright, resulting in a perfect pint-to-head ratio and minimising beer wastage.

 

Manchester’s DieCast, an all-day, all-night venue housing restaurants, a nightclub and the House of Daiquiri bar, is saving time and the crush at the bar with pre-made frozen Daiquiris in seven flavours, including pumpkin spiced and vanilla matcha. The bar, which has capacity for 5,000 guests, needed a large-scale solution: the Dream by V Air, supplied by Carpigiani UK. Each of 14 machines has a 25-litre liquid capability and can serve up to 100 250ml of frozen drinks within 20 minutes of switching it on.

 

14 Dream by V Air

 

DieCast’s brand manager Clem Gouy says: “The bar team prep and batch the cocktails, and we refill the machines up to three times a night. The feedback from the bar teams has been great. With the Dream you just turn it on and pour – it’s good to go. It’s very simple to use. For the volume we produce the Dream machines have been incredibly reliable – ease of use, consistency, speed, taste.”

 

After all this efficiency, you should have created a little extra time to make your offering more memorable with a quirky finishing touch. The Ripple Maker 2 beverage printer, supplied by HTG Trading’s Barista Tech, is a countertop device that uses a plant-based ‘ink’ to print a custom design on foamed coffee, beer, cocktails or milkshakes. The machine automatically detects different sizes and shapes of cups, glasses or product placed on it and prints an image in just 10 seconds.

 

So when it comes to serving your drinks quickly but with quality, the proof is in the pour.

 

Suppliers

Carpigiani www.carpigiani.co.uk

Cimbali supera.cimbali.com

Hoshizaki www.hoshizaki-europe.com

HTG Trading www.baristatech.co.uk

Jestic Foodservice Solutions www.jestic.co.uk

Metcalfe Catering Equipment www.metcalfecatering.com

Nespresso Professional www.nespresso.com/pro/uk/en

Oranka Juice Solutions oranka.co.uk

 

Main photo: Ground Picture/Shutterstock