MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS.—Expanding on its line of hot and cold food wells, Alto-Shaam has added the Drop-in Hot Wells with Large Flange (HWLF) to match the Cold Well flange profiles for countertop and décor consistency.The HWLF's are available in sizes ranging from a single full-size hotel pan up to five pans wide and accommodate 2" (51mm), 4" (102mm) or 6" (162mm) deep pans. Halo Heat wraps around the food well, radiating from the recessed surface, providing greater ambient surface temperature control. The adjustable thermostat provides hot holding temperature flexibility, and the hot well can be used with an existing...

CROTON, N.Y.—Polaris Vending, Inc. announces the launch of the patent-pending COILPOD dust containment bag which is an environmentally-friendly solution for the indoor cleaning of self-contained condenser coil units in refrigerated or freezer merchandiser display cases containing food or beverages. A person desiring to clean the condenser coils contained in such appliances first places the COILPOD bag (approx. 28” wide x 13” deep x 18” high) over the coil structure and then simultaneously supplies exhaust air and vacuum from a “shop vac” through two ports in the bag’s surface to remove debris from the coils while vacuuming it into the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Celebrating its two-year anniversary this week, the National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell initiative has grown to more than 41,000 restaurant locations nationwide, the Association announced. The voluntary program, which provides parents with a growing selection of healthful children’s menu choices in every state, now counts more than 140 restaurant brands as participants, including new national companies Wendy’s, Red Robin, Dairy Queen, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Big Boy, among other regional chains and independent restaurants.     “The Kids LiveWell initiative has achieved remarkable success in its first two years with the program expanding to over 140 participating restaurant brands and...

OSHKOSH, WIS.—Americare Systems, Bloomfield, N.J., recently received Continental Girbau Inc.’s 2012 On-premise Laundry Distributor of the Year award, an honor that distinguishes distributors for outstanding performance in the on-premise laundry market. Simultaneously, Coronet Equipment, Edmonton, Alberta, was named the Canadian Distributor of the Year and Girbau Industrial Laundry Distributor of the Year. Coronet is recognized for sales and distribution success in multiple markets, including vended, on-premise and industrial.“Americare Systems provides a creative and packaged approach to laundry solutions,” said Joel Jorgensen, Continental vice president of sales. “The company encompasses a wide variety of offerings, from commercial laundry equipment and...

CHICAGO—The National Restaurant Association has launched a new report focused on sustainability best practices for the foodservice industry. Created by the NRA’s Conserve sustainability program team, the report, “Bright Ideas: Sustainability Tips from Industry Experts,” features tips, trends and real-world advice from industry experts who appeared at this year’s National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago.“For restaurateurs, implementing sustainable best practices into their operations is more popular than ever before,” said Scott DeFife, the NRA’s executive vice president of policy and government affairs. “We want to make that implementation as successful and cost effective as possible, which is...

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Traulsen announced the latest in a series of new customer-inspired equipment features for its refrigerators and hot-holding cabinets. The EZ-Clean Gasket and Bare Tube Coil follow the launch of the EZ-Open Foot Pedal and EZ-Change Interiors earlier this year.     “By listening to our customers Traulsen continually incorporates new ways to improve our products, services and business,” said John Davis, director of engineering and marketing for Traulsen. “Four new equipment features and our industry-leading three-year equipment warranty are all examples of innovations introduced in the past 12 months to help customers gain efficiencies in their operations.” Made...

DURHAM, N.C.—The biggest barrier restaurants in Durham, N.C., face in achieving “zero waste” is a lack of affordable composting and recycling options, a new study conducted at Duke University has found.Zero waste encourages the reuse of all materials. For businesses, it is often defined as diverting 90 percent of a location’s waste stream away from landfills and into other uses. For example, a restaurant can take much of its packaging, food scraps, and cardboard—items that often go into the trash—and recycle or compost those materials.The study, commissioned by the National Restaurant Association’s Conserve Sustainability Education Program and conducted by...

AUBURN, N.H.—Aquawing Ozone Injection Systems (AWOIS) LLC, Auburn, N.H., unveiled its new logo and branding scheme during “Clean 2013” in New Orleans. The new logo and brand better represent what makes Aquawing Ozone Laundry Systems unique in the marketplace. “The original logo was designed in the 1990s,” said vice president Brett Daniels. “It doesn’t accurately reflect the support and service we provide, or our level of product development and testing.” The new logo highlights a trio of water droplets and the brand—Aquawing Ozone Laundry Systems. The three droplets are arranged in the same triatomic manner as an ozone...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Scandic has been working with sustainability issues since the mid-1990s. Water, energy, waste and carbon dioxide emissions are some of the areas monitored by the Group every month, to ensure continuous improvement with respect to sustainability. Now the company is focusing on its restaurants, and has decided to replace palm oil with rapeseed and sunflower oil. Scandic’s restaurants use about 75 thousand liters of oil every year just for deep-frying. The use of palm oil has already ceased in Norway, Denmark and Finland. “Accepting our environmental and social responsibilities has always been important to us,” says Inger...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revised its Energy Star requirements for residential refrigerators and freezers. The updated requirements raise the bar for energy efficiency in these products and, for the first time, encourage manufacturers of Energy Star appliances to include optional “connected” features. These features would offer consumers more ways to reduce the energy consumption of their refrigerators and freezers, help lower their utility bills, and better protect the environment and the climate. Under the new standards, Energy Star certified refrigerators and freezers will use at least 10 percent less energy than models meeting 2014 federal...