Brinker International, one of the world’s leading casual dining restaurant companies, recently found out that sometimes the best location for a new restaurant is in a neighborhood strip mall, offering less space, but more convenience for the customer. With less space available, every square inch of a kitchen must be optimized to deliver operational effectiveness and efficiency. For Brinker and their On the Border restaurants, it meant reinventing the product manufacturing process to accommodate a smaller floor plan.

 

To help with their right-sizing efforts, Brinker contacted Manitowoc’s High Performance Kitchen (HPK) group to help with a redesign. The two industry leaders worked together to find solutions that would optimize work flow and provide flexibility.

 

By incorporating Delfield customized work stations, Convotherm by Cleveland Combi Ovens, and Lincoln Fast Bake ovens and developing a synchronized floor plan, Brinker was able to speed up the operations process and shorten the time from order to service, resulting in reduced product times and hotter foods getting out to the customer sooner… all this accomplished within a greatly reduced kitchen footprint. Other Manitowoc products included Frymaster fryers, Garland induction units, Merrychef heavy duty microwave, and Jackson warewashing.

 

“We are thrilled with the results of the new high performance kitchens implemented at several On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina restaurants,” said Doug Brooks, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brinker International. “By working closely with Manitowoc Foodservice and their leading brands, we were able to significantly reduce the footprint required for kitchen equipment while at the same time, decreasing labor and energy costs and serving hot, fresh food to our guests faster.”

 

In addition, the collaboration with Manitowoc Foodservice provided Brinker International the opportunity to take a look at its existing restaurants and apply many of the same time and laborsaving concepts.