Who am I ?

 

 

I started my career in the foodservice industry in October of 1997. I was looking for a part-time job while I was in school. I happened to drive by a new restaurant supply business opening up, The Restaurant Store. I decided to apply for a job.  Sure enough, I was hired. I started as a part-time clerk, which was apparently another name for "Box-Moving Grunt". I loved it though. It was so interesting to see the equipment, all the different types of glasses, and the huge pots & pans. I was hooked. Soon after it opened, I became a full time employee and I have never looked back.

 

I wanted to know everything I could about the restaurant supply business.  Luckily, my sales manager, a seasoned industry veteran took me under his wings and taught me everything he knew. I became a knowledge sponge and absorbed anything anyone was willing to teach me. I attended seminars and workshops. I went to trade shows and conferences. It was great.  In 2002, I was named the store’s first assistant manager. Three years later, I took over for my mentor as the sales manager. In 2007, I passed the NAFEM exam and received my Certified Food Service Professional (CFSP) credential.

 

After a while, it was time for a change. I wanted something more hands on. I missed getting my hands dirty. I decided to join a small local equipment delivery company. With my experience and technical know-how, I helped the company expand beyond simple deliveries to offering full installation services up and down the East Coast. Over the next few years, I had the privilege to have worked with more than 25 dealers across the country - from small single person operations to multi-billion dollar broad line distributors (including seven of Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazine’s top 10 distribution giants). I worked on projects in 12 different states and the District of Columbia. 

 

Over the years, I continued to notice a vacancy in the industry - a Restaurant Handyman. Many times I have dealt with contractors, who are great at their trade but have zero knowledge of a commercial kitchen. They don’t know the difference between a flat-top, a griddle and a plancha. If you asked them to help you with a salamander, they would tell you to call an exterminator. There exists dedicated service or installation companies who are slightly more knowledgeable, but with their sky-high rates you might as well hire a lawyer to watch an accountant count the change in your cash register. Your money could be better spent.

 

There were plenty of sales that I loss due to “total cost”.  It wasn’t the price of the item, it was the various trades needed to install it, plus the time to call and schedule those trades.

 

For example, years back I had a customer who simply wanted to replace a steam table in a very small kitchen. However, to complete the installation she needed to hire an electrician to disconnect and then reconnect a heat lamp above the unit, a plumber to do the work on the gas and filler faucet and a carpenter to modify a nearby counter and cabinet to fit the new unit. It wasn’t an easy task finding a day and time that worked for all three trades and her operating hours. Her installation cost more than doubled her expected budget. It was very frustrating for her, especially considering that each trade only had about 45 minutes of total work, but each had to bill her for their entire time there, 3 hours.

 

I plan to change that. I am the “one call that does it all” when it comes to installation and maintenance in the foodservice industry.