Running a restaurant anywhere is complicated. But some would argue that there’s no place harder to run a restaurant than New York City.
The city’s specific regulations and compact spaces pose a unique challenge for restaurant operators. Having the right kitchen equipment partner, especially in a city like New York, can make all the difference.
RATIONAL is known for its intelligent cooking systems, but the services it provides to restaurants go far beyond its equipment. For New York restaurant operators grappling with how to create an efficient kitchen in a cramped basement or navigating the complex permitting process, the experienced team at RATIONAL is a true collaborator.
Efficient and up-to-code
Restaurant equipment in New York must be efficient and up-to-code. RATIONAL equipment meets the new energy code that went into effect in New York earlier this year. And RATIONAL has been given blanket approval in all five boroughs in New York for its ductless hood technology by the FDNY.
“Using RATIONAL equipment is plug-and-play for the owner”, says Daniel Garbarino, a sales director, who operates in the New York area. “It makes building a kitchen in a very small space much more flexible, and it’s not a burden on the owner to get all the permits and things of that nature.”
Like many of the team at RATIONAL, Garbarino worked as a chef before joining the company, so he’s keenly aware of the pressures facing chefs and restaurants.
“Chefs, in New York particularly, they’re trying to do a lot more with a lot less right now, so for a piece of equipment to monitor the cooking while the chef worries about plating, a piece of equipment that’s an assistant to them, that makes their lives a little bit easier, that’s been important,” he says.
Working together
Stuart Schwadron, a director of product management for the iVario, the multifunctional tilt skillet and pressure cooker from RATIONAL, has been guiding restaurants on the company’s behalf since 2018. Like Garbarino, Schwadron has a strong culinary background.
It’s that background that helped him solve an issue for a Michelin-starred restaurant in Manhattan, he says. The restaurant had RATIONAL equipment in the basement but was experiencing ventilation issues. It’s a common issue that another equipment supplier might leave for the restaurant to figure out. But not Schwadron.
“It was a beautiful restaurant, a beautiful kitchen, just had a ceiling that was too low, it basically touched the top of our unit, and you need about 15 or 16 inches,” he says. “So, we thought about it and worked together.”
The plan they came up with included removing some ceiling tiles, moving equipment, and taking the unit apart and reassembling it.
“That kind of consultation, after the sale, is something I really enjoy as part of my role, and New York is full of stories like that,” Schwadron says.
Getting technical
Jim Lund, who has worked for RATIONAL for 18 years and now serves as the director of product design & consultant resources, has firsthand experience designing a kitchen and incorporating RATIONAL equipment when he worked as a chef. Now he helps restaurants in New York and across the country develop kitchens designed to save energy and labor and keep things cool, even in tight spaces.
He recalls a chef who had imported an Italian kitchen equipment suite for his New York restaurant, but he wasn’t happy with the equipment’s performance. He wanted to use RATIONAL equipment instead. So, using a proprietary kitchen capacity planning tool, Lund worked with the chef to redesign the kitchen with space for the iCombi, an intelligent combi oven from RATIONAL.
“A big part of my job is supporting restaurants in those types of technical aspects,” says Lund.
While designing each kitchen is unique, once a kitchen is up and running, Lund has found that many of his customers in New York and across the country have the same challenge—finding skilled labor. RATIONAL equipment is uniquely suited for this challenge, he says.
“The key to success is to have your clients coming in and getting the same food every single time, but if you have cooks in the kitchen of different skill levels, it’s tough to accomplish that,” he says. “But our devices, with the intelligent cooking suite, give operators the knowledge and the confidence that they’ll have consistent food each and every time, no matter who’s in the kitchen doing the cooking.”
This post is sponsored by RATIONAL
