Convenience-store foodservice technology, equipment on display at NACS Show

Foodservice technology and equipment were in abundance at the National Association of Convenience Stores Show in Chicago from Oct. 14-17.

Click through to read about a few of the products …

Epson, Los Alamitos, California, developed the software for the TrueOrder kitchen display system. The software runs on All-in-One touch screens available from several manufacturers. Kitchen orders go to the screen rather than being printed out, and bumped items and orders can have labels printed out and put on the item, bag or box. TrueOrder is easy to set up and can be customized to fit a kitchen’s workflow with easy-to-use, browser-based configuration utility. The system can support as many as nine stations throughout the kitchen to help ensure order information is handled by the right station.

Chester’s Chicken, Birmingham, Alabama, has a new crispy station merchandiser developed with Marshall Air, Charlotte, North Carolina. The station, along with a Montreal-based Resfab two-basket fryer and more, is part of Chester’s 2.0 initiative addressing “the challenges that operators feel around managing labor, controlling waste, driving sales and serving delicious food.” The merchandiser can hold chicken three times longer (three hours vs. one hour) than previously and is easy to clean—and its open-air design improves speed of service. The fryer can cook two items at once and cook less more often—thus reducing waste.

The Infinity Max cooler by Anthony International, part of Dover Food Retail, Conyers, Georgia, has no vertical bars (mullions) and no vertical door rails, thus allowing for better product visibility. The cooler features double-wide shelving spanning two doors, perimeter lighting, an energy controller, French door swing and a hydraulic door close with speed control. There also are five 27-inch deep, double-wide white or black epoxy-coated shelves per door with matching price tag molding, uprights and shelf brackets, and more.

Hussmann’s MD8DA Medium Temperature Merchandiser with Doors offers added visibility with its Ecovision doors that maximize product visibility. The company said the product is “perfect for showcasing grab-and-go products like dairy, deli, bakery, beverages, meats and produce.” The product was a winner in CSP’s Retailer Choice Best New Products Contest. The product, which has several decks, is built for optimal energy savings and improved refrigeration performance. The slide-out, air-cooled low GWP (global warming potential) R-290 condensing unit makes servicing easy, the company said.

Renton, Washington-based LaCimbali’s new Supera fully automatic coffee machine, which features frothing capability, can make espresso, cappuccino, latte, Americano, regular coffee and more. The side fridge holds 2 gallons of milk. The machine simplifies workflows, reducing errors and boosting efficiency with minimal training. It also ensures accuracy at every stage for consistent, repeatable in-cup results. It can brew up to 350 cups per day and includes automatic cleaning with a build-in detergent tank.

Atlanta-based Displaydata’s electronic shelf labels come in assorted sizes ranging from 1.6 inches wide to 12.5 inches wide (a tablet). Retailers can change the price of a product in their point-of-sale system and the shelf labels will instantly update. The dynamic system uses software that includes web-based template designs where the user can change a label’s style, layout, pricing and more.