Linda’s Picks-Linda Green, Co-Publisher
Earth Stone Ovens
Earth Stone’s beautifully designed ovens caught our attention. Jean-Paul Yotnegparian told us they have a new smaller oven that can bake 12 to 15 pizzas at a time. The main heat source can be wood or gas, with an added underfloor heating element. You can also bake one pizza after another without any recovery time for the deck to heat back up. And this oven fits in a smaller space. If you are looking to make a pizza in the age-old tradition of wood-burning ovens, this is a great oven to consider! 800-840-4915, earthstoneovens.com
LloydPans
In my search for pizza innovations, I had a chance to speak with Robert Johnson, a pizza pan expert. I found out LloydPans is well-known for their PSTK-coated pans that don’t need any pre-seasoning. The finish is a non-toxic and permanent-release coating that is integrated into the anodized surface. It’s a great product for pizza operators who need pans that last a long time and are easy to maintain. 800-748-6251, lloydpans.com
XLT Ovens
I stopped in my tracks when I spotted Cheyenne Raida standing next to the big red XLT double-stack conveyor ovens at the show. She told me about the exhaust hood feature that XLT offers along with their 10-year warranty. This conveyor oven comes in different sizes and is a great find for operators who need a reliable pizza oven that will last a long time. XLT’s ovens also give us a reason to be proud of what we make here in the U.S.—in Wichita, Kansas, specifically! 888-443-2751, xltovens.com
Chris’s Picks-Chris Green, PizzaTV Reporter
Berg Liquor Controls
I was immediately intrigued by Berg’s displayed liquor bottles because they were outfitted with some sleek, futuristic hardware on the spout of each bottle! With Berg you know where your alcohol is going, and you can expect to cut your cost of goods by 40% on average! Punch in a few buttons, and the Berg system allows you to pour consistent signature cocktails too. They integrate seamlessly with POS systems and other software and devices like magic! 608-221-4281, bergliquorcontrols.com
Choice Equipment Company
At Choice Equipment Company’s booth, it was clear that they are in the business of making pizza people’s lives easier. While they’ve got a large selection of pan and oven racks, keg racks, shelving systems, carts, and dollies, it was their “first in, first out” pan rack and wheeled dough racks that really signified smart convenience and practicality for me. 706-693-2484, choiceequipmentcompany.com
RemcoSPC
Remco’s ovens make a statement. This is a masterful oven that looks like it’s baking a pizza even when it’s not! I couldn’t help but stop and stare at that beautiful Daytona v4’s round, stainless-steel design that’s customizable to any color. When you start throwing words around like “turbocharged” and “infrared,” you get in the mood to make some pizzas! You can do five 10” pies and, with 90-second baking times, that’s 170 to 200 pies an hour! 800-987-3626, remcousa.com
DayMark Safety Systems
Filling out labels for back-of-house hasn’t always been this easy, but that’s what DayMark does! To try and replicate nutritionals and recipe cards over multiple stores could seem a little bit daunting, but with DayMark’s web-based label printing systems, date coding, managing your menu and everything in between becomes a breeze. I was very impressed with their sleek open-based system that’s essential for managing the back of house! 800-847-0101, DayMarkSafety.com
Bottoms Up
At first glance it’s borderline mesmerizing to think that a beer could be poured through the bottom! When I viewed the Bottoms Up process, it just promoted a sense of fun, and it’s incredibly efficient as well. Typically, every 10 kegs of beer you sell means you have a person standing there for 2 1/2 hours. With the Bottoms Up system, you get those hours back—and that’s time you could be using to deliver a pizza to a table! 888-618-0486, bottomsupbeer.com
Food Warming Equipment Company
FWE is so good at food warming equipment that it’s their name! I was very impressed by their humidified pizza-holding cabinets—they’re practical and smart, adding just enough humidity so the natural moisture in the pizza doesn’t off-gas or dry out. FWE has stayed a step ahead of the mobile ordering platforms as well, developing a customizable heated holding shelf for mobile orders, thus keeping your food at top quality while your driver runs late! 800-222-4393, fwe.com/pizza
Fricosmos
Fricosmos is a Spanish company that’s been developing products that, although we knew they were great ideas, didn’t seem to be available in the U.S. I was not only taken by the elegant design of Fricosmos’ hand sinks, but from a sanitary standpoint they’re genius! Fricosmos offers a wide range of NSF-certified hand sinks that operate via foot pedals and a line of trash bins that open from foot access as well! fricosmos.com
Spray Master Technologies
Most employees don’t line up to mop the kitchen, but they’ll likely change their tune with SMT’s power washing system, featuring what they refer to as a hummer jet and a hummer jet junior! In a discussion with SMT’s reps, it was interesting to find out that most restaurants think their grout should be grey—that’s soap build-up, which can cause slip-falls, and it vanishes when you rain down 800 to 1100 PSI—inside or outside! 800-548-3373, SprayMasterTech.com
PizzaMaster
I love the quality and variety PizzaMaster provides to the pizza industry, made in Sweden with 85 oven sizes available! It truly was a beautiful sight to watch a pizza cook lighting fast through their large window display at up to 932˚F! Originally designed to bake at very hot temperatures, PizzaMaster has always been tailor made to cook pizza starting in ’92 and in 147 known countries around the world! pizzamaster.com
