Conveyor Ovens....any experience, tips, etc?

LTHers,

Full disclosure - I am speaking on behalf of a friend operating a kitchen in Alaska. He called me up because I've worked in and around kitchens my whole life as I've grown up in the bar/restaurant industry and was asking me about conveyor ovens for sandwiches that he's going to be adding to his menu. Unfortunately, I have no experience with them other than the fact that they range anywhere from $800-$8,000 - so obviously there is a wide range of quality, production output, etc. out there.

So, conveyor oven owners:

- what model do you have?
- Are you satisfied with its performance?
- What do you use it for?
- What demand do you put on it?
- Are there trusted brands out there that he should be looking for? Brands to avoid?
- Any other pertinent info?

djenks wrote:LTHers,

Full disclosure - I am speaking on behalf of a friend operating a kitchen in Alaska. He called me up because I've worked in and around kitchens my whole life as I've grown up in the bar/restaurant industry and was asking me about conveyor ovens for sandwiches that he's going to be adding to his menu. Unfortunately, I have no experience with them other than the fact that they range anywhere from $800-$8,000 - so obviously there is a wide range of quality, production output, etc. out there.

One note. I do NOT have any experience with this product. However, in this economy, I would be scouting out the used restaurant stores and the restaurant auctions.

Many Quizno's in this market (and others) are out of business and there have been a number of auctions involving former Quizno franchisees. They all had one of those ovens in each location. Look in the business section of the Chicago Tribune.

talking to a guy from Dick's restaurant supply in Seattle, he said that Quizno's are dropping like flies not only because of the economy but also because their corporate office is just strangling all their franchises to death. Pretty smart.

Either way, just searching around it seems nabbing one of these from a Quiznos seems like the best idea.

Thanks

That's too bad about the Quizno's, they are one of the few quick sub shops I like. (Though since I haven't had a Quizno sub in about 5 years, I'm probably part of the problem)

djenks wrote:talking to a guy from Dick's restaurant supply in Seattle, he said that Quizno's are dropping like flies not only because of the economy but also because their corporate office is just strangling all their franchises to death. Pretty smart. Thanks

I look at it this way. Their prices were higher than other franchises by a good margin. And they had smaller portions. Their franchise terms were some of the most unfavorable around.

The Chicagoland area is not very price sensitive compared to other Midwestern cities. Many of the McHenry and Lake Co. stores have closed in the last three years EVEN the real busy ones.

Personally, the ONLY time I ate at the place was when I was treated by a guy I was cooking and doing odd jobs for.

http://www.franchisetimes.com/content/s ... icle=01264
http://www.bizbuysell.com/answers/Why-a ... heap/5633/
http://www.unhappyfranchisee.com/catego ... r/quiznos/

As I said above, I have seen four or five Quizno auctions in the Sunday Chicago Tribune business section. Most of them were in SE Wisconsin.