Announcing the Houston Parts Counter

by | Industry

Commercial Kitchen Houston.

Commercial Kitchen Houston.

SINCE 2013, Commercial Kitchen Parts & Service has only offered service in the Houston market. Many of their customers being served in Central and South Texas have requested the same types of services and products out of Houston.

Seeing the demand, Commercial Kitchen now has plans to open a full parts store in order to fully service the Houston market and support their field technicians in the same way they do with their customers in San Antonio, Austin and McAllen. Currently, the parts in Houston are only available to Commercial Kitchen’s own field technicians, but those parts will soon be available for over-the-counter sales. Initially, stock will include the “basics:” gas hoses, common switches, knobs, bulbs, commercial plumbing fixtures, and specific electrical items (high-temperature wiring, connectors, etc.). As local needs are identified, stock will be built up to service the local area in the best ways possible.

Progress on the build is coming along nicely, although there are still many checklist items to go. Commercial Kitchen anticipates opening the Houston Parts Counter by the beginning of next year. As with their other locations, Commercial Kitchen will offer a wide range of replacement parts for commercial kitchen equipment.

The OEM replacement parts inventory that Commercial Kitchen keeps on hand is one of the largest in Texas. Their Counter Sales Reps have decades of experience in the industry and are able to offer unrivaled expertise. For emergency needs, representatives are on call 24/7/365. Since Commercial Kitchen partners with all major manufacturers, no matter what your issue might be, it is just a phone call away from being solved.

For more information about Commercial Kitchen and what they can do for you and your business, contact 800-292-2120 or service@commercialkitchen.com.

Employee Spotlight: David Arias

by | Employee Spotlight

David Arias, San Antonio Service Technician at Commercial Kitchen Parts & Service.

David Arias, San Antonio Service Technician at Commercial Kitchen Parts & Service.

Starting Out as an Installer for the Installation Division four years ago, this past September, David Arias currently works as a Service Technician for the San Antonio Branch. Throughout his years working as an Installer, David developed a desire to advance to a Service Technician. In the beginning of 2018, Commercial Kitchen was awarded a large project refurbishing over 100 Rational Combi Ovens. David was involved in this project where he assisted the Service Technician the project was assigned to. Having part in this large project really helped solidify David’s drive to accomplish his goal of becoming a Service Technician. Here at Commercial Kitchen we have always made it clear to our employees if they have the drive and the willingness to learn we can provide the help to advance their career.

One avenue is through Commercial Kitchen University, a 12 week in-house training program. David applied for the opportunity to attend the training class and was accepted. Over that 12 week period David learned the basic fundamentals of electric, gas, and steam. He also learned trouble shooting skills along with soft skills training. Shortly after successfully completing the program, David was sent to Chicago for training on Rational Combi Ovens. He is now a Certified Rational Technician and services that equipment on a regular basis. His next goal is to complete all three CFESA Certifications to become a Master Technician.

David’s day to day work in the field is anything but routine or repetitive. Each service call presents new challenges for him to apply his newly learned skills. Those challenges can only lead to improvement, and improvement is the name of the game. There is no end to David’s opportunity for continued learning. There is always a new piece of equipment introduced into the market to learn about and one on the drawing board.

David offers thanks to Commercial Kitchen for providing him with so many opportunities to improve not only his earning potential for life, but also his personal and family life as well. He describes the company as very friendly and tight-knit, not only the personable employees but also the owner himself.

Keeping a restaurant kitchen operating smoothly can be a difficult task. It’s made even more difficult when you have a failure on a critical piece of equipment. Regular maintenance is essential to keeping your equipment running at peak performance. For more information about Commercial Kitchen and what they can do for you and your business, contact 800-292-2120 or service@commercialkitchen.com.

Employee Spotlight: From Apprentice- Charles Moreland

by | Employee Spotlight

Charles Moreland, CFESA Master Technician.

Charles Moreland, CFESA Master Technician.

ANYONE WHO has ever worked in the restaurant industry knows how vital equipment can be. Whether it’s the oven systems, refrigeration systems, or any of the utilities that supply the equipment (gas, steam, water, electrical lines, etc.). When one of them breaks down, it can throw a significant roadblock in a kitchen operation. Companies like Commercial Kitchen operate specifically to remove those roadblocks by repairing and maintaining the equipment.

One of the employees at Commercial Kitchen working hard to keep the equipment running for their customers is Charles Moreland, a CFESA Master Technician in electric, gas, steam and refrigeration. In 2001, Charles came across a simple ad in the newspaper for a job that “paid to train.” He applied and was accepted into the first class of Commercial Kitchen University (CKU), the internal company training program. Having worked in welding and as a machinist, Charles had a strong mechanical background already. That background was supported by training provided by Commercial Kitchen and Vidal Muñoz, his teacher in electrical, gas, and steam.

From there, the rest is history. Charles, like many others in the company started without a strong knowledge of the fundamentals of the food service industry and is now a master of the trade. For years, he applied that knowledge through the day-to-day work of helping install, repair and maintain equipment.

Now, Charles has two roles in the company. When Charles isn’t teaching at Commercial Kitchen University (CKU), he is dealing with day-to-day jobs and the challenges that they present. CKU provides Charles the opportunity to keep his trade alive and teach others while keeping his own knowledge of the industry strong. Charles, like every employee at Commercial Kitchen, offers his thanks to the people in the company who helped him achieve his success: Brock W. Coleman, the CEO of the company; Vidal Muñoz, who helped provide Charles with training and a strong knowledge of the fundamentals; and David Duckworth, for letting Charles operate under his own methods while trusting that he always has the best interests of the company in mind.

Is your restaurant plagued by mechanical issues in the back of the house? Even the best chefs and the best ingredients can’t make up for an oven that won’t work or a faulty cooling system. For more information about Commercial Kitchen and what they can do for you and your business, contact 800-292-2120 or service@commercialkitchen.com.

Customer Spotlight: Texas Creole- Ma Harper

by | Clients

Ma Harper N’Awlins Creole Kitchen.

Ma Harper’s N’Awlins Creole Kitchen.

SINCE 1990, Ma Harper and N’Awlins Creole Kitchen have been a staple of the San Antonio restaurant scene. Serving family-style Creole food straight from a New Orleans native, the restaurant has become a beacon for foodies everywhere in and around the San Antonio area. With the exposure the restaurant has received from nationally televised shows, its popularity has only grown over time.

Even if you aren’t from San Antonio, it’s likely you have seen Ma Harper and her restaurant due to the coverage she receives, not only from her quality cooking but also her personality. After all, she is known as the Alamo City Legend in the city of San Antonio. She has been visited by Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs; appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; and has been featured in dozens of magazine articles and television shows over the years.“Ma” Harper is actually Alice Harper, born in New Orleans. After serving 21 years in the United States Air Force as a civilian pneudraulic systems mechanic, she eventually landed in San Antonio and opened up N’Awlins. During her time working for the Air Force, she worked at Kelly Air Force Base, so the area was relatively known to her. Her cooking skills came largely from her upbringing. The second oldest child in a family of 16, she always had a desire to both feed the hungry and serve the community.

Being religious, she likes to quip that the restaurant actually belongs to God, and she is just helping run it. Her religious background also helps to explain her drive to give back to the community (and give second chances to the people that work in the restaurant). The turnaround from this attitude can be seen firsthand: many of the people that she has given second chances to now own their own businesses and have seen further success in their own lives. All of that good, just because someone gave them a second chance.
Not only does she receive support from the community of San Antonio but also from other businesses in the area. One of those businesses is Commercial Kitchen Parts & Service. As their own way of giving a little something back, Commercial Kitchen services the equipment of the restaurant at no charge and has provided commercial refrigeration equipment “on the house” as well.

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about Ma Harper is her way of giving back. As mentioned previously, she hires people down on their luck—even if they have a checkered past—to work in the restaurant and give them a second chance. In fact, five of the people currently working at N’Awlins are “second chances” employees. She doesn’t ask for anything in return for this, but it has come back to her in many ways. Remember when Mike Rowe visited the shop? That was after speaking with a number of employees Ma Harper had hired out of jail. Rowe installed a new dishwasher and donated $20,000 to her business along with new dishes and silverware.

She also gives back to the community in other ways. One time, she hosted a Mother’s Day celebration at the restaurant to a packed house and charged her customers nothing, only requesting a donation to a local women’s shelter. Over the years, she has received numerous awards including the Golden Plate Award and the Blue Plate Award. If you aren’t sold, just do a quick search online and take a look at some of her reviews. Almost all of them are glowing and positive. Even better, stop by and try N’Awlins Creole Kitchen for yourself.

Commercial Kitchen provides high-quality maintenance, repair, and installation services for kitchen equipment. For more information about Commercial Kitchen and what they can do for you and your business, contact 800-292-2120 or service@commercialkitchen.com.

Gus’s Fried Chicken and the Value of Commercial Kitchen

by | Clients

Brad Blodgett of Gus’s Fried Chicken in Austin, Texas, has been working with Commercial Kitchen for years. He has nothing but good things to say about the company. For any restaurant owner or manager, achieving a high level of service in the front of the house depends almost entirely on things running smoothly in the back of the house. That means keeping equipment up and running, maintained, and functioning at a high level.

One of the best examples of the work that Commercial Kitchen does for Gus’s Fried Chicken appears at first to be a problem. A key piece of kitchen equipment broke down and needed to be fixed immediately. While Commercial Kitchen technicians could accommodate that request, the earliest time they could come was not the most convenient—during the lunch rush at the restaurant. Definitely not an ideal time to be fixing things in the kitchen. The technicians were able to work with Brad and his team and arrive just after the lunch rush. Once everyone was on the same page, the technicians got everything fixed and running again. The key takeaway from this example is that Commercial Kitchen will work with businesses and business owners to complete jobs promptly.

Brad describes the work that Commercial Kitchen does for Gus’s as not only essential but also responsive and accurate. Technicians are trained to the highest industry standards and often have additional certifications on top of that. The company itself has been recognized both locally and nationally for the high level of service it provides to clients and for being an industry leader.

Besides Gus’s, Commercial Kitchen services many local restaurants and it understands the need for prompt and accurate service. Though providing prompt service can cause scheduling problems if a business is experiencing a significant time crunch, Commercial Kitchen is willing to go the extra mile and work with managers and owners to get everything done promptly. As Brad says, he “greatly appreciates the accurate and prompt service that Commercial Kitchen provides. Responsiveness is the key to keeping a restaurant open and running.”

The restaurant industry can be a difficult one at times. Slow service or issues with food coming out of the kitchen can be the death knell of a restaurant. In most cases, these problems are a direct result of an issue with kitchen equipment. Accurately diagnosing the issue and fixing it promptly is essential to getting things up and running again. Fortunately, Commercial Kitchen has a proven track record of doing exactly that. We will keep your equipment serviced and operating so you can keep your business running.

For more information about Gus’s Fried Chicken, visit them online at http://gusfriedchicken.com/.