Commercial dishwashing solution ensures spotless dishes through precise chemical dosing while reducing waste, cutting costs, and minimizing environmental impact
Hospitality companies are seeking products and services to achieve sustainability goals while keeping their environment clean, safe, and operating efficiently. Boar’s Head Resort, a AAA four-diamond country resort owned by the University of Virginia Foundation, was looking for a way to ensure dishwashing operations used the proper chemical dosage and could be efficiently operated and maintained. They opted for the Auto-Chlor System, a commercial dishwashing model focused on recycling, recovering, and reusing as much material as possible.
The problem
Boar’s Head Resort in Charlottesville, Virginia, features a state-of-the-art racquet and fitness club, golf and sports facilities, world-class spa, and several fine-dining establishments. Surrounded by a network of nature trails near the historic mountain town of Charlottesville, the resort celebrates the beauty of the land, the hospitality of its people, and the grace of tradition.
The membership resort complex has six kitchens, with a total of eight outlets. When Jim Anile, Executive Chef at Boar’s Head Resort, first arrived, he wanted to make sure he could obtain the results he needed from his commercial dishwashing vendor. He needed service that would help him guarantee the proper chemical dosage, as well as regularly scheduled maintenance to ensure equipment efficiency and proper usage.
Search for efficient and sustainable solutions
Shortly after joining Boar’s Head, Anile called in representatives of Auto-Chlor System, with whom he had worked for more than a decade while operating his own restaurant. The Auto-Chlor team evaluated the site and investigated how to set up the most efficient and sustainable commercial dishwashing system for the resort location’s facilities. The company’s Auto-Chlor’s sustainability model focuses on four main components: packaging; equipment; chemical selection and dosing as well as permanent ownership of containers and equipment.
The sustainability model is centered on Auto-Chlor System’s WaterSaver™ low-energy dishwashing machines. Reducing the energy required to heat the water used in the cleaning and sanitizing process, in addition to reducing energy consumed per complete wash and rinse cycle, the dishwashing machines are the lowest water-consuming dishwashing machines within their respective categories.
The sustainability approach also encompasses educating Boar’s Head staff about chemical use and conservation, including the proper dilution and concentration of sanitizing chemicals. This approach results in cost savings. With proper dosing, Boar’s Head anticipates a 25-40 percent monthly cost reduction compared to their prior vendor. The system can properly clean and sanitize on one pass, versus multiple passes needed by other systems.
Maintaining permanent ownership over containers and equipment is at the heart of the Auto-Chlor System. The goal of the operational leasing business model is that all dishwashing machines will be continually reconditioned and remanufactured. They are never retired but are built to last – and built for sustainability.
Since the lease agreement includes repair costs, this business model encourages making the machines as reliable and long-lasting as possible. The use of common components across many models, enables a service technician to have the appropriate parts on hand when a repair is required. Performing preventive maintenance while chemicals are being delivered reduces the need for emergency calls and associated travel. The service technician’s familiarity with the machines allows for preemptive identification of any problems, limiting the risk of damage and required repairs. The equipment, which uses sodium hypochlorite to sanitize dishes instead of hot water, significantly reduces energy consumption.
The results
Says Jim Anile, “I called Auto-Chlor System, and they came out, set up everything, and it has been great since then.”
In addition to making sure Anile is properly dosing, the technicians keep him up to date on all the proper chemicals to be used from a sustainability and environmental standpoint. “They are always collaborating with me to provide the most updated information on what is going to work best for my operation. They recognize that each operation is different; they are flexible, so instead of trying to find one thing that fits all, they are more than willing to look at each area and customize that.”
He continues, “When it comes to the total cost of ownership, sustainability, and regulatory compliance, you never have to worry about just one of those. The whole goal of having somebody do that for you is to make sure that you are using chemicals properly, that you are getting the desired results from a regulatory standpoint and from a customer standpoint, and that you are threading that needle with operational costs, consistencies, inventories, and everything else. And I feel like they are very equipped and adept in helping manage that with us.”
He concludes, “Our experience has been very positive. In fact, we are looking at putting the system into other current operations, and as the company expands, we’ve tried to include them.”
