Welcome to the W.D. Colledge Blog

When you're used to certain limitations, you end up just accepting them. A great example in foodservice is ventilation. Commercial kitchens traditionally need vents and hoods, but they can also restrict productivity, creativity, and even profitability.

As summertime emerges, consumers inevitably have the urge to travel more and eat out more. Enjoying a hot dog, pizza, or nachos at your favourite ballpark, swimming pool, concert, zoo, or amusement park always serves as a special treat for everyone in the family.

According to studies released last year by Dalhousie University, Canadians are becoming more and more, well, rooted, in a plant-based diet. The study shows that nearly 10 percent of the entire country considers themselves to be vegetarian or vegan.

This is a staggering number when you think about it. One in ten Canadians is committed to plant-based diets in one form or another. But it’s even more interesting when you dig into who that one in ten Canadian is.

Canadian colleges and universities have long been at the vanguard of progressive trends in educational philosophy. Yet only more recently have such trends begun to change the landscape of university foodservice programs. Gone are the days of unhealthy food options and massive amounts of food waste.

So far in 2019, we've seen a bunch of new and innovative products in the food and beverage industry. One of the manufacturers we took note of is U-Line and their new ideas for food, and especially, beverage-related equipment. The new products listed below are great for hotels, stadiums and arenas, restaurants, night clubs and bars, and many other applications.

The right brush matters. In fact, when you look at what brushes impact in commercial kitchens, they’re actually critical. Personal hygiene, cross-contamination, physical contamination, and biological contamination are all real issues in foodservice operations across Canada, and the right kit of brushes can help keep these factors positive.

According to Food Allergy Canada, nearly three million Canadians report having at least one food allergy with most being children. In fact, as many as eight percent of all children under the age of three are impacted by food allergies.

Whether it's in a hospital or a college cafeteria, foodservice operators have become savvier to the profit potential of point-of-sale and grab-n-go service. These retail centers have seen a big resurgence in usage, as the food-to-go market continues to grow.

One of the biggest trends in the center of the plate is beef. In so many ways, the steak is returning to prominence.

Out of all the building types in Canada, restaurants are some of the largest consumers of energy. In fact, according to Energy Star, restaurants and other types of similar foodservice operations consume more than two and a half times the amount of energy per square foot as other commercial buildings.