Flying Saucers (1960s)

[Music] this whole thing started months ago you see I manage a restaurant which is one of many food service operations throughout the country one morning my secretary brought in our year- end operating report I particularly wanted to see how much it was costing to operate our dish [Music] room one item stood out above all others table wear replacement costs I knew dish breakage and wear was a big problem in the food service industry but now I knew what it was costing me how and why did dishes get broken what could be done to cut down breakage how much was breakage costing other Food Service operators well these were just a few of the questions that were running through my mind and I decided to get the answers I decided to find out if I was the only one that had a breakage problem so I decided to ask other Food Service operators that I knew how much breakage do you have what are your replacement costs how long does your ch CH last how often do you throw out warn China I guess I asked these questions several times in many places before I got my answer some operators assured me they had no worries in that department at all and I wondered why other food service people just didn't have any idea what breakage and where was costing them many had their breakage cost figured down to a penny and they were doing something about it on profit and loss statements I saw dish breakage in terms of [Music] dollar in other food service operations I saw that breakage was costing them plenty too this is what I did every time I stepped into several other busy dish rooms I simply closed my eyes and just listened I could actually hear the breakage costs I wondered what it was costing the entire food service industry each year as China bangs against China glass against glass millions of dollars dropped smashed cracked chipped and worn away in one operation I looked at their annual China and glass replacement amounted to $165,000 or 35% of their net profit a hotel chains figures prove that they break over 100% of their cup inventory every year I found a good example of breakage in a local coffee shop this operator's records showed breakage cost to be about $100 a [Music] month we quickly calculated how many meals he has to serve just to make up for the cost of breakage $1,002 meals every month [Music] then he hit me with a question that really went to the heart of the whole problem he said okay it's a problem a big problem but what am I going to do about it I told him he might get part of the answer by following a were washing specialist on his calls that's what I did I made the rounds with a specialist who works for our leading Manu ufacturer of were washing detergents the company has 750 of these men worldwide and they service over 75,000 food service operations each man is a were washing cost control expert I decided to learn more about breakage from them so one afternoon I paid a visit to the company's district manager he said that the cost of China replacement had been a matter of concern in study with them for several years now and they had reached some conclusions he said I was certainly welcome to them a survey his company made shows that breakage costs are almost three times the cost of detergents or hot water labor costs are highest and can be reduced and when they are reduced through sound equipment investment and planning breakage costs are cut too in that folder was the combined experience of the company's 750 were washing Specialists I had to hit the jackpot as far as facts and figures went this study showed what to do about reducing dishwashing costs breakage control starts with a purchase of the China itself Good China is a superior product and it has a hard glazed surface with an underglazed pattern constant research by the ceramic industry has made it both durable and attractive Fine China is more costly than most people realize and it presents a major investment the operator ought to consult carefully with his dealer and select China that is durable as well as good-look in Prior years the thickness of China indicated its durability the thicker it was the stronger it was with the Advent of new ceramic materials it is now possible to construct China that is thinner yet has the strength characteristic of heavier wear the buyer should always stack flat wear before before he buys flat wear that doesn't stack well can lead to costly accidents other design features invite chipping and cracking creamers with pouring lips chip more easily than those with rounded tops teapot spouts and handles are easily broken pots should be washed and stored by themselves fine table wear need not be thin or delicate buyer should consider design and durability carefully before purchasing table wear today's hotel and restaurant guest demands Beauty and cleanliness in glasswar disposable containers can never take the place of beautiful glass and [Music] stemware generally China inventory should be about three times the seating capacity so the dishes need not be handled too fast shortage of China can in rush hours lead to high breakage standardization in China is extremely important too by standardizing the Food Service operator can save valuable storage space and handling through elimination and careful substitution one hotel operator was able to reduce his stock of over 30 different types of dishes to only 13 and he reduced his breakage costs as a result for instance the egg cup was was eliminated and the soup bowl was used for both egg and soup service one plate was used both for salad and dessert when different weights of China are used in the same service increased breakage results the lighter pieces take a terrific beating and the breakage costs Skyrocket standardization in weight as well as size pays off melamine dinnerware is being used by a great many hospitals School cafeterias and other Food Service establishments melamine offers certain advantages for some types of operations it is lighter than China 12 Melamine Plates weigh only as much as five China plates of the same size however melamine is softer and more easily scratched and stained than China melamine also tends to dry slowly slow drying means streaks and spotting however this last objection to melamine can now be largely eliminated through the use of the rinse injector technique when rinsing is properly controlled through the use of the rinse injector melamine dries fast without spotting and takes its place in the food service industry I was convinced that a lot of breakage could be eliminated by wise buying of China and by careful standardization but the hard Cold Fact still remain a piece of good durable China designed by the manufacturer to last for years often reaches the end of its life in 60 days or even less the original purchase of China was only the first step in cutting replacement costs there were plenty of steps to follow the next section of the survey showed what basic causes are it's noisy it's annoying but dropping is not the most important factor in breakage but this is a big factor in breakage China bumps against China day after day where in rough treatment result in cracking crazing chipping and breaking cracked crazed and chipped China should be discarded a simple test with a pencil can show the difference between worn and unworn China careless handling wears and scratches glasses every scratch on a piece of glass weakens its structure to prove it take two new glasses scratch one near its rim and then knock them together the weakened glass always breaks a scratched glass worn by friction is ultimately destroyed a slow motion view of a soil dish tap table shows that a single dish handled carelessly can strike a dozen or more other pieces of China China coming in contact with other China produces dull worn surfaces and shortens dish life the abrasive underside of a dish can damage another this hidden wear takes place every time China is handled China that is chipped and cracked should be discarded the Food Service man discards it or loses customers I asked myself these questions how is my China and glassware handled how often is each piece handled any operation that increases handling also increases breakage scouring takes its toll of breakage and Dish wear dipping another hand operation is unnecessary one pass washing through the dish machine is the answer important points the study gets across about dish breakage are one how China is handled and two how often it is [Music] handled the next subject of the survey stated that good equipment can pay for itself on the basis of breakage reduction alone in the whole dish handling cycle from Storage to customer and back to storage the safest place for a dish or a cup or a glass is right inside a good dish machine even in small operations a machine pays for itself the survey shows that there is five times more breakage in handwashing operations than there is in the same size having a dish machine use of equipment like coated or plastic racks cuts down metal markings on China think about what happens to a drinking glass as it goes from the guest's table to a tray and then must be taken off the tray in the dish room next it's put in a rack by hand for its trip through the dish machine if it survives this far it's taken from the rack and put back on a tray then the tray is loaded on top of other trays on a cart and it's on its way hold it on its way back to the dining room and the guest who will probably drop it anyway now cont that hazardous trip to one made with a maximum use of racks and a minimum of hands soil glasses are placed in the rack by the bus boy or waitress directly from the table there is no handling at the soil dish table after rinsing they are tilted for a minute or two to let water run off their bottoms still individually protected the glasses are placed on a cart racks interlock to prevent slipping and spilling then the glasses are safely on their way back back to the dining area not once have they been touched by hand since they left the guest's table again good equipment and employee training eliminates dangerous handling and cuts breakage self-leveling dispensers for instance cut handling to a minimum protect the China when not in use and provide a safe convenient means of transporting clean China to serving centers a variety of carts are available to the Food Service operator carts protect the China and eliminate handling thus reducing the possibilities of accidents and breakage other facilities that can help reduce breakage include a new mat and duck boards to help prevent accidents on dangerously slippery floors in the dishroom to be efficient and economical equipment must be used right the finest equipment made cannot reduce breakage if it is poorly used training is essential good one pass washing through the machine is vital to control costs if the operator adopts a wear washing plan he can achieve ideal one pass washing first he must select a machine large enough to handle his volume because a pile up on the soil dish table during rush hours leads to hurried and careless handling of China it is here that actual breakage as well as cracking chipping and wear takes a terrific toll China and glasses that that are improperly loaded have to be re-washed must be handled again and the chances of breakage are increased how can one pass washing be achieved a well-maintained and properly operated machine hot water and the right type of detergent are necessary but there are other factors an electronic dispenser that maintains an accurate control of the detergent solution is essential when supplies are low it warns the operator perfect detergent control helps ensure one pass washing an advanced design detergent control system in which the compound can be seen can be installed on any machine it's not just the capacity of the machine but the speed at which China can be removed from the machine that determines dishroom capacity slow drying creates a bottleneck at the clean end of the machine another efficiency expert in the dishroom is the rinse injector it cuts trying time to seconds and eliminate spotting this device made the towel as obsolete as the buggy whip actual tests have proved that it can increase dishroom capacity by 40 or 50% using the rinse injector a drying agent is applied to the table wear in the final rinse this drying agent causes water to sheet and run off rather than cling to the China surface and slow up drying dishroom capacity is determined by the rate clean dry dishes can be taken away from the machine The increased capacity of the dishroom provided by high performance detergent and the rinse injector can actually be measured in dollar and through the use of high- performance detergents the electronic detergent dispenser and the rinse injector glasses can be washed together with China giving the machine a doubl useful purpose toweling can be completely eliminated one small restaurant operator told me he save $250 a month on laundry and labor costs with the rinse injector the next section of the survey was on layout it said that layout must always be an important part of the breakage story because poor layout can lead to repeated and careless handling of glassware in China unless the waiters and bus boys can be equipped with radar two-way doors offer an invitation to two-way breakage broken china and broken noses a layout that requires cross traffic can shatter dishes as well as [Music] [Applause] [Music] nerves lack of space for stacking and storing usually winds up in a headache for both the manager and the [Music] employee at Peak periods when dishes Stack Up on the soil dish table a mobile table or Sidetrack can be used to hold them until the machine is ready for them Sid tracking permits scrapping and sorting in spite of delays at the dish machine this survey showed that 75% of breakage occurs at the soil dish table and if the table is well organized with plenty of Elbow Room breakage can be greatly reduced wherever possible the waitress or bus boy should do the pre- sorting by placing dishes of each size on the dish table as decoys proper sorting is made easier for the waitress or bus boy with decoys in place the waitress knows right where each soil dish goes and racking is made easier for the dish machine operator a shelf over the soil dish table puts racks in a convenient position overloading of the racks is prevented by tilting the Shelf at an angle special racks for creamers and cups are a must in an efficient dishroom in school and Industrial cafeterias conveyors had proved an effective weapon against breakage losses conveyors and subve cut down handling and helped reduce labor costs when time permits put china through the machine one kind at a time this saves hot water and detergent Cuts breakage and reduces l Flor costs because it simplifies sorting confining one type and Dish size to a storage area simplifies storage and inventory remember plenty of space for stacking and storing reduces the possibility of chipping and braking the survey showed there was one element left to consider in [Music] breakage the human element the people in the industry who actually handle the China and glassware the finest equipment in the world plus ideal layout and techniques won't mean a thing as far as breakage reduction is concerned unless the employee is considered it pointed out that in those food establishments where frequent training meetings are held breakage losses are invariably below average how China is handled is determined by Education and Training the effectiveness of training AIDS such as slides and Motion Pictures are solution of many Food Service problems including dish [Music] breakage I was beginning to see that just as there is an established procedure in dishwashing operation there should be an established procedure in the training of new employees a continuous training program pays dividends to the Food Service operator careful training can give a worker pride in his job and proud workers make fewer mistakes I discovered that charts explaining procedures in the dishroom are good guideposts to an efficient operation I also found that breakage records posted on a bulletin board and kept up to date remind the employee of his responsibility a good control program during the day can fall apart at night the night Foreman or dishroom supervisor has a responsible job whether it's a small dishroom or a large one there's usually a breakage problem the same basic remedies however apply in general to every operation select Good China and select it for both durability and design machine washing is far safer than handwashing and good equipment can pay for itself in space labor and breakage reductions good layout and careful planning are major factors in minimizing breakage training AIDS helped build the first line of defense against [Music] breakage that was it that was the whole story down to the Last Detail the story of how the food service industry could cut down millions of dollars of breakage yearly that's a lot of net profit and I was determined to put a slice of it back into my own net profit [Music]