About this time every year the food service industry starts buzzing about the trends that will shape consumer preferences and affect business in the next 12 months.  We are lucky enough (or unlucky, depending on how you view it) to be in the midst of a transition period for many …

Like it or not, small business owners like many in the food service industry are experiencing a period of drastic change labor laws.  As health care reform becomes a reality, several other projects championed by Democratic lawmakers will start nudging their way back to the top of the agenda – …

Fine dining restaurants have been the hardest hit segment of the food service industry since the country slid into recession two years ago.  Many establishments have closed and other have turned to deep discounting to stay alive during a time when consumers just aren’t willing to spend a lot of …

Late last month it was announced that scientists in Holland have successfully grown pork meat in a petri dish.  The meat was developed from special cells called myoblasts that are specifically programmed to repair muscles in a live animal.  If they are left in a super rich broth of nutrients, …

There are two types of temperature controls used in commercial refrigeration: 1. Thermostatic: either an Air Sensing type or Evaporator Coil Sensing type 2. Low pressure control Let’s start with thermostatic type controls.  An air-sensing thermostat does just that: it senses air temperature.  The control sensor tube is usually mounted in the …

The happy hour has long been the domain of college bars, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and after-work watering holes.  These establishments always understood a cardinal rule in driving business: a busy place is a place people want to be, and the easiest way to fill up a bar or dining room early …

There has been much ongoing debate over the effect of public smoking bans on restaurant business.  As more and more states move to ban smoking in almost all public buildings, a counterculture has been pushing back by openly flouting the bans in their communities. This counterculture is especially strong along …

Boulder area restaurants are garnering some respect on the national scene, including a write-up in the Wall Street Journal.  As you may know, The Back Burner is based in Boulder, so we took it as a great sign that some of our favorite restaurants in our own backyard have been …

If you’re not getting gas to the burner on gas equipment, you can check several things in a process of elimination to determine what the problem is.  First things first: check the gas regulator.  Gas regulators are directional, which means gas will not flow if they are installed backwards.  Check the …

All the thermostats have a capillary tube with a bulb attached to the end of it.  This is the part that senses the temperature in the oven.  The bulb is attached to clips inside the oven.  If the bulb is not put back in the same place, i.e. it’s just …

This is usually a thermostat problem.  When you set the thermostat at a set temperature and it does not reach that point it may be one of two problems: 1. The thermostat may be defective. 2. The thermostat may be out of calibration.  To check the calibration get a thermometer that you …

80% of the time the thermocouple causes this problem.  When lighting the pilot, if the thermocouple is not directly in the flame it doesn’t get hot enough to allow it to open the safety valve.  If it is directly in the flame and it won’t stay lit then the thermocouple is probably …

Top burner gas valves are fairly easy to replace.  With the top plate (bull nose) removed you can access them easily (part of the frame runs across the top of them).  If you are replacing all or just one, the burners must be removed if they have a slip type …

Top burner pilots need to be replaced if they become clogged.  They are very difficult to unclog, and generally need to be replaced. There are three types of pilots: Those with the tube pre-welded to the pilot head. Those that have a nut and ferral to slide over the tube …

Burner heads usually become plugged over time.  There are two screws that connect the head to the venturi.  It is a good idea to use some kind of rust dissolver on the screws to loosen them.  Once the screws are out you can install the new head, and always remember …