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(Orlando, FL)---
FiltaFry, a mobile franchise specializing in the filtration and
cleaning of deep fryers in restaurant and commercial kitchens,
recently announced plans to add at least 50 territory operators a
year over the next three years across the U.S. The growth of the
company can be attributed to the success of more than 140 FiltaFry
owners across the country and a growing list of customers that
includes fast food giants such as Burger King, Denny’s and IHOP.
FiltaFry is a
franchise concept that specializes in cleaning deep fryers and
recycling the cooking oil they use through a mobile, onsite fryer
management program that includes micro-filtration of cooking oil,
thermostat calibration, vacuum-based cleaning of fryers and
operations guidance.
Since it
began franchising in the United States in 2002, FiltaFry’s
popularity has been red-hot. With thousands of customers
nationwide including well-known hotel and restaurant brands, bars,
airports, hospitals, schools, sports stadiums and casinos,
FiltaFry has a long-term goal of having 1,000 franchisees
operating nationwide.
What’s even
more intriguing about FiltaFry’s potential is that it is the only
service provider and franchisor of its kind in the United States.
FiltaFry already operates in the United Kingdom, Australia,
Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Canada and several other countries.
“The market
for our service in the United States is enormous. It is a service
without competition that is very much in demand,” said Jason
Sayers, founder and CEO of FiltaFry. “When FiltaFry franchisees
present their service to potential customers they don’t have to
worry about a competitor coming in and taking that business away.
It’s a unique business and that’s what attracts people.”
FiltaFry
provides a quick, safe, clean and cost-effective program to
maintain deep fryers without interrupting day-to-day operations.
Cleaning and maintenance of commercial fryers can be a dangerous
task for foodservice employees who are not properly trained, often
resulting in serious burns, falls and other injuries. In fact,
fires that begin in deep fryers rank first in dollar loss among
cooking equipment fires. The annual total dollar loss attributed
to eating and drinking establishment fires between 1994 and 1998
was $163.2 million; 11.4 million was from deep fat fryers.
FiltaFry’s
micro-filtration and vacuum cleaning removes small contamination
particles that cause oil breakdown, resulting in cleaner and
longer-lasting oil, hygienically-clean fryers and improved food
quality. The average service call takes about one hour and costs
approximately $48 per visit. Most customers are serviced one or
two times each week, ensuring a recurring revenue stream for
franchisees.
“People think
we just take a machine in, filter the oil and clean the fryer.
Yes, we do, but that’s only a small part of what FiltaFry is all
about,” said Sayers.
Instead,
FiltaFry manages and improves fryer operations from top to bottom.
Fifty percent of the savings customers achieve are gained simply
through improved fryer practices and not filtering alone.
Operations guidance covers such matters as when to optimally
dispose of degraded oil in order to extend its cooking life, when
to turn fryers on so that oil isn’t wasted, and the proper cooking
temperatures for foods. Regular calibration of fryer thermostats
ensures that food is cooked properly.
After a
period of four to six weeks, FiltaFry reviews the progress it has
achieved with kitchen managers after suggested practices have been
implemented and also produces detailed reports that cover such
details as costs and frying operations analysis
“If oil is
burning away in their fryers, it is costing them money and there
are simple pointers we can give regarding food preparation. When
someone is cutting open a bag of fries and a bit of plastic falls
into the oil it can have a catastrophic effect,” Sayers said.
“Others tried to replicate our service in the United Kingdom and
got it wrong. The fryer management aspect of our service is what
makes our service so valuable.”
A major
factor for FiltaFry’s success is that 50 percent of revenues are
generated from non-restaurant customers that serve food such as
office buildings, schools, hospitals, casinos, sports
stadiums, factories, banks, call centers, bowling alleys, zoos and
more. Most customers come from recommendations from satisfied
customers and no-cost demonstrations by FiltaFry franchisees. In
addition, a FiltaFry Business Development Manager (BDM) spends a
minimum of two weeks with franchisees to establish a solid base of
regular customers within their territory as soon as their business
opens.
“There are
countless potential customers that people don’t even think about,”
Sayers
said. “By having a mixture of restaurant and non-restaurant
business, our franchisees can develop a steady schedule throughout
the course of the day because of the different needs of each
customer.
In
order to aid the expansion that is needed to meet the demands of
some of its national accounts, FiltaFry is now offering attractive
turn-key finance packages across the country to enable franchise
owners to start with only a small deposit down. For more
information visit
www.filtafry.com.
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