Welbilt Brands receive two 2017 NRA Kitchen Innovation Awards

This prominent foodservice industry award recognizes creative new equipment and technology that deliver developments in labor and energy efficiency, food safety, and more

Chicago, IL; February 22, 2017 - The National Restaurant Association^® today announces the recipients of the 2017 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Awards, honoring forward-thinking equipment and technologies that increase efficiencies and productivity for back-of-the-house operations and benefit restaurant operators. Each recipient and their product will be showcased in the interactive Kitchen Innovations Pavilion at the 2017 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, held from May 20-23 in Chicago at McCormick Place.

“The engineers and inventors who develop these KI Award innovations work tirelessly to solve the challenges of back-of-the-house operations, to the great benefit of restaurant operators,” says Atour Eyvazian, Convention Chair for NRA Show 2017 and multiunit owner of 107 Jack in the Box restaurants in Houston and San Antonio. “The KI award is a testament to their contributions in improving the foodservice industry.”

The 2017 KI Award recipients reflect the trends and topics most important to foodservice operators today. The 18 selected innovations address operator concerns from labor, energy and water efficiency to food safety, sanitation, cross-functionality and space-saving. New software and new materials continue to make new solutions possible.

Manitowoc Foodservice, Inc. (NYSE: MFS) (which is changing its name to Welbilt, Inc. on March 6, 2017) is proud that two of our best-in-class brands, Garland and Merco, have received this important recognition.

 

Garland XPress^® Grill
Garland’s Xpress Grill takes energy and temperature management to the next level with a controller that automatically adapts to either 208V or 240V. PID software continuously modulates power to maintain set point, unlike conventional on/off cycling. Cooking lanes are independently controlled, separated with grooves under the grill plate to prevent heat migration. Each lane can be set at a different temperature or even turned off when not needed. Click here for more information.

Merco
MercoMax^™ Visual Holding Cabinet
The MercoMax offers a new answer to the age-old challenge of visual QSR style hot holding with a combination of radiant heat beneath the shelves and forced-air convection from fans above each holding zone. A bright 7” touchscreen display, visible from across the kitchen, shows what’s being held and status.

For a complete listing of the 2017 NRA Kitchen Innovation awards, click here.

About Manitowoc Foodservice, Inc./Welbilt, Inc.
Manitowoc Foodservice, Inc./Welbilt, Inc. provides the world’s top chefs and premier chain operators or growing independents with industry-leading equipment and solutions. Our innovative products and solutions are powered by our deep knowledge, operator insights, and culinary expertise. We offer fully-integrated kitchen systems and our products are backed by KitchenCare^® – our aftermarket, repair, and parts service. Headquartered in the Tampa Bay area, Florida, and operating 17 manufacturing facilities throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, the company sells through a global network of over 3,000 distributors and dealers in over 100 countries. The company has approximately 5,500 employees and generated sales of $1.57 billion in 2015. Its portfolio of award-winning brands includes Cleveland^™, Convotherm^®, Delfield^®, fitkitchenSM, Frymaster^®, Garland^®, Kolpak^®, Lincoln^™, Manitowoc^® Ice, Merco^®, Merrychef^® and Multiplex^®. For more information, visit www.welbilt.com.