Midtown Burger King

Electric Fryers Cook Up Savings

Mike James has a short wish list. As director of operations at Midtown, a Burger King franchise, he wants to replace the gas equipment in his restaurants.

They're going electric.

Midtown Restaurant Corporation has 52 stores in the Southeast, and they plan to build more. During the past year, Midtown has installed new electric EPRI fryers in four locations, including the Burger King in Thomasville, Alabama. "Electricity is the way to go," James says. This from someone who called himself an "all-gas customer" just 13 months ago.

Frying high costs.

All told, James says the electric fryers are saving Burger King's Thomasville store about $5,400 a year- $300 a month in shortening savings and $150 a month on cleanup costs, along with lower utility costs. "The electric fryers are great," James says. "The fries come out golden brown, and also are crispier and better tasting."

Working less.

Before James installed the electric fryers, an employee used to spend an hour each night scrubbing all four cooking pots for the gas fryers. Not so with the electric fryers. And the time saved adds up to more real results that James can measure. "We don't have to replace the shortening as often," James says. "That's a saving in both production and cleanup time."

Repairing and replacing gas fry pots also are major expenses for Burger King franchises. James says repair costs can range from $700 to $1,000 a year. Midtown stores typically replace 15 of the gas fry pots a year, which adds up to $10,500. James won't have this expense using the stainless steel, electric fry pots.

This cooking is cool.

The Thomasville fry cooks already appreciate the new electric fryers. The fry-cooking area is at least 15 degrees cooler now. And the stainless steel around the fryers stays a lot cooler, which helps prevent burns. James notes that burns and falls are the two most costly injuries that restaurants face.

What's not to like?

Ask James if there is anything he doesn't like about using electric fryers. "I haven't been able to find anything that I don't like," is his quick response. Now that he has discovered all the pluses to using electric fryers, James says he will not be going back to gas fryers. "Call me a believer," he says.