Although some germs cannot be transmitted through food, food safety on surfaces remains a top concern for customers. Employees use trays to hand food and drinks directly to customers and encourage customers to pay with a contactless card reader. Shopping during a pandemic isn’t what it used to be. Customers and attendants speak through clear plexiglass. They also wear masks and gloves, and limit touching where possible. Post-pandemic, customers will want continued peace of mind about sanitation and food handling. C-stores can meet this need by keeping their store clean and organized. They can also offer touch-free foodservice through automated ovens.

Automation in Foodservice
C-stores that invest in high-quality foodservice and store cleanliness must be willing to uphold that quality to maintain success in a post-pandemic world. Automation can help you meet that standard.

Automation is used in food manufacturing to increase productivity without heavy reliance on manual labor or manual handling. Automated ovens like a Conveyor create a safe way to handle foods from the fridge or freezer, while reducing customer or employee handling of products.

At the height of the pandemic, many c-stores temporarily paused self-served food stations in favor of clerk-served stations. Whether you have resumed self-served or still use clerk-served stations, automatic ovens ensure quality control and consistent food preparation. Your oven-ready favorites like pizza, hot sub sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, pre-fried foods and cookies will be cooked to perfection every time, no matter who is operating the oven.

The ease and user-friendly design of an automated oven is also beneficial. The simplistic design ensures that anyone — clerk or employee — can ensures successful operation. This is important, as many c-store employees have had to take on new tasks of food preparation, storage and handling to keep up with demand.

Foodservice operators also praise automated ovens for their ability to increase efficiency in the kitchen. Many ovens can cook multiple items at one time and can switch between different cooking settings with the touch of a button.

There is no shortage of changes facing c-stores amid the pandemic with food safety. Automation is one way your store can create consistency to deliver on foodservice expectations, while maintaining a safe, clean and mostly hands-free environment.