Smooth delivery and creative solutions

One of temp-rite’s most impressive success stories is the meal-distribution solution for Pflegen & Wohnen Catering in Hamburg, Germany. The central kitchen of Pflegen & Wohnen is the largest care home in Northern Germany. More than 2,800 residents are being catered for on a daily basis and temp-rite is key to the successful implementation of this huge task.

“I think temp-rite is phenomenal,” says Günther Mamerow, general manager of Pflegen & Wohnen Catering. “We had many complaints before we started with temp-rite and now we use temp-rite buffet trolleys to give us more choice and an efficient delivery.”

Preparing up to 6,000 meals a day for diners who are spread over 13 locations in and around Hamburg is no small task, even for an experienced head chef, says Günther Mamerow. “Before we built our central kitchen each of the 13 care homes that make up Pflegen & Wohnen had a kitchen in their facility and cooked their own meals – but that didn’t work out so well. It was a little uncoordinated and therefore we decided to centralize the process of food preparation.” From the start the new kitchen – built in 2000 – was equipped with a cook and chill system. “Cook and chill fits our needs very well,” explains Mamerow, “because cooling down the food to 3°C before delivery allows us to transport meals over longer distances and ensures that our food stays fresh for the duration of the journey.”

Once the management of Pflegen & Wohnen had decided to install a cook and chill system the question still remained which manufacturer would be best suited to their needs. “We familiarized ourselves with various companies and systems but temp-rite convinced us from the start.” In the beginning Pflegen & Wohnen opted for a tray system and at the time their care home residents also filled in order forms for their meals. The tray system proved to be unsuitable for the facilities and soon after Mamerow decided to opt for temp-rite buffet trolleys. “We have never looked back since”, exclaims the German, smiling. “Now we offer a choice of three meals a day and people can pick and choose from the buffet trolley. If a meal comes with beans as a side dish and somebody doesn’t like beans they can choose a side dish from another meal. You can’t imagine how happy people are about our buffet.”

The residents of Pflegen & Wohnen are not the only ones who benefit from Mamerow and his team’s excellent cooking skills. The central kitchen also caters for the Jerusalem hospital and seven refugee homes in Hamburg and with a different clientele comes new challenges.

“Our care home residents prefer regional produce and a more traditional cuisine with Labskaus [lobscouse], beans and bacon, asparagus and green cabbage,” says Mamerow. “The refugees are not always familiar with these dishes or don’t eat pork, so we need to be creative. Also elderly or sick residents and hospital patients often have special dietary requirements. To meet these needs we have a dietician in our team, who does a great job.” Despite managing the monumental task of preparing thousands of meals every day Mamerow’s team only consists of 20 staff members and eight chefs. Thanks to cook and chill the team prepares meals in advance, which ensures a highly efficient process and temp-rite products are an essential part of this process. “We prepare the meals”, he explains, “but then we hand over the food and we rely on the equipment, and our staff of course, for a smooth delivery and successful reheating of the food in the various facilities. The temp-rite system is excellent and the customer service exemplary. If we need support they are always here with words and deeds.”

But smooth food delivery is just one of the big advantages in using temp-rite products. The central kitchen relies on a wide array of temp-rite products, like the buffet trolley (hot and cold), the disposable dishes, the sealing machine and the plastic film. And with disposable dishware comes substantial savings because washing dishes is a thing of the past for Mamerow and his team. “You can’t imagine how much time and water we save since we don’t have to clean several thousand dishes every day anymore. Not to mention the reduced transport costs. I would go as far as saying that our temp-rite products are absolutely vital for us and we couldn’t do it without them,” he says with a smile.

Further information is available from:

temp-rite International GmbH
Postfach 45 02 65, 28207 Bremen
Theodor-Barth-Str. 29, 28307 Bremen
Tel.: 0421/48 69 20, Fax: 0421/48 69 228
E-Mail: info@temp-rite.de