Hospitality companies are seeking products and services to achieve sustainability goals while keeping their environment clean, safe and operating efficiently. Boar’s Head Resort, a AAA four-diamond country resort owned by the University of Virginia Foundation, was looking for a way to ensure dishwashing operations used the proper chemical dosage and could be efficiently operated and maintained. They opted for the Auto-Chlor System, a commercial dishwashing model focused on recycling, recovering and reusing as much material as possible.
Boar’s Head Resort in Charlottesville, Virginia, features a state-of-the-art racquet and fitness club, golf and sports facilities, world-class spa and several fine-dining establishments. Surrounded by a network of nature trails near the historic mountain town of Charlottesville, the resort celebrates the beauty of the land, the hospitality of its people and the grace of tradition.
The membership resort complex has six kitchens, with a total of eight outlets. When Jim Anile, Executive Chef at Boar’s Head Resort, first arrived, he wanted to make sure he could obtain the results he needed from his commercial dishwashing vendor. He needed service that would help him guarantee the proper chemical dosage, as well as regularly scheduled maintenance to ensure equipment efficiency and proper usage.
Shortly after joining Boar’s Head, Anile called in representatives of Auto-Chlor System, with whom he had worked for more than a decade while operating his own restaurant. The Auto-Chlor team evaluated the site and investigated how to set-up the most efficient and sustainable commercial dishwashing system for the resort location’s facilities. The company’s Auto-Chlor’s sustainability model focuses on four main components: packaging; equipment; chemical selection and dosing as well as permanent ownership of containers and equipment.
The sustainability model is centered on Auto-Chlor System’s WaterSaver low-energy dishwashing machines. Reducing the energy required to heat the water used in the cleaning and sanitizing process, in addition to reducing energy consumed per complete wash and rinse cycle, the dishwashing machines are the lowest water consuming dishwashing machines within their respective categories.
The sustainability approach also encompasses educating Boar’s Head staff about chemical use and conservation, including the proper dilution and concentration of sanitizing chemicals. This approach results in cost savings. With proper dosing, Boar’s Head anticipates a 25 to 40 percent monthly cost reduction compared to their prior vendor. The system can properly clean and sanitize on one pass, versus multiple passes needed by other systems.
Maintaining permanent ownership over containers and equipment is at the heart of the Auto-Chlor System. The goal of the operational leasing business model is that all dishwashing machines will be continually reconditioned and remanufactured. They are never retired but are built to last – and built for sustainability.
Since the lease agreement includes repair costs, this business model encourages making the machines as reliable and long-lasting as possible. The use of common components across many models, enables a service technician to have the appropriate parts on-hand when a repair is required. Performing preventive maintenance while chemicals are being delivered reduces the need for emergency calls and associated travel. The service technician’s familiarity with the machines allows for preemptive identification of any problems, limiting the risk of damage and required repairs. The equipment, which uses sodium hypochlorite to sanitize dishes instead of hot water, significantly reduces energy consumption.
