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A supermarket food-to-go offerings in a food display case

How to Choose the Best Food Display Case for Your Business

16 October 2024

Selecting the best food display case is crucial for any business wanting to build a profitable food-to-go offering. Whether you’re operating a supermarket, convenience store or petrol station, your display should enhance presentation, maintain freshness, and ultimately lead to increased sales.

But how do you go about choosing the right food cabinet display for your business?

In this guide, we’ll explore the essential factors you need to consider when choosing a food display case that perfectly aligns with your needs.

Menu

Top-down view of a table with a variety of takeout meals, including burgers, ribs, chicken wings, fries, and drinks

Before you invest in a food display case, it’s important to plan your menu. Knowing what types of food you intend to offer will help you choose display equipment that meets your specific needs without overspending.

Work with your team to develop a clear understanding of the menu, including the food items you’ll need to display and the temperature requirements for each. This will help you select a food display showcase unit that’s fit for purpose and aligns with your business goals.

If you’re not sure where to start, our in-house development Chef and expert team can assist in developing a customised menu and planogram, ensuring that your display case selection is perfectly aligned with your menu.

Location

A supermarket food display case featuring a variety of snacks, chocolates and more

The next step in selecting the ideal food display cabinet is determining the appropriate location within your site. Food display cases come in various sizes, widths and heights.

A popular location is the checkout area, which receives high traffic, high visibility and attracts impulse purchases. Models such as the Flexeserve 3-Tier Hot Food Display are ideal for POS areas as the height doesn’t obstruct the view of the store, and lines up with neighbouring shelving.

When choosing a location, decide whether you prefer an assisted-serve or self-serve model. Rear-feed food displays are usually placed on service or deli counters where staff can assist customers. If you want something more flexible, self-serve display cases are ideal. They are becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to speed up service and reduce pressure on staff, and they can be placed anywhere in the store.

Technology

Food display of pre-packaged meals, sandwiches, soups and bakery items

The technology behind your display case plays a vital role in preserving the quality and shelf life of your products. Make sure to avoid units powered by radiant or contact heat, as these harsh heat sources will continue to cook the food on display, resulting in overcooked and dried-up food items.

Instead, opt for food displays powered by convection heat or combine humidity and temperature control. These technologies provide gentler heat, which helps keep your products fresher for longer, preserving food quality and reducing food wastage.

Versatility & Flexibility

Café setting with a barista serving a customer, and a versatile food display filled with sandwiches and pastries

Consumer demand for food-to-go and convenient meal options is rapidly growing. To capitalise on this demand, your display cases should offer the versatility to showcase a variety of menu items at different times, whether it’s breakfast food items or late-night snacks.

Look for models with features like zone heating control and independently controlled shelves, such as those found in the Flexeserve hot food display range. These features will allow you to store different types of food within the same unit and maintain optimal temperatures for each item.

Effective merchandising is another factor to consider. Choose a food display case that includes accessories like racks to enhance airflow and enhance visibility. Flexeserve units feature interchangeable ticket strips, base and footer panels that allow you to add your own branding and help draw attention to your unit.

Well-merchandised displays not only make it easier for customers to browse but also boost sales by encouraging impulse purchases.

Energy Efficiency

An employee placing various baked goods into a display case
With rising energy costs, it’s beneficial to choose an energy-efficient food display case.

Look for a food display showcase that feature energy-efficient heating elements, air curtains, and double-glazed end panels. These features minimise heat escaping, which increases energy efficiency. The Flexeserve offers units with shelves that can be independently switched off when they’re not in use, saving even more energy when your display isn’t fully stocked or during quieter periods.

Your choice of the important factors mentioned above will ensure that your food display case effectively shows off your products. This decision will drive sales and support your business goals.

 

Want to learn more about choosing the best food display case for your business?

Our extensive range of food display cases is designed to meet the varied needs of your business. Whether you’re seeking a compact food display for your convenience store or a high-capacity display for your supermarket, we have the ideal solution for you.

Check out some of our most popular food displays:

Flexeserve 3-Tier Hot Food Display

Ideal for maximising product visibility in high-traffic areas, this freestanding unit ensures your food stays fresh and at optimal temperature.

Flexeserve 3-Tier Hot Food Display

Flexeserve 2-Tier Countertop

Perfect for smaller spaces, Flexeserve’s 2-tier countertop display can help your team showcase a variety of hot foods while saving valuable counter space.

Flexeserve 2-Tier Countertop

Unis Thaya Hot Food Display Cabinet

The multi-tiered design of the Unis Thaya means you can store and display more food with minimal bench space.

Unis Thaya Hot Food Display Cabinet

Cossiga Food Display Stands

These elegant and durable stands provide flexible configurations to display a wide variety of food items.

Cossiga Food Display Stand

About The Author

Michael Brick is a Partner & General Manager at Meris Food Equipment. For over 20 years he has helped food-to-go businesses boost sales and profitability by introducing innovative food concepts. His passion lies in creating a holistic solution, focusing not just on the right equipment (like Perfect Fryers or Flexeserve displays) but also on perfecting the menu, packaging, and in-store processes for increased sales, basket value, and food traffic.

What Our Clients Say

We have benefited greatly from the individual temperature-controlled shelves, allowing us to hold food at the perfect temperature

“The benefits of the Flexeserve are as promised. We have benefited greatly from the individual temperature-controlled shelves, allowing us to hold food at the perfect temperature, preserving its freshness and increasing the variety of food items we offer, meeting peak mealtimes throughout the day.”

– Clinton & Tanya Loftus, IGA Busselton

We went from $600 to now $5,000 in food a week!

“If you’re not in hot food now, you are 5 years behind. Just go for it and dip your toe in, remember you don’t have to do everything all at once.

We went from $600 to now $5,000 in food a week!”

– John Blazely, Store Owner & Operator, Shell Service Station, Colac

We have benefited greatly from the individual temperature-controlled shelves, allowing us to hold food at the perfect temperature

“The benefits of the Flexeserve are as promised. We have benefited greatly from the individual temperature-controlled shelves, allowing us to hold food at the perfect temperature, preserving its freshness and increasing the variety of food items we offer, meeting peak mealtimes throughout the day.”

– Clinton & Tanya Loftus, IGA Busselton

Country Grocers & Liquor Ballan

Sales increased by a staggering 41%. With year-on-year sales up by 81%

Sales increased by a staggering 41%. With year-on-year sales up by 81%

“The results were almost immediate. Within 2 months, sales were up by 37%. In just six months, sales increased by a staggering 41%. With year-on-year sales up by 81%”.

– Ashlee Plucke, Store Manager, Country Grocers & Liquor Ballan

FoodWorks

“When we were looking to purchase a heated merchandiser for our chickens and hot food, we got a quote on the Flexeserve from Meris as well as an alternate unit from another supplier. The Flexeserve® was more expensive, so we went with the other unit. From day one of installing the other unit we had a myriad of issues.

After three months of this and an inability for anyone to be able to fix it, we re-approached Meris about the Flexeserve® unit, and they helped us out. The Flexeserve has done all the things they told us it would, and we have not had an issue. Clearly, you get what you pay for, and the Flexeserve® is worth it”

Shane Cantania - FoodWorks
Country Grocers & Liquor Ballan

“Our previous hot food display was too hot to touch and was melting the food packaging. The harsh heat was drying the food out, which was limiting shelf life and leading to more food wastage.

With Flexeserve, the results were almost immediate. Within 2 months, sales were up by 37%. In just six months, sales increased by a staggering 41%. With year-on-year sales up by 81%. ”

Ashlee Plucke, Store Manager - Country Grocers & Liquor Ballan

“The FlashGrill is so good.

Always such an even cook. Never have to worry about re-heating, it’s always at temp.

Super easy to clean and nothing ever sticks.

We cover the plate with 30 frozen burgers, cook them, then add another 30 straight away with no change in cooking time between the first lot and the second and get the same great result. It’s really impressive”

Katrina Sanderson, Food Operations Manager - Bowser Bean and Vantage Fuels

It enhances flavours by cooking at low temperatures.

“FlashGRILL completes any food. It enhances flavours by cooking at low temperatures. It can perfectly caramelise and grill the products. It is great for white meat and fish. It is very satisfying to cook different kinds of meats and ensuring clients can fully perceive the differences in tastes due to the specific flavour of each product being preserved.”

Chef Francesco di Maria, - LA FIORENTINA Ristorante-Pasticceria Roma - Italy

“Since I have had the possibility to cook at lower temperatures, meat does not stiffen or burn. It remains evenly cooked and intact, and enhances flavour. Thanks to FlashGRILL, which keeps the temperature even on the full cooking surface, I managed to optimise cooking in my work kitchen. I also use the CLOCHE every day. Thanks to it, I obtain great results with meat and fish, like tuna. I am extremely satisfied.”

Chef Diego Asara, - GINGER SAPORI E SALUTE Roma - RM
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