Rapids Restaurant Equipment Expanding Retail to the Twin Cities

Rapids Restaurant Equipment - St. Paul, MN

Rapids Wholesale to Open Cash & Carry Store in The Twin Cities

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Oct. 2, 2013) -- Rapids Wholesale is proud to announce plans to open a new cash and carry retail store in St. Paul. The 19,000 square foot retail space will carry everything you need for your restaurant, bar, civic organization, church, school, home gourmet kitchen, employee dining facility and more . . . anywhere high quality foodservice, bar equipment and supplies is needed or desired. 

"We have listened to our customers and plan to have plenty of what you need, when you need it -- on hand and ready for immediate use in your facility!" - Joe Schmitt, Co-Owner

The new location will be located conveniently off of highway 280 and Como Ave (next to Appliance Smart). There will be a friendly and knowledgeable group of associates willing and able to assist you with all of your restaurant equipment, bar equipment and supply needs.

Harold Parten has been appointed to be the General Manager of the new facility. Parten comes to us from an extensive retail and wholesale distribution background including the Target Corporation. The store will operate with a staff of 4-6 sales associates and the St. Paul contract and design team will be relocating to the new facility as well. There will be several thousands of items in stock for sale at the new store location.

"I am excited to be a part of the Rapids family and look forward to meeting the talented chefs and foodservice people in the Twin Cities." - Harold Parten, General Manager

The New Rapids Restaurant Store Will Be Located Here

2475 Doswell Ave
St. Paul, MN 55108

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Commercial Kitchen Walkthrough with Rapids Wholesale

Kirkwood kitchen equipped by Rapids Wholesale

Ever have this happen?  It’s the middle of the afternoon, and the second largest party you've ever booked is due to arrive in just a few hours.  You’ve been up all night prepping and organizing.  You’ve gone over every little detail, down to the stupidest little thing, dozens of times in your head.  Tonight’s performance has played over and over in your mind -- at the expense of sleep.  But it’s your kitchen, your name on the menu, and you live for this. 

Sweat on the brow and a tickle in the stomach is par for the course on a day like today.  And then, a sudden calm comes over you.  Confidence builds as you realize you are ready now!  You got this, it’s a lock!  You’ve given the line staff the pep talk.  Morale and energy is high!  All the training and preparation has brought you to this exact moment.  Your well oiled machine is on autopilot!  It’s go time, and then . . . “hey boss! range won’t light?!?”

Reliability and Consistency.  Think about those two words, and how, in this moment, they will determine your overall Quality.  As you scramble to become operational, you are cutting into the precious little time you need to make tonight Perfection.

When you get a spare second, before the next big thing, look at your kitchen.  Take a good long look at YOUR kitchen.  Do it when you are all alone.  Look at the fryers, the range, the ovens.  Look at the slicers, the processors and mixers.  Look at the sinks and the warmers and even the darn hoods.  Is everything working right?  Is everything ready?  I offer you this: your staff will say everything is A-OK to avoid the degreaser bottle.  The tape (don’t deny it) may hold another week if it has to.  Just remember whose name is printed in the menu.  Is it worth it?

You need to make sure your kitchen is geared up properly for the rush, and we can help.  Equipping you and keeping you running is what WE do.  We’ve been doing it since 1936, and we do it well!  We have everything you need and an experienced support staff on stand-by.  Stories like this one are told daily around here.  Many of us have found ourselves standing, alone in our own kitchen, preparing.

Check out this video from our YouTube page that shows you what we carry for your kitchen and how to order it.  And as you watch it, think about your kitchen.  Think about your current model and condition of the gear you see on the screen.  Then ask yourself, "is it ready for the rush?"

We’ve heard just about every kitchen horror story there is here.  Don't get yourself stuck in a pinch. These things are often preventable with a little foresight.  For bigger operations with multiple locations, we can even offer you a “one call” resolution to any potential kitchen catastrophes or facility failures with our in-house affiliates Chain Restaurant Solutions.  These folks are lifesavers.  Here are just a few of the companies that agree and take advantage of our expertise!

Do you have any kitchen catastrophes or front-house fumbles to share?  We'd love to here them!  Leave them in the comments below!

Cheers,

Paul

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