At a show that yielded strong booth traffic and sales leads for all exhibiting brands of the Aga Foodservice Equipment division, Infinity fryers drew perhaps the greatest response from attendees, according to Mitch Cohen, AFE VP of Cooking Systems.

"We saw a huge amount of interest and traffic, both from operators and consultants," Cohen affirmed. "We were especially pleased by the number of chain personnel who came to our booth to inspect the Infinity equipment, as well as the increasing number of specifications we're receiving in noncommercial markets such as schools."

Cohen added that Infinity's booth-promoted ENERGY STAR^® certification was a key attention-grabber for NRA show-goers who were not familiar with the fryers or their innovative, energy-saving features. "Potential customers showed the greatest interest in the energy savings Infinity fryers provide, which was the first time we heard that this capability was top-of-mind for end-users," he noted. "We put this down to steadily rising energy prices across the country, which means that high-efficiency fryers, such as Infinity's, are likely to save operators increasing amounts of money over their life-cycle."

Other key features that kept potential customers studying Infinity fryers at the show included oil savings and the equipment's easy filtration process. "Due to their design, Infinity fryers can match the performance of conventional 50-lbs. models while using about 20% less oil," Cohen explained. "Easier filtration not only helps to ensure better-tasting and more healthful fried foods, it also cuts labor requirements, which helps to create further savings for operators."

While attendees' interest in Infinity equipment remained constant throughout the NRA Show, according to Cohen, the culminating event for him was the booth sale of several fryers to an independent Rocky Mountain restaurateur. Cohen felt that the positive overall response Infinity engendered was a clear sign that "our message about the competitive advantages Infinity fryers offer is getting through to the market."

Listening and responding to what operators, specifiers, dealers and reps have to say about Infinity fryers' features and performance remains a key focus for Cohen and Infinity's product development team. One example of this was Infinity's NRA 2006 introduction of an eight-button control panel. "We have been already offering both 16-button and knob-directed controls, but demand from our chain customers told us that an eight-button option would also be well-received in that market," he commented. "We know that if we want operators and consultants to listen to our story, we have to be responsive to their preferences and needs."

Among Cohen's show highlights was an extended booth visit by some 30 product engineers from a leading global QSR chain. "We already work with this chain internationally, but these were mainly U.S. engineers and they went over our fryers feature by feature before expressing their appreciation of the greater efficiencies and ease of operation designed into Infinity models," he remarked.

To follow-up on the successes recorded during the recent NRA Show, Cohen intends to continue increasing Infinity's rep base nationwide and expanding brand marketing. "At a time of steady increases in energy prices, Infinity's category-leading energy and oil efficiencies provide a message that is finding increasing acceptance among end-users and specifiers," he related. "We look forward to helping still more operators learn how they can save money and fry more easily during the rest of this year."

For more information, visit Infinity Fryer's web site at www.infinityfryers.com