Janet worked at the store as a teenager and throughout college as the business was gradually passed down to her. She has grown its reach from the one original shop to three locations scattered across the greater St. Louis, Missouri area. When a second Wayside location opened in 2006, Janet was tired of the burden of preparing all the food each day from scratch. She thought the process needed uniformity, so she sought out a quick service C-store brand to put in the store. She settled on Pro Food Systems brand Champs Chicken because of its delicious, high-quality chicken.
“I wanted something that every employee could do the same way and bring some consistency,” Janet said. “Champs provided exactly. It was and continues to be a great fit.”
Janet opened a third Wayside location in Eureka, Missouri in May of 2021. This 5,000-foot store features 16 gas pumps, a walk-in beer cave, a Champs Chicken and PFS’ pizza brand, Hangar54 Pizza.
When Janet decided to open a third Wayside location and a second Champs Chicken, she sought a better way to dispose of used cooking oil. When she opened the first Champs, the commercial c-store concept was new to her.
“It was all new to me,” Janet recalled. “From installing commercial fryers, to all the space that is needed, I had no clue about the oil disposal. It was nowhere near the forefront of my mind. But when it came to the third location and opening another Champs, grease was on the forefront of my mind because of the problems we had with the first one.”
The first Champs utilized an outdoor storage container that required manually hauling hot used cooking oil outside. Employees were tasked with draining the oil out of the fryer into a bucket, placing the bucket onto a cart, wheeling it outside and pouring it into the container. This was both inefficient and messy.
It was also dangerous. This method tempted employees to cut corners, even to the point of one workplace injury.
"We wanted a simpler, safer way of doing it,” Janet recalled."We needed something that wouldn’t make such a mess. We basically looked at it as anything is better than we are doing right now.”
Janet asked PSF about the process and they recommended DAR PRO to provide a better setup.
In search of a better way, Wayside leaned on DAR PRO to provide a more optimal solution.
We eliminated the hassle completely by installing our signature Cleanstar 1500 model. This fully insulated, automated storage tank rests snuggly within the tight-fitting confines of Champs’ kitchen layout. The Cleanstar connects directly to their fryers, meaning that it simplifies the used cooking oil transfer process down to one flip of a switch. The tank is equipped with a proprietary anti-theft valve, a heater and a full-tank shutoff alarm.
“Once we chose DAR PRO, it was very easy. We really didn’t have to do much at all from there,” Janet said. “Everything about the process and finding a solution was easy and efficient.”
The solution we provided drastically shortened the distance the oil travels from fryer to tank, eliminated the liability of employees coming into contact with hot used cooking oil and unnecessarily venturing outside the building. It also greatly reduced the time spent handling used cooking oil that could be better spent doing more important things.
“It made the entire process easier all around and much quicker as well,” said, Janet’s son, Jesse Groom. “We no longer have to spend nearly as much time tending to dispose of the used cooking oil. It’s a much quicker and safer process.”
Since implementing our solution, Janet and her staff have had no problems with handling grease.
“I was excited when I found out about direct connectivity and just flipping a switch for the oil to be drained out of the fryer through the hose and into the tank,” Janet said. “It has made for way less to worry about.”
DAR PRO’s industry leading selection of storage tanks have a fit for any kitchen footprint, including the unique layout of a gas station c-store kitchen like Champs. The Cleanstar 1500 provided a quick, safe and convenient solution to an issue Janet and Wayside desired to fix.
“DAR PRO is a very professional company that seems to be on the cutting edge,” Janet said. “Nobody likes to deal with grease disposal and DAR PRO has safe and easy solutions. It is cleaner, safer and helps our business.”
Janet says the recommendation from PSF Brands to use an established and trustworthy partner like DAR PRO is one of many examples of what makes Champs Chicken and all PSF’s brands such an easy and desirable brand to do business with.
“Working with Janet and Champs Chicken has been great,” DAR PRO Senior Account Executive Christine Schroeder said. “Their attention to detail and desire to find the best and safest processes for every aspect of their business, including used cooking oil recycling, makes my job easier. Their dedication to providing quality food and great service is what makes them successful.”
Champs has also provided a quality, trustworthy brand for Janet and Wayside to partner with as they continue to grow their business.
“One of the biggest things I like about Champs is how helpful they are with everything,” Janet said. “You know exactly what you are going to get when working with Champs.”
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DAR PRO Solutions is an industry leader in used cooking oil recycling for businesses across the country. Our program will help your business grow and will provide solutions that are a seamless fit for your kitchen. Call us 24/7/365 at 855-DAR-PRO1 (855-327-7761).
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