1. Ease of use
Convenience is key in your bustling and vibrant kitchen. There are far more important concerns for you and your staff than used cooking oil. Each method offers their own benefits when it comes to ease of use. Loading into the fryer is where bulk oil becomes most convenient. At the touch of a button the fresh oil is transferred from the storage tank into your fryer. With box oil, an automated used cooking oil system can filter the oil out of the fryer with the push of a button but an employee will still have to pour the oil into the fryer. Ease of use when it comes to loading is perhaps bulk oil’s greatest advantage.
The advantage box oil boasts as it pertains to easy usage is that the used cooking oil can be managed with a single tank – as opposed to needing two separate tanks with bulk oil - which can free up space in your kitchen and require less equipment training for your employees. It also gives you a plethora of options when choosing equipment and a service provider. As previously mentioned, a bulk option has two separate storage tanks - one for your fresh oil inventory and one for used oil after it leaves the fryer. With bulk oil, you have fewer service providers to choose from and your selection is limited as it pertains to oil type. For example, if your kitchen uses a specific blend of peanut oil to enhance flavor, you might have a harder time acquiring it because a bulk oil truck is only going to have a handful of options available at one time, whereas with box oil you can more easily order the exact blend and amount you need from your food vendor.
2. Delivery and inventory
How does the oil get to your restaurant and how often is it delivered? Without a reliable system to ensure timely delivery, your kitchen would be in quite a pinch. Bulk and box oil delivery procedures are different and it’s important to know what each entail before choosing between the two. The box oil method is preferable when it comes to simplicity because of your ability to order it through your regular food vendor. A typical quick service restaurant gets one or two deliveries per week and your purchased oil boxes will be included in those deliveries. Ordering by the oil box can also help you meet delivery quotas, meaning your provider is likely going to have a set amount of supplies you must order for a deliver to be made. Ordering oil boxes will count toward meeting that threshold. Conversely, bulk oil requires a separate delivery with a different truck and arrivals are less frequent because the large quantity of oil a bulk tank can store.
What does this mean as it pertains to inventory? Well, the box oil method allows you greater control. When comprising an order from your vendor, you can check how many oil boxes you currently have and how many more are needed until your next order. With bulk, the specialty truck is going to come by and fill the tank completely, regardless of whether your kitchen needs it before the next delivery. If your oil usage is consistent and meshes will with the delivery method, then bulk may work for you. If not, you could end up stuck with excess inventory, meaning a box system’s just-in-time inventory may be the better option to help manage your food costs.
3. Sustainability
Both box and bulk oil can be repurposed toward contributing to a more sustainable future, and this area is where their differences are relatively minor. Both can be refined into renewable diesel - a cleaner burning fuel that helps lower the world’s carbon footprint. The main discernable difference is that box oil is packaged in plastic and carboard and will require proper recycling. Bulk oil is delivered directly off a truck and into a storage tank, so packaging is not required.
It is worth mentioning, that while oil box packaging may be a drawback, it does keep oil fresh for longer. Cooking oil diminishes in freshness each time it is exposed to air, which is what occurs each time bulk oil is transferred into the storage tank. A box oil system also affords you the option to use oil according to its expiration date to ensure your fryer has the freshest available, and it is delivered in sealed packaging, so freshness upon arrival is never a concern. In short, bulk oil requires no packaging while box oil offers more consistency in oil quantity and quality.
4. Cost
Cost is a vitally important thing to consider when deciding between bulk and box oil. What is the total cost of each contract and what fees are included? With a box oil method, which includes installing a used cooking oil tank, once installation is complete, typical contract will run its course without any additional fees. A bulk oil contract can be more expensive by the time the contract plays out. You could run into service fees and monthly reporting fees depending on your provider. A monthly reporting fee is an additional cost for the technology a bulk system provides in terms of quantifying how much oil you are using, alerts for when it is time to load more fresh oil or transfer used oil. One thing to be wary of when considering going the bulk oil route because of the added perks is that fryer technology has advanced, and your fryer may boast similar technology that you would be paying for in a bulk oil system.
As you can probably tell by now, Bulk and box oil are very different in how they are packaged, managed and delivered. There are several factors to weigh when deciding which one best fits your kitchen. Hopefully that decision becomes easier after reading this piece.
DAR PRO Solutions’ expertise when it comes used cooking oil management has made us a leader in the industry. Our diverse equipment selection has a solution for you and our method gives you a greater freedom of choice as it pertains the type of oil your business uses. No matter what type of oil you choose, our systems will handle it with ease. Reach out to a DAR PRO representative today and find out how your ghost kitchen or restaurant can benefit from our partnership. Call us 24/7/365 at 855-DAR-PRO1 (833-567-0592).
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12/03/2020