Company’s sustainability mission takes natural step forward

From its earliest days, sustainability has been a crucial tenet of Frontline International’s mission. The company’s Smart Oil Management™ systems make it easier for foodservice businesses to introduce and maintain principles of environmental responsibility with equipment and services that make sustainability part of operating culture.

It started with the company’s very first products, which were related to filtration, collection, and storage of used cooking oil (UCO) to prepare it for recycling by oil renderers as feedstock for biofuel. Then Frontline took it a step further with fresh oil management systems that add value and sustainability to cooking oil at the beginning of its lifecycle.

Frontline used cooking oil collection systems result in a product that is 95% pure for use by renderers, while keeping fats, oils, and greases out of sewers and groundwater. Frontline fresh oil equipment maximizes usage with up to 10% greater yields and is delivered boxed with other food deliveries, saving a fossil-fuel powered truck on the road.

Now, Frontline takes the next step in its sustainability mission by supporting One Tree Planted as it seeks to restore forests, create habitat for biodiversity, and make a positive social impact around the world. With every dollar donated, One Tree Planted plants a tree. Since 2014, they have more than doubled the number of trees planted each year and are working with partners across 43+ countries in North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific.

For more information on Frontline International’s sustainability efforts, visit the newly expanded and redesigned sustainability section of its website: https://www.frontlineii.com/sustainability-frontline.

About Frontline International

Frontline International, Inc. designs, manufactures, and distributes superior commercial foodservice equipment for the storage, handling, and disposal of cooking oil. Customers own their own equipment, negotiate their own oil rebates, and have the freedom to choose their own oil vendors. The company also offers turnkey oil management under its OilCare^® bundled services program. Frontline International and its Smart Oil Management^® systems offer users more freedom and more control over their processes and their profits. For more information, contact Frontline International, Inc. at 187 Ascot Parkway, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223. Phone: +1 330-861-1100. Toll free: 1-877-776-1100. Web: http://www.frontlineii.com. Email: info@frontlineii.com.

Frontline’s array of collection equipment safely handles fats, oils, and greases from foodservice kitchens

In London, fog is charming and dissipates naturally. But in the foodservice business, FOG is an inevitable byproduct of food prep, and disposing of it can be a constant hassle. FOG, of course, is the abbreviation for fats, oils, and greases, but its disposal doesn’t have to be problematic. Frontline International has an array of FOG solutions, designed to suit foodservice businesses of any size.

Do you have a small, short-on-space convenience store? A challenging commercial kitchen on multiple levels or floors? Whether you are a small operator in food court, a university with fryers all over campus, or a stand-alone restaurant, Frontline International installs and integrates its FOG collection equipment seamlessly.

Many oil management systems are only concerned with fryer oil, but in busy commercial kitchens, fats, oils, and greases are also generated by many other pieces of cooking equipment. Grills, rotisseries, and convection and combitherm ovens must be considered as well. Frontline International makes collection equipment to handle them all. From Direct-Plumbed® systems to caddies, mobile tanks, heated grill grease systems, and filter machines, you can collect and dispose of fats, oil, and greases safely, smartly, and sustainably.

The Direct Plumb® Oven System connects directly to ovens and rotisseries. Its hose attachment plugs into the cooking units to automatically suction out fats and grease from the equipment’s drip pan with no handling, dumping, or exposure to material required. Waste product is easily sucked through the hose and into the containment caddy. Simply wheel the sealed caddy over to your used oil containment tank and pump the collected grease out of the caddy and into the tank using the same hose attachment.

For FOG generated by cooking equipment scattered throughout a location such as a food court, grocery store, or university, Frontline International’s Tank Tank mobile waste oil collection system (Model 74SS-NA) was specifically designed for these diverse environments. The 74-gallon Tank Tank is a safe temporary tank that acts as an oversized caddy system. Called Tank Tank because it’s an oil tank and also mobile and rugged like a military tank, it can be easily wheeled to each location and accepts multiple deposits before needing to be emptied. Once oil is housed safely inside, it can be transported with no hazardous sloshing. It’s locked in!

Frontline’s engineers are the experts when it comes to the complexities of foodservice spaces. Whatever the size or shape your space, whatever your business hours or volume, they bring the experience and know-how to get you up and running quickly.

For more information, visit www.frontlineii.com.

About Frontline International

Frontline International, Inc. designs, manufactures, and distributes superior commercial foodservice equipment for the storage, handling, and disposal of cooking oil. Customers own their own equipment, negotiate their own oil rebates, and have the freedom to choose their own oil vendors. The company also offers turnkey oil management under its OilCare^® bundled services program. Frontline International and its Smart Oil Management^® systems offer users more freedom and more control over their processes and their profits. For more information, contact Frontline International, Inc. at 187 Ascot Parkway, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223. Phone: +1 330-861-1100. Toll free: 1-877-776-1100. Web: http://www.frontlineii.com. Email: info@frontlineii.com.

Fresh oil delivery, used oil rendering, package recycling, world’s finest equipment, analytics, and more

The same minds that brought you Frontline International, the world leader in smart oil management equipment, introduce the first turnkey, 360-degree total cooking oil solution for foodservice. OilCare® combines fresh oil delivery and used oil pickup and rendering rebates with the finest oil handling equipment and high-tech monitoring and analytics.

Fresh oil and used oil handling equipment is installed on-site and remains for a low monthly cost. Proprietary OilCare software schedules fresh oil delivery in response to real-time volumes. Drivers deliver ULTRA35 boxed oil and stock the EZ-Oil rack. They retrieve the previously used, high-quality HDPE jugs from the store and return them to local distribution, where they are processed for reclamation and repurposed into recycled plastic and boxes. Used oil is recovered by renderers and rebates are delivered directly to your account. Then the process repeats, green and clean, in perpetuity.

OilCare offers three convenient service packages:

Fresh Oil Management. Premium packaged cooking oil is delivered right to your door, by OilCare or your regular foodservice distribution. Get fresher, better-quality ULTRA35 boxed bulk oil with hundreds of choices including heart-healthy and flavored oils to accentuate your menu. Your OilCare rep sets it up in your automated dispensing equipment – then collects any used packaging for 100% reclamation and re-purposing into packaging for tomorrow!

Used Oil Collections. Used cooking oil is a profit center that’s good for the environment, too. An OilCare renderer collects your used oil, pays you for it, and converts it into new products like biofuel and animal feed additives. OilCare negotiates, manages, and schedules waste oil reclamation. All you have to do is keep your rebates.

End2End Bundle Program. Modular equipment for handling fresh and used oil offers customized, flexible, right-sized solutions for fryer automation equipment, cooking oil filtration, cooking oil monitoring, fryer oil disposal, and waste cooking oil removal equipment. Maximize profits by using every last drop of oil and by maintaining that fresh oil for as long as possible by using superior filtration and exclusive automatic top-offs. Then, when it’s time to sell your higher-quality, greater-yield collections of used oil, you are assured the industry’s most competitive rebates.

OilCare doesn’t rope you into any service you don’t want or need. Services can also be contracted a la carte: fresh oil management, used oil collections, oil management equipment, equipment services, rebate oversight, and store & chain reporting. Pay for only the services you want and upgrade or cut back as you see fit.

For more information, visit https://oilcareii.com/.

Honor marks company’s third KI Award

March 1, 2022—Frontline International is proud to be honored as a recipient of the 2022 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Award for the Kitchen Controller cooking oil management system. This is the third Kitchen Innovations Award won by Frontline (previous wins came in 2012 for its EZ Oil direct-plumb automatic fresh oil dispensing system and 2013 for the M3 cooking oil data management system). 

The Kitchen Controller system is an end-to-end automated cooking oil management system that monitors oil quality via a hand-held fry-vat sensor. Oil condition is communicated via WIFI to a wall-mounted tablet on which restaurant staff are prompted to select actions to help extend oil life, such as skimming, topping off or changing out. 

Actions are push-button and automated, helping to keep kitchen staff safe from contact with slippery, hot, and potentially dangerous interaction with cooking oil. A data management backend allows mangers to remotely monitor functions and verify recommendations are being performed.

“Frontline International is pleased to be recognized with its third Kitchen Innovations Award for the Kitchen Controller System,” said John Palazzo, president of Frontline. “Our business was founded on helping foodservice kitchens find safer, more sustainable, and more profitable methods of using their cooking oil, and honors like this demonstrate we’ve succeeded while encouraging us to further that mission.”

The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show announced the 2022 recipients of the Kitchen Innovations (KI) Awards, which recognizes the year’s most forward-thinking and cutting-edge innovations that meaningfully improve foodservice operations. The National Restaurant Association Show is the premier event to learn about foodservice technology innovations, unique ingredients, and emerging trends in the restaurant industry, and will take place May 21-24, 2022, at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Frontline is attending the NRA show at Booth 1440 in the South Building. Attendees are invited to visit the booth to see live demonstrations of the KI Award-winning Kitchen Controller System.

Frontline International’s new higher-capacity EZ Oil Fresh Oil Dispensing System keeps 385 pounds of oil at the ready for automated fryer vat refills

Frontline International revolutionized automated cooking oil for foodservice kitchens when it introduced the EZ Fresh Oil Dispensing System, which allows boxed-bulk oil to easily route to fryer vats at the push of a button. Now, the company is introducing a new, higher-capacity version that dramatically increases the amount of oil it can store. Its 385-pound capacity immediately makes it the front-runner for use in automated cooking oil systems.

The new EZ Fresh Oil Dispensing System has three boxes of oil plumbed to an expanded reservoir, for a capacity of 280 pounds of oil tapped and ready to flow hands-free to the fryer. Plus, another 105 pounds of cooking oil store on the equipment, for 385 total pounds of cooking oil at the ready. The expansion was accomplished without adding to the footprint of original EZ Oil, allowing it to mesh seamlessly with virtually any kitchen environment.

This expanded capacity system allows operators to use higher-quality boxed bulk oil and get the same convenience as using a tank. In fact, the EZ Oil system allows even greater convenience because there’s no more waiting for tank-oil truck deliveries and no more long-term contracts. Operators simply choose the boxed oil they want to use, from a vastly wider pool of options, and have it delivered with their other regularly scheduled kitchen deliveries.

The expanded EZ Oil Fresh Oil Dispensing system is automated, hands-free, and bulk for the ultimate in quality and convenience.

“Automation is king in foodservice kitchens, but the downside has always been that large, unwieldy tank and the inconvenience of waiting for oil to be delivered. It’s delivered on the oil provider’s schedule, not on the kitchen owner’s,” said Giovanni Brienza, senior vice president of Frontline International. “The expanded EZ Oil system opens up a world of options to operators, to choose exactly the boxed bulk oil they want, free themselves from long-term contracts, and successfully automate their processes for a consistent, high-quality food product.”

Closed system collects fats, oils, and greases directly from rotisseries, convections, combitherms

In busy commercial kitchens, fats, oils, and greases are generated by many different pieces of cooking equipment alongside fryers. Grills, rotisseries, and convection and combitherm ovens must be considered as well. Unfortunately, many oil management systems are only concerned with fryer oil, leaving kitchen operators to fend for themselves when handling the many other types of waste fats and greases.

Frontline International, Inc., a leader in smart oil management solutions, makes collection equipment to handle them all, so you can collect and dispose of fats, oil, and greases safely, smartly, and sustainably.

Frontline’s newest piece of equipment is the Direct Plumb^® Oven System, which connects directly to ovens and rotisseries. Its hose attachment plugs into the cooking units to automatically suction out fats and grease from the equipment’s drip pan with no handling, dumping, or exposure to material required. Waste product is easily sucked through the hose and into the containment caddy. Then simply wheel the sealed caddy over to your used oil containment tank and pump the collected grease out of the caddy and into the tank using the same hose attachment.

The Direct Plumb^® Oven System makes safe and mess-free collection of fats and grease accessible to any commercial kitchen operator. Eliminating exposure to these cooking byproducts keeps employees safer by helping to reduce the risk of slip and fall accidents and keeps kitchens cleaner and operating more smoothly.

“Fats, oils, and greases are among the main offenders in creating potentially unsafe and unsanitary conditions in kitchens,” said Giovanni Brienza, Frontline senior vice president. “Frontline understands that, for kitchens to be truly safe, smart, and sustainable, you can’t discriminate between fats, oils, and greases. [The] Direct Plumb^® Oven System is another tool operators can use to handle these waste products holistically.”

New Kitchen Controller™ oil management system uses real-time data to more consistently and profitably cook fried foods.

Put Grease into Sustainable Biofuel, Not Sewer Drains

MINNEAPOLIS — The foodservice industry is under intense pressure to deliver consistent, quality food on razor-thin profit margins. Recognizing that proper cooking oil management plays a critical role in achieving both objectives, Cargill has joined with Frontline International to develop the Kitchen Controller™ end-to-end, automated oil management system.

The state-of-the-art solution leverages Cargill’s foodservice experience and oil quality knowledge with Frontline International’s Smart Oil Management® equipment expertise and customer relationships, providing foodservice operators with an integrated, intelligent approach to oil management.

“Proper oil management can have a huge impact on product quality and production costs. Identifying the best times to safely filter and replace oil has significant benefits, yet too often, kitchen staff end up guessing when to do these critical tasks,” said Mike Christensen, foodservice category leader for Cargill’s global edible oils business. “The Kitchen Controller system will be the first of several solutions we’re working on to address industry challenges and help shape foodservice kitchens of the future.”

The Kitchen Controller system simplifies cooking oil management by automating the oil filtering and replacement process. At the heart of the system, a fry vat sensor gathers oil quality data. The data is then analyzed by the Kitchen Controller proprietary software and fed to a touchscreen pad. Kitchen staff use the green, yellow and red on-screen indicators on the touchpad to take action with the oil. This helps to ensure consistency and quality of fried foods and improves profitability.

“The collaboration between Frontline International and Cargill is a critical component of a multiyear strategic plan for business growth driven by our ongoing investment in emerging technology in commercial foodservice,” said John Palazzo, president and CEO, Frontline International. “Value is achieved when cooking oil is viewed as more than a commodity, but a key driver of brand value and bottom-line benefit. The Kitchen Controller system literally puts operators in control of their investment in cooking oil.”

Kitchen Controller oil management system, developed in partnership with Frontline International, is the first digital solution offered to foodservice operators under the new Cargill Serve™ umbrella, an initiative to help customers streamline kitchen management. Other Cargill Serve tools are already in development, including the Kitchen Trainer™ oil management training program designed for foodservice employees and the Kitchen Advisor™ app that recommends prescriptive oil management actions to kitchen staff. Both of these solutions will be available to foodservice customers later this year.

Learn more about Kitchen Controller oil management system here.

Two-way pump avoids cross-contamination, keeps vegan dishes vegan

When is a vegan dish not a vegan dish? When it’s fried in the same oil as meat-based foods. Even if you regularly filter your cooking oil, standard filtration procedures send oil from all vats through a common plumbing system, where they become commingled. Once this pool of oil is filtered and pumped back into the vats, your vegan dishes become tainted with traces of meat from the other vats’ oil. Frontline International, creators of smart cooking oil management solutions, eliminates the problem with the new Reversible Pump Filter Machine.

With the Reversible Pump Filter Machine, the two-way pump both sucks out the oil from the individual vegan-designated vat and pumps it back in after filtering. There’s no longer any need to use the fryer’s common drain. Vegan stays vegan.

Here’s how it works. At filtration time, before draining vats, first use the Reversible Pump Filter Machine to suck used oil from the vegan tank. The machine filters the oil separate from oil drained from the other vats. When finished, reverse the pump and pump filtered oil back into the vegan vat. The oil never comes in contact with any oil used to fry meat-based food products.

Eating vegan is among the fastest-growing diets in the world, with the U.S. alone seeing a 600% increase between 2014 and 2017. The adoption of a vegan diet is in line with recent trends toward healthier eating, which has gradually been on the rise and has seen increased interest as the link emerges between a healthy lifestyle and milder COVID-19 symptoms. In short, more foodservice customers are expecting vegan options when they choose where to dine.

The Reversible Pump Filter Machine can also keep different oil types separate as well, for restaurants that offer a range of oils for different dishes. This is ideal for Frontline’s EZ Oil fresh oil system, which uses boxed oil—available in innumerable variations for health and flavor benefits—instead of bulk oil.

For more information, visit www.frontlineii.com.

Frontline’s easily wheeled Tank Tank keeps spent grease trapped inside

In many communities, retail supercenters have replaced the town square, offering a collection of products—including food—that in days gone by used to be spread among several smaller shops. This versatility brings stunning convenience to consumers, but also poses unique challenges to operators. They must find a way to be all things to all people. One aspect of this involves the diversity of food now expected to be available to shoppers, including a dizzying mix of complete take-home meals, rotisserie chicken, grab-and-go items, snacks, coffee and drinks, and full-service delis.

It’s not only hard to keep straight; it’s hard to maintain. Grease generated by cooking oil fryers, combi ovens, convection ovens, and other commercial ovens scattered throughout a location can create logistical problems, to say nothing of cleanliness issues and slip-and-fall hazards that pose a threat to both guests and employees.

Frontline International’s Tank Tank mobile waste oil collection system (Model 74SS-NA) was specifically designed for these diverse environments. The 74-gallon Tank Tank is a safe temporary tank that acts as an oversized caddy system. Containment options include pouring spent grease into the tank or using the unit’s integral pump and wand to draw oil into the tank.

Called Tank Tank because it’s an oil tank and also mobile and rugged like a military tank, it can be easily wheeled to each location and accepts multiple deposits before needing to be emptied. Once oil is housed safely inside, it can be transported with no hazardous sloshing. It’s locked in!

When the tank is full, operators can simply wheel it to a permanently positioned, centrally located containment tank and pump the used oil into the permanent tank. It helps eliminate the risk of burns, slips, and falls, which can often increase in likelihood when employees walk any distance with exposed oil. All hoses and attachments come standard on the Tank Tank, which can also serve as its own secure storage tank for smaller operations with a lower used oil turnover.

In addition to supercenter environments, the Tank Tank is also ideal for malls, sports stadiums with concession stands, conference centers, airports, casinos, and colleges and universities, among others.

Tank Tank is also available in a 47-gallon capacity (Model 47SS-NA) for smaller operations.

Two decades of “Smart Oil Management^®”

The year 2000 wasn’t just the start of a new millennium, it also ushered in a new era in cooking oil handling for foodservice. That was the year Frontline International created the Smart Oil Management category—and in 2020, the company celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Founder and president John Palazzo had spent his career in diverse industries, including aerospace, healthcare, and consulting for Fortune 500 companies before transitioning to the foodservice industry. He understood how to build a company for longevity and growth. He also knew there was a better way to increase safety, savings, and sustainability in foodservice kitchens via the thoughtful, well-planned, and well-executed management of cooking oil.

Frontline International, Palazzo’s company, introduced the first closed system, in which there was little or no need to touch oil throughout its life cycle—from the moment of its introduction into the fryer, to its accumulation in tanks, to its collection by renderers. Frontline’s approach was modular, scalable, and easily customizable to suit any kitchen environment. It revolutionized foodservice’s approach to cooking oil.

Products borne of the Frontline method include EZ Oil^®, Auto Top-Off, Direct-Plumbed^® Waste Oil Systems, smart containment tanks, and the Grill Grease Caddy, to name a few. Frontline built in other attractive features, such as the ability to collect data on cooking oil management in order to adjust usage and further maximize efficiency and profits. It was a revolutionary cradle-to-grave approach to cooking oil usage that forever changed how foodservice kitchens would operate.

The company’s products are marketed under the umbrella theme Smart Oil Management^®.

Now—20 years, tens of thousands of installations, and six continents later—Frontline International pauses for a brief moment to consider all it has accomplished in a very short time. “I want to thank the hundreds of customers who have trusted us to make their oil handling safer, more profitable, and more sustainable,” said Palazzo. “We began Frontline because we knew there was a better way, but without customers willing to embrace change, we never would have had our proving ground.”