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Market Segments

Tucs can be a strategic partner in lowering food and labor costs.

TUCS staff

According to the National Restaurant Association, the foodservice industry is forecast to reach $898B in sales in 2022, and the foodservice industry workforce is projected to grow by 400,000 jobs, for total industry employment of 14.9M by the end of 2022.

Tucs Equipment serves many segments in the foodservice market including:

The college foodservice market refers to the industry that provides food and beverage services to college and university students. These services can include dining halls, cafeterias, food courts, snack bars, and other outlets that offer meals and snacks to students on campus.

College foodservice can be provided by a variety of different entities, including the college or university itself, a food service management company, or a private vendor. In some cases, food service may be run by a combination of these entities, with the college or university overseeing the overall operation and contracting out certain aspects of the service to third parties.

One of the key characteristics of the college foodservice market is the high demand for convenient, affordable, and varied food options. College students often have busy schedules and may not have time to cook for themselves, so they rely on campus food service for their meals. As a result, college foodservice providers must offer a range of options to appeal to a diverse student body, including vegetarian and vegan options, international cuisine, and healthier alternatives to traditional fast food.

In addition to the logistical challenges of running a college foodservice operation, providers must also grapple with economic and regulatory issues. For example, they may have to adhere to food safety regulations, negotiate contracts with suppliers, and manage budgets and pricing to ensure that their services are sustainable and profitable.

Hospital food service refers to the food and meal services provided to patients, visitors, and staff in hospitals. These services can be provided in various ways, such as through in-house food service departments, contract food service companies, or a combination of both.

In-house food service departments are typically responsible for managing all aspects of food service within the hospital, including menu planning, food preparation, and serving. They may also manage the hospital's cafeterias and vending machines.

Contract food service companies, on the other hand, are third-party companies that provide food service to hospitals on a contract basis. They may provide a range of services, including menu planning, food preparation, and serving, as well as managing the hospital's cafeterias and vending machines.

Hospital food service is a crucial component of patient care, as it can have a significant impact on patient satisfaction and outcomes. As such, hospitals place a high emphasis on ensuring that the food they serve is of high quality, safe, and nutritious. They also strive to offer a variety of options to meet the diverse dietary needs and preferences of their patients.

The hospital food service market is a highly competitive industry, with various players offering a range of food service solutions to hospitals.

There are many different ways that a restaurant chain might prepare bulk food and sauces, but some common practices include:

    Prepping ingredients in advance: Many restaurant chains prep ingredients in advance to save time during the busy service period. This might include chopping vegetables, marinating meats, or making large batches of sauces.

    Using central kitchens: Some restaurant chains have central kitchens where food is prepared in bulk and then distributed to individual restaurants. This can be more efficient and cost-effective than preparing everything on site.

    Using pre-made products: Some restaurant chains use pre-made products, such as frozen or pre-cut vegetables, to save time and labor costs. These products are often of high quality and can be used to prepare a variety of dishes.

    Using specialized equipment: Restaurant chains may use specialized equipment, such as large mixers or food processors, to prepare sauces and other bulk items. This can help to streamline the process and ensure consistency across locations.

    Standardizing recipes: Many restaurant chains have standardized recipes that are used across all locations. This helps to ensure that the food tastes the same no matter where it is being served.

Overall, the key to preparing bulk food and sauces in a restaurant chain is to have a well-organized system in place that allows for efficient and consistent food production. This may involve a combination of advance prep, central kitchens, specialized equipment, and standardized recipes.

The military food service market refers to the industry that provides food to military personnel and their families. This can include everything from feeding soldiers in the field to providing meals in military dining facilities. Military food service providers must adhere to strict regulations and standards for food safety and quality, as well as meet the unique nutritional and logistical needs of military operations. The market for military food service is diverse, with a mix of private companies and government agencies working to meet the food needs of military personnel around the world.

The casino food service market refers to the business of providing food and beverage services to customers in casinos. This can include restaurants, bars, and other dining establishments within the casino, as well as food and beverage service for events and conventions held at the casino. The market for casino food service is typically driven by the overall popularity and success of the casino, as well as the quality and variety of food and beverage options offered. Casino food service can be a significant source of revenue for casinos, as customers often spend a significant amount of money on food and beverages while on the premises. In order to be successful in the casino food service market, it is important for establishments to offer high-quality, diverse, and reasonably priced food and beverage options, as well as excellent customer service.

Correctional food service refers to the provision of meals to individuals who are incarcerated in detention facilities, such as prisons and jails. These facilities may be operated by government agencies or private companies, and they typically have a contract with a food service provider to supply meals to inmates. The food service provider is responsible for purchasing, storing, preparing, and serving the food according to guidelines set by the detention facility and local health regulations.

The correctional food service market is a specialized niche within the broader food service industry, and it is subject to unique challenges and regulations. For example, correctional facilities have strict security measures in place to prevent contraband, including food, from entering the facility. In addition, the food service provider must be able to accommodate the diverse dietary needs and preferences of inmates, who may have allergies, cultural or religious restrictions, or other special dietary requirements.

Correctional food service providers may be responsible for providing all of the meals served in the detention facility, or they may only be responsible for certain meals or certain parts of the meal service process. Some food service providers may also be responsible for managing the food service staff and training them in food safety and handling practices.

Overall, the correctional food service market is a complex and specialized industry that plays an important role in the operation of detention facilities and the well-being of inmates.

A central kitchen is a type of food production facility that is responsible for preparing and producing food items for distribution to other locations. This can include restaurants, catering businesses, and other food service establishments.

In a central kitchen, food is typically prepared in large quantities using industrial equipment and commercial-grade appliances. This allows the kitchen to efficiently produce a large volume of food items in a short amount of time.

The central kitchen may also have specialized equipment and facilities for tasks such as baking, cooking, and refrigeration. In some cases, the central kitchen may also have facilities for packaging and distributing the finished products to the various locations where they will be served.

Central kitchens are often used by food service businesses as a way to centralize their food production and streamline their operations. This can help to reduce costs and improve efficiency, as well as allowing the business to maintain a consistent level of quality across all of its locations.
TUCS SUPPORT

MEET THE TUCS TEAM

Innovation and dedication are part of our daily routine at TUCS Equipment. You can count on our team of professionals to exceed your expectations regarding your foodservice and food processing equipment needs.

Stan Walker

Marty Tucs

CEO

[Phone number here]

In 1985 Marty Tucs started TUCS Equipment with a focus on volumetric piston pumps. Customer requests led to the creation of form fill seal packaging machines in 1991, followed by high-volume linear chillers, pack tanks and kettles for industrial food processors.

In 2004, TUCS began designing a Cook-Chill product line specifically for the food service industry and by 2008, Tucs Equipment had outgrown their manufacturing facility and moved into their 80,000 SF operation in Princeton, MN.

Al Caldiero

Alfonse Caldiero

DIRECTOR OF SALES, EASTERN REGION 

1-763-202-5566 Mobile

Al Caldiero has been a food service director since 1986. Al has experience working with third party management companies, as well as self-operated facilities. Al served as Upstate regional healthcare manager while also working as Director at Erie County Medical Center. He was the Support Services Director at Our Lady of Victory Hospital and most recently Director of Food and Nutrition at the University of Rochester Medical Center (Strong Hospital) Al has extensive experience with all types of healthcare and retail food service operations including cook-chill, room service and catering.

Ted Kolstad, CFSP

Rob Mattoch

DIRECTOR OF SALES, WESTERN REGION

[Phone number here]

Based in Colorado, Rob Mattoch oversees sales in the western region for TUCS Equipment. His diverse work history equips him with both extensive culinary expertise and specialty kitchen equipment sales experience. His passion for the culinary industry began in a dish room at age fourteen. Over the next two decades, his career spanned from casual cuisine to fine dining as he earned two culinary degrees, including one from the Culinary Institute of America. It was during these years that he learned first-hand two truths about food service. First, a team can only go so far without the right equipment. Second, to overcome the constraints of the day, cook-chill is the only way.

CAD Engineering Team

CAD Engineering Team

TOM AFFELDT, FOODSERVICE CAD ENGINEER

[Phone number here]

Technical CAD engineer focusing on TUCS Foodservice Products.

Bruce Axtell & Sergio Maldonado

Bruce Axtell & Sergio Maldonado

SYSTEMS CONTROL ENGINEER & ASSEMBLY, ELECTRICAL

[Phone number here]

Bruce is responsible for designing the electrical control panels for all Tucs equipment to include Ethernet and wireless remote diagnostic capabilities.

Customer Service Team

Customer Service Team

SALLY TUCS, DOROTHY HOLMES, LIN PETERSON

[Phone number here]

Our friendly and knowledgable customer service team is standing by to help.

Finance

Finance

Rita Dougherty keeps things running smoothly in our finance department.

Parts & Shipping

Parts & Shipping

Parts and shipping are ready to get you what you need when you need it.

Service

Service

Service Bio Coming Soon

TUCS EQUIPMENT

FAQ’s

Questions? View our FAQs for answers!

A cook-chill system is a food preservation technology in which foods are fully cooked, rapidly chilled, refrigerated for storage, and reheated before serving. This technology, unlike cook-hot hold technology, can preserve the nutritional and sensory properties of food and produce high-quality products.

Sous vide is a specialized form of a cook–chill system in which product shelf-life is extended from the normal 5 days up to as long as 42 days. Food is cooked slowly in a plastic bag, vacuum packed, and then refrigerated until required for use. The product can then be removed from the pouch or re-heated directly in the pouch prior to service.

The trough shaped vessel is designed with a multi-speed horizontal agitator. The agitator gently lifts the heavy particulates from the bottom to the top while pulling the floating particulates to the bottom in a gentle mixing and folding action. This is important not only during cooking but also during pumping. This design provides for a more even distribution of liquids and particulates during packaging than traditional conical shaped kettles.

85-PSI steam heat provides instant 334F-degrees to the inner kettle jacket for ability to braise and brown proteins. Most gas heated kettles are rated at 50-PSI or 298F-degrees but take a long time to reach full temperature. Direct steam kettles cool down quickly or can be flooded with recirculating chilled water, whereas gas units retain the temperature at shut down and cool slowly which may affect food quality.

The air agitation of water in the Batch Chiller moves the pouches (200 one-gallon) and quantities will take 2.5 to 3 hours continually to effectively pull the heat (BTU’s) out of the hot food in 45-90 minutes depending on the density of the food. If compared to blast-chilling these same products and quantity would take 2.5 to 4 hours or more.

Piston pump includes tapered stainless 3”-diameter port to gently draw cooked food into the dispensing nozzle. Repeat volumes of repeat batches can be easily noted on the etched scale on the total open pump base. Rotary lobe pump requires electrical plus air to operate and requires use of rubber vulcanized lobes which are easily damaged. Rotary lobe pumps count revolutions to equate to volume measure. Enclosed cabinet base is hard to keep clean.
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