Maria and Gilberto Romero opened the first Taco Nazo location in La Puente, Calif., in 1978. Today, Taco Nazo has 4 additional locations, one of which is in El Monte. After 15 years in their current building, they decided they needed to make some significant changes in the storage spaces in their back of house.
“We really want to see a change because the storage is not the best. We don’t have a whole lot of room to work with, but not having the right shelving doesn’t help,” said Thelma Garcia, The Romeros’ daughter and owner of Taco Nazo.
Garcia had 3 main problems they wanted to correct, and Cambro products helped solve them.
1. Unused Valuable Space
What do you do when you run out of square footage? Look up! Like many kitchens, Taco Nazo was constrained by small storage spaces. Typically, people think of their storage units on the floor, but wall shelving is an effective way to increase your storage capacity without making your space bigger. They were able to add 21 feet of wall storage with Camshelving® Wall Shelves.
Made with the same durable materials as Camshelving Premium Series, each shelf can support up to 150 lbs. and comes with a lifetime guarantee against rust and corrosion.
“They love [the wall shelving] and they actually love having the one over the little hand sink, they like having the fish grinder there and the tomato cutter. They don’t have to come out to the back to grab it, it’s just right there,” said Garcia.
2. Shelving that Does the Bare Minimum
Shelving is meant to hold stuff, and that’s just about the only thing metal shelving does correctly. The metal shelving at Taco Nazo was rusty, difficult to clean and its design make it difficult for them to effectively use the corners. Because of the poles on each of the shelving units, it was very difficult for staff to reach anything stored behind them.
“Because of the metal, it’s hard to keep it clean. They scrub it and clean it, but then it won’t be long before the grease can stick to it again. We fry food, so it’s like you can’t get away from it. They definitely have to take it apart and take everything off and put in so many hours labor to do that. It’s difficult.”
Camshelving works smarter, not harder. Rust-free and non-corrosive, Camshelving has the ability to share posts, allowing employees to easily access anything stored in the corner of the units. Plus, Camshelving shelf plates can be easily cleaned with a cloth or taken off and run through a commercial dishwasher.
3. Inefficient Can Storage
“Well, the problem with the cans is that they’re over in front of the refrigerators, and they’re heavy, so we put them down below, but it’s hard for them to reach down and pick them up,” said Garcia.
Employees not only wasted time walking over to the shelving that held the #10 cans, but they also had to pull them out to find the type of food they needed.
The Ultimate #10 Can Rack is essential for operations that use cans on a daily basis. Rust-free, durable and easy to clean, the Ultimate #10 Can Rack has a front loading, gravity fed design to guarantee FIFO (First In, First Out). Plus, they added their can racks to the end of the Camshelving so that employees could reach it more quickly and safely.
“Having the Ultimate #10 Can Rack up front is so much easier if you need something, it’s handy, and it’s easier to put cans in there and take them out. It’s great,” said Garcia.
When there’s Cambro, there’s a way! If you’re frustrated by the lack of space and organization in your kitchen, contact your local Cambro sales rep to get started on a solution today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ADRIANA DESIDERIO IS THE DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AT CAMBRO.
