The restaurant To Rom og Kjøkken got off with a fright after investing in cold storage monitoring. In June 2022, they installed El-Watch temperature sensors in their refrigerators and cold rooms. Their investment paid off two months later when the alarm went off, preventing major losses.
To Rom og Kjøkken is what we consider a fine dining restaurant at the heart of Trondheim, Norway. It means we aim to show the best this part of Norway has to offer of first-rate ingredients and service. It also means that we need good cooperating partners, such as El-Watch.
Roar Hildonen, CEO and owner of To Rom og Kjøkken
In June 2022, To Rom og Kjøkken decided to protect their ingredients, wine, and craft beer with refrigeration monitoring. They opted to choose El-Watch’s IoT-based solutions with wireless temperature sensors and app-driven monitoring.
“After careful consideration, we chose El-Watch for its good service. Their system was very easy to install and understand, and we were given excellent follow-up afterwards.”
Roar Hildonen, To Rom og Kjøkken
Please feel free to contact El-Watch for more information on refrigeration monitoring
When the alarm went off at To Rom og Kjøkken’s cold room
“On a Saturday evening, we suddenly got an alarm about increased temperatures at one of our cold rooms. We wouldn’t have noticed it if it hadn’t been for the sensors. Because it was discovered quickly, we were able to save our ingredients and maintain quality.”
Roar Hildonen, To Rom og Kjøkken
The Neuron Sensor App triggered an alarm due to an abnormal rise in temperature, which made To Rom og Kjøkken aware of a cold room failure. Swift response to the alarm averted the crisis, saved the materials, and maintained restaurant operations.
Our investment into refrigeration monitoring practically paid for itself thanks to what we saved that evening. If it hadn’t been for the early warning about the temperature increase, we would’ve risked having to throw away raw ingredients for tens of thousands of Norwegian kroner.
– Roar Hildonen, To Rom og Kjøkken
Product
Neuron Temperature IP67
The Neuron Temperature IP67 is a small and compact sensor for measuring temperature and suited for a wide range of applications.
Three things To Rom og Kjøkken gained from investing in cold storage monitoring
In the restaurant industry, it is not uncommon to manually keep logs to comply with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s regulations for an unbroken cold chain. This task can be made simpler and more efficient with IoT monitoring, as the task can be completed through the use of a smartphone regardless of where the staff is located.
“Without a doubt, it has been a good investment for us. It gives us a sense of security to know that we are always being looked after and that our raw ingredients are being stored at an optimal temperature. We feel that El-Watch’s system works excellently for our needs.”
Roar Hildonen, To Rom og Kjøkken
Many opt for manual refrigeration to save resources, but modern methods are often better for cutting costs. The widespread use of smart technology in society has reduced the prices of IoT technology. Automated monitoring and predictive maintenance have become manageable investments for small and medium-sized businesses.
This brings us to one of the most important aspects of IoT-based refrigeration monitoring: it allows businesses to predict accidents before major damage can occur. Had the employees not noticed that something in the cold room was awry (and not a rye), the company would have lost more than some food goods.
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In general, the biggest losses do not come from replacing equipment or raw ingredients but from unexpected stops in production or service. If To Rom og Kjøkken had lost their food, they would likely have had to shut down the restaurant the next day or perhaps even through the whole weekend.
Instead, the food was saved without putting any employees out of work or forcing guests to cancel their dinner plans. It also gave To Rom og Kjøkken (and El-Watch) a golden opportunity to promote their reliability, even when faced with major challenges.
In sum, To Rom og Kjøkken gained the following
- Valuable goods were saved, and nothing went to waste
- The restaurant’s operations could continue
- The restaurant’s reputation was strengthened
How automated cold storage monitoring ensures secure restaurant operations
Automated monitoring eliminates human error and establishes a new level of safety. This allows us to ensure operational stability while complying with the Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s regulations. El-Watch has been working hard to make refrigeration monitoring as user-friendly as possible.
For this reason, refrigeration cooling with wireless IoT sensors is now simpler and more secure than ever. The sensors are installed quickly and with no fuss using tape or cable ties. Once installed, they measure the temperature every three seconds and continuously save reports.
All monitoring and reporting are saved to cloud storage and can easily be checked and analyzed through our Neuron Sensor App. The app was designed with industrial safety and customer-friendliness in mind. Everyone with access can keep up and take action if a critical situation arises.
The app can easily be configured for specific purposes, such as setting off an alarm when unexpected temperature changes occur. This may be a result of someone forgetting to close the freezer room door, or as in the case of To Rom og Kjøkken, cold room failure.
El-Watch’s solutions are more complete than ever
Did you know that El-Watch offers more than 50 types of sensors? We can monitor everything from cold room temperatures and pieces of meat to machine vibrations and transformer liquid temperatures.
We have sensors that monitor whether doors/windows are open, whether the humidity in vertical agriculture is optimal, whether your ventilation system is wasting too much electricity and much more. View our range of sensors here.
We have worked extensively on developing solutions that make it easier for companies in the food and beverage industry to monitor their refrigeration chains in accordance with the requirements of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. You can read more about this in our article “Refrigeration monitoring: Financial & environmental sustainability in one”.
You can also read several articles with customer success stories on our website. Among other things, you can read about how the lumber producer Talgø MøreTre made millions by investing a few thousand NOK in El-Watch sensors and IoT-based monitoring.