Shayne Varnum is the LEED GA, Director, Consultant Services & North Region for Hobart-Traulsen-Baxter. Total Food Service sat down with him and discussed his history in the hospitality and foodservice industries, current endeavors and next steps.
Can you please share your background with our readers. Where did you grow up? How did you get involved in the industry?
I grew up on the south shore in Massachusetts. My first job in the industry was working in a donut shop as a porter. From there I started working at a local pizza chain and began to realize how much I loved providing good customer service. It was then that I realized that a career in hospitality was exactly what I wanted to do.
Can you walk us through your career path?
I graduated from the University of Massachusetts @ Amherst with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Restaurant Management. I began my professional career with Aramark in the business services division as a Food Service Director including many stops in Business and Industry accounts. During that time, I was certified in professional Retail Operations Management. I then had the opportunity to work the non-profit sector with the Boy Scouts of America as a Senior District Executive for Old Colony Council and served as their Food Service Director.
I presently serve on the Society of Hospitality and Foodservice Management’s (SHFM) Board of Directors and their Industry Advisory Board. I received the Robert Pacifico Award from SHFM in 2017. I also serve on the Foodservice Consultant Society International (FCSI) Allied Advisory Council, Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF) Education Committee, and serve as the Chair of the Industry Advisory Task Force for the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS). Lastly, I serve on the Board of Directors for the Senior Dining Association (SDA).
When/what brought you to Hobart/ITW?
I am celebrating 15 years working for the Hobart Corporation. I began as a Territory Sales Manager where my responsibilities included growing the Hobart-Traulsen-Vulcan brands in northern New England. I valued the opportunity to work with end users in each market segment to understand their unique needs, while partnering with the dealer channel to deliver a solution. I also managed the consultant relationships with design and technical expertise. To accomplish that I studied and received my food safety and sanitation certification through the National Restaurant Association including ServSafe Certified.
My current role is the Director for Consultant Services and Northern Sales. I serve as the corporate liaison to both the facility design community and, operators in several industry segments. Among my responsibilities are to interface with the consultant community, architects, and leaders from all segments of the non-commercial foodservice industry including Healthcare (all facets), Higher Education, Corrections, Military, Recreation, Culinary and Lodging. My goal is to work with our team to help build and maintain relationships within the hospitality industry.
There’s lots of equipment options in the marketplace. What makes Hobart/Baxter/Traulsen different?
Everything we do and the equipment and technologies we bring to market are all designed with our customers in mind. It’s about listening to and understanding our customers’ challenges and priorities; then delivering the very best customer support, experience and equipment to address their pain points and priorities. We believe what sets us (and our equipment) apart is our consistent dedication to addressing these pain points and priorities, focusing on delivering (1) the highest quality, most durable equipment that our customers can trust to perform in the most challenging kitchen environments, (2) the lowest total cost of ownership, reducing the burden of costs and stress over time due to unplanned downtime, energy and water consumption and labor requirements, (3) equipment and technologies designed to combat risks to food safety, (4) equipment and technologies designed to promote sustainability.
There’s a whole new generation that may not even realize that Traulsen has very deep NYC roots.
Traulsen was founded by Harry Traulsen in Queens, New York in 1938. For more than 80 years, Traulsen is proud to have become recognized as the premier commercial refrigeration manufacturer in the U.S.
What’s your read on the opportunities that exist in the Northeast marketplace? Categories: Restaurants, B&I?
The Northeast continues to be the place where restaurateurs go to validate success. The culture demands high-quality food and beverage along with an expectation of an amazing hospitality experience, all while being in a fast paced environment. The B&I segment has much the same demands and expectations. Technology is changing everything today. The speed of service, ordering in advance and Amazon Go style service, Self-checkout technology, Cooking technology, and robotics. Food Safety remains a top priority making sure the food served is safe, healthy and local. Having healthy snacks that are readily available and easy to access are important for B&I and its employees. A large amount of the members for SHFM (Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management) are from the Northeast. SHFM continues to be the place where the most influential professionals in our industry go to for insight. The Northeast is the boiling pot for new innovation!
With all the imported products, how do you retain the integrity of the brand and not end up in a pricing race to the bottom?
We believe our steadfast commitment to our customers and our focus on quality, performance, lowest total cost of ownership, food safety and sustainability, accompanied by the support of the industry’s only factory-trained service organization, positions us to effectively maintain the integrity of our brands and our ability to justify the value we offer to our customers.
How has e-commerce pressured and changed the marketplace?
Internet and e-commerce have opened new opportunities for engaging our buyers and conveniently getting our equipment to market. It has also made it increasingly easy for sellers to sell and buyers to buy beyond the bounds of geographic limitations. For this reason, it has opened the door for increased global competition, which too often leads to competitive pricing reduction and greater challenges in getting our message/value justification heard amidst all the competitive noise. A big part of being heard amidst the noise requires us to be present when buyers are searching for information online (which has become the primary channel for which buyers research equipment). For this reason, our approach to informing buyers has shifted significantly toward the use of online channels and making content available. Making this shift and creating corresponding content is no small task. Additionally, we now face a new and sometimes challenging responsibility to maintain a fair and balanced selling opportunity between online dealers and physical dealers as it relates to competitive price promotion. Without geographic boundaries, online dealers have a larger audience than local and regional physical dealers, which offers opportunity for increased equipment transactions and the corresponding ability to be more flexible in discounting—a potentially catastrophic disadvantage for brick and mortar dealers if not regulated. Brick and mortar dealers are an extremely valuable part of the distribution channel and support system for buyers. We continue to work hard to maintain an equal standard in regard to advertised pricing policy.
How are changing menus trends impacting your customers’s needs? What additions (e.g., Centerline, etc.) are you making to respond to those needs?
Menus are getting more creative and diverse, commonly leveraging “farm to table” and “from scratch” applications. All the while, available space for equipment is limited, preventing the addition of single-purpose equipment in kitchens. Likewise, we continuously look for ways to make our equipment and technologies support more diversified application needs. We also recognize a growing need (especially with independent restaurants) for quality and reliable yet simple and affordable equipment options, whereas operations don’t always require the advanced technology features or extreme environment/application performance capabilities that come with our premium line of equipment. For this reason, we’ve introduced Centerline—a line of simple, affordable food preparation and dishwashing equipment designed with the needs of today’s modern kitchen in mind, backed by the quality and reliability that comes with the Hobart name.
You’re blessed in New York with an iconic rep: PBAC. What is the role of the rep and how is it evolving?
Their objective is to sell all the Hobart, Traulsen and Baxter products within the scope of the dealer and Food Equipment Group. The responsibility for calling on Foodservice Consultants have never been more important to provide technical assistance, product and application knowledge along with an understanding of back-of-house flow. Calling on end users is essential as it helps develop relationships and a basic understanding of how our products can help meet their needs. Communication amongst all players is key as it helps provide insight and pain points that our customers feel on a daily basis. We are able to take the voice of the customer and help drive our customers’ back innovation process.
What’s the next step for a dealer/end-user operator that wants more info on Hobart/Baxter/Traulsen?
For more information, visit us online at Hobart, Baxter or Traulsen, or connect with us via facebook (@Hobart, @Baxter, @Traulsen) or simply give us a call 800-777-2828. We’d love to hear from you!
