If you’ve opened a restaurant in the past ten years in the New York area, you might know Dennis DeCicco and Joe Steckmeister from Singer Equipment Company.
This dynamic duo is responsible for overseeing hundreds of job sites, working in partnership with consultants and designers to specify and install kitchen equipment all over the metropolitan area of New York. “Every single job that we do, we do together,” says Steckmeister, Senior Account Executive for Singer M. Tucker. “This is not an individual sport for us. This is a team sport.” Teamwork makes the dream work, they say, and so does thoughtful collaboration. “Is it up to the standards that you would put your name on it? That’s what we expect from our team,” says DeCicco, Project Director.
A name was certainly on the line at Hunter Restaurant in Long Island. Executive Chef and Owner Hunter Wells’ signature is not just on the façade of the building in East Norwich, but on the dinnerware and face masks donned by waitstaff during service. It was equally important that the flow and utility of the Hunter kitchen also had his signature.
For this, Wells and business partner Adam Rand of AGR Hospitality enlisted Next Step Design.
“There are parts of this kitchen that express that this place is the home and job of the owner,” says Wells.
Rand agrees: “You walk into the kitchen and it doesn’t just look like stoves and burners. It feels like a piece of art.”
One such detail is the bright aquamarine tile backsplash behind the line, only visible to guests in the moments when the kitchen door swings open during the flow of service. This was another team decision made possible with the consultation of Bentel & Bentel, the architecture firm that designed Hunter Restaurant.
“It’s becoming a trend in back of house kitchens to give a little bit of a moment,” says Leif Billings, Vice President for the Northeast Division for Next Step Design. “Most kitchens are very industrial and white. If you’re lucky, you might get subway tile. Putting a little color here and there certainly creates a more exciting work environment.”
There’s excitement aplenty with the equipment that Next Step Design specified for this project. A custom Jade cooking suite sits flush against the wall, with the broiler at center, a unique configuration which has proven instrumental in the success of Hunter’s menu, inspired by old world French and Mediterranean cuisine.
It’s exactly what diners of the COVID era are looking for; comfortable cuisine, presented thoughtfully, in a safe environment. The dining room is adorned with protective acrylic shields, supplied by Singer, that are so transparent, they’re almost barely there. After all, Hunter opened at the center of the pandemic, so the ‘new’ normal isn’t new to their team.
“You’ll always feel safe in Hunter’s restaurant,” says Billings. Clean lines and fixtures were a cornerstone of Hunter’s original vision, even before the pandemic hit.
The menu is approachable and inspires guests to treat themselves to dishes sculpted around the Chef’s local purveyors.
“People want the classics. We’re delivering that to them,” says Rand. “We’ve been able to source and work with great vendors paired with great equipment, like our Jade broiler that achieves that great char. I think that’s where Jade was a big plus for us. We felt that was where money should be spent.”
For operators, money matters, and so does service. The trifecta of local service from the architect, designer and suppliers for Hunter makes it sing.
“A lot of people local is a great thing, says Rand. “Having a company like Singer that’s end-to-end was important especially for our first restaurant. It worked out really well,” says Rand.
In addition to the equipment, Hunter’s entire tabletop specification and many of the restaurant’s kitchen smallwares were supplied by Singer Equipment Company. Singer is proud to be your local supplier for kitchen equipment and supplies. For more information on starting your restaurant project, visit us online or email us at marketing@singerequipment.com.
