Choosing Condiment Dispensers for Restaurants & Foodservice
When outfitting a restaurant, bar, buffet, concession stand, or other concept with condiment dispensers, there are more than a dozen types to choose from. Some are designed for specific uses, and others can be used for different sauces; some can be used by employees and by guests, but others are better suited for back-of-house applications. Our guide below will walk you through your options and select the best condiment dispenser for your foodservice operation.
Which Condiment Dispensers Do You Need?
The type of condiment dispenser your operation needs depends on what you're serving and who's adding the toppings to food. Popular toppings include warm sauces – melted chocolate, liquid cheese, and hot caramel and syrup, to name a few – that must be held in heated dispensers best suited for use by employees, as well as ketchup and mustard in squeeze bottles, dry seasonings and flavorings poured from shakers, and other room-temperature condiments kept at the table.
Electric Topping Dispensers & Warmers
Electric topping dispensers are also called sauce warmers, heat-and-serve warmers, and topping warmers. These are used to warm and serve a variety of toppings that are best enjoyed hot, including fudge, nacho cheese, and caramel. Those made specifically for a certain topping may be identified as such in the product name, as with fudge servers and syrup servers.
Pump-style dispensers are the most common design, though you'll find a few other styles.
- Dip warmers, which have one or two wells that hold melted chocolate or other coating options, are commonly used in ice cream shops to dip cones and other treats.
- Some models have a ladle-and-lid setup, so toppings can be poured over food items rather than dispensed from a pump. These can be useful for adding warm toppings to nachos, salads, and other large servings of food.
- Syrup warmers – cylindrical metal containers that hold one or several gallons – are distinct from other servers because they dispense with a spigot rather than a pump or ladle.
Condiment Pumps
Condiment pumps and stations store and dispense toppings, such as ketchup, mustard, tartar sauce, and barbecue sauce. Some can keep condiments cool, but most are only designed to keep sauces stored at room temperature. Dispenser pumps can have between one and six pumps, each meant to dispense from its own source, and many can be adjusted to dispense a specific amount – such as 1⁄4, 1⁄2, and 1 ounce – to help with portion control and prevent waste. Condiments are dispensed by pressing down on the top of the pump handle, so they can be easily used by customers in front-of-house operations.
Squeeze Bottles & Sauce Bottle Warmers
Squeeze bottles are translucent or semi-transparent; some are colored, with red (for ketchup) and yellow (for mustard) being the most popular. They're available with a cone-shaped tip or a flat top, the latter of which is used to squeeze dressings and sauces onto salads and subs. Squeeze bottles storing room-temperature condiments pair well with metal holders – usually made of stainless steel and designed to keep several bottles organized in one space – while squeeze bottle warmers can be used to keep sauces warm and ready to serve. Safely dispense refrigerated sauces by storing squeeze bottles in ice wells or other organizational systems meant to keep perishable foods refrigerated on serving lines.
Nacho Cheese Dispensers
Melted cheese is a crucial part of serving up satisfying nachos, and nacho cheese dispensers keep cheese warm and ready to dispense. These come in a variety of styles – pump, ladle, and button-activated dispensing – but a combination cheese-and-chip merchandiser can provide a two-in-one solution for concession stands, snack bars, and other small operations. Many heated condiment dispensers are suitable for nacho cheese, but those made specifically for this topping include eye-catching graphics to advertise the product to passersby.
Popcorn Butter & Butter Dispensers
Enthusiasts of popcorn, another concession stand favorite, tend to agree that no bag or bucket of popcorn is complete without their favorite topping. Popcorn butter and butter dispensers keep plenty of your preferred butter-flavored liquid warmed and ready to dispense from a pump-style or button-activated dispenser or with a ladle.
Butter Servers & Warmers
Butter servers and warmers make melted butter available at the table and along the buffet line, usually offered alongside seafood or fresh bread. These may be ceramic ramekins or metal pans paired with a votive that gently heats the butter inside, but some available options hold melted butter without an ongoing heat source.
Salad Dressing Bottles & Syrup Dispensers
Salad dressing bottles and syrup dispensers are made of either plastic or glass, with metal or plastic sliding pour spouts that can be operated with one hand. These are best for keeping toppings at tables or along the buffet line to let guests add their own dressings to salads or syrup to pancakes, waffles, toast, and breakfast meat.
Cruets are the classic option for offering oil and vinegar alongside a salad bar, and give upscale operations a more sophisticated way to display dressings.
Whipped Cream Dispensers
Whipped cream dispensers may be self-contained devices that aerate liquids or be as simple as a chilled container that keeps cans of whipped cream chilled. Dessert shops and restaurants offering milkshakes, ice cream, pies, and other baked goods may add whipped cream to complete the experience, but whipped cream dispensers are also useful in coffee shops to top lattes and cappuccinos.
Dry Food & Cereal Dispenser
Dry product dispensers keep one or several liters of cereal, candy, and other types of dry food safely stored in buffets, dessert shops, breakfast bars, cafeterias, and ice cream parlors offering decadently topped milkshakes. These can also be used to store large quantities of sugar and other sweeteners instead of providing individual packets.
Tabletop Shaker & Pourers
Shakers are kept on tables at pizza restaurants and filled with red pepper flakes or grated cheese, but the lid holes on some models are small enough to dispense cinnamon, powdered sugar, and other spices. Sugar bowls and pourers keep ample amounts of sugar near your coffee station so customers can help themselves, either poured from a glass dispenser or spooned out from a decorative bowl.
Condiment Dispenser Parts & Accessories
Condiment dispenser parts and accessories will keep your units maintained, whether you need additional lids for squeeze bottles or shakers, replacement parts for the inner workings of the dispenser, or new pumps for pump dispensers.
