Wells Dry Food Wells Introduce Improved Design

Food wells are a critical part of chef stations, hot food displays, and buffets, where they're put to work to keep hot food fresh and safe. Wet wells and traditional steamtables tend to come with a host of problems stemming from the water they require, and traditional dry wells have had issues with inconsistent heating and scorching food. Wells has raised the bar with the introduction of their new dry food wells that are built to solve many of the common problems associated with traditional food wells.

Easy Installation

The first major advantage these Wells food warmers have over wet wells is convenient, cost-saving installation. Dry wells eliminate the need for any plumbing work, which saves operators the headache of installing incoming water lines and drains. Since dry wells require fewer modifications to your facility, you're likely to have more choices in where your new equipment can be installed.

Wellslock hardware attaches the equipment to metal counters up to one quarter of an inch thick. Extension kits are available for installing the equipment in wood and plastic counters. The equipment comes in one-, two-, three-, four, and five-well versions to fit just about any application, from single-well soup warmers to full-size buffet lines. These are all the same standard size as Wells' and many competitors' traditional warmers, so they can serve as direct replacements to older equipment. Their control panels are also designed to fit standard-sized cutouts.

Reduced Labor & Maintenance Costs

A huge chunk of the costs associated with operating a wet food well comes in the form of labor expenses. Equipment that depends on water needs to be constantly monitored and topped off, or else it runs the risk of running dry, scorching the food it holds, and potentially becoming ruined. Dry wells eliminate those issues altogether.

Wet wells also come with a host of cleaning and maintenance requirements. Operators are all too familiar with the havoc hard water can wreak on any equipment that comes in contact with it. Dry wells never have to be descaled, and they'll never fall victim to the rust, and wear and tear water inflicts on steel. Not to mention dry wells eliminate leaks that water-dependent equipment can develop, which can damage nearby fixtures and cost you even more than the price to replace the food well itself.

Even with well-maintained wet wells, water is bound to get on the floor as food pans are swapped out during the day, creating a slip hazard for your guests and members of staff. The steam that escapes from wet wells is a safety hazard, too. All of these risks are eliminated with a dry food well.

Consistent Food Quality

Traditional wet steam table pans are designed to distribute heat evenly using water and steam, but that advantage is lost when the equipment runs low on water or becomes dry, which is sometimes difficult to avoid when members of staff are busy preparing food and serving guests. Traditional dry food pans are notorious for heating unevenly and requiring employees to monitor and stir the held food frequently.

Wells dry food warmers are built to mitigate both of the issues associated with traditional equipment through the use of a fan that circulates heated air. This distributes heat evenly around the food pan, doing away with the inconsistent temperatures that often cause problems with traditional dry food wells.

Wells Dry Food Wells Features

Each compartment in Wells' dry food wells holds a standard, 6-inch-deep, full-size steam table pan. The equipment is built with heavy-duty, rust-resistant 430 stainless steel and insulated to maintain even heat and to promote energy efficiency.

Each pan compartment is controlled independently with an Infinite knob control that makes it easy to adjust the heat level from low to high. These controls are mounted on a panel that can be installed remotely where they're convenient to staff and safe from tampering by guests. All critical heating components are accessible through the top of the equipment, so service and repair calls go quickly and smoothly.

Verified Results

Before Wells released its new dry food wells into the market, engineers tested the products in several high-volume venues to make sure they'd be a good fit for end users. An operator at a casino in Arizona found the wells to be a versatile solution for holding many types of foods: "The dinner rolls and fried items hold very well. They do not dry out and do not get soggy either." The same operator used the dry wells to hold soup with positive results.

A chef at another resort values the wells' neat, clean appearance: "Guests don't see a swampy, rusty mess when [staff] swap dishes out." That chef's colleague observed, "Here in Arizona, hard water is a fact of life which is hard on the equipment, causing early leaking and accelerated age or deterioration issues." Those hard water issues are not a concern with dry wells.