Fireboard

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

The Kansas City Country Club is always looking for ways to improve our consistency while at the same time reducing unnecessary steps or protocols. Introducing technology is often one of the best answers to these issues.

One of our favorite technologies at The Kansas City Country Club is a cloud connected device known as a Fireboard. It began as a way for us to monitor the temperatures of our coolers and freezers and has evolved into a way to improve our products and implement a HACCP plan.

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

With the Fireboard, we can monitor multiple items at the same time and see what is going on in real time. We utilize the alerts to update us on the status of our coolers being too hot or too cold, food hitting various benchmarks, or soups being moved through the temperature danger zone in the appropriate amount of time.

The alerts can be set up to text, e-mail and ping our smart watch when we reach a desired temperature. No longer are we opening ovens and taking temperatures. We have the peace of mind knowing the product will let us know when it is ready. Our facilities team and Chef also love the convenience of knowing their coolers and freezers are working properly.

An added benefit to the technology is the creation of charts and logs. We can verify food has been cooked to approved temperatures, coolers have been kept at consistent temperatures, and items have been cooled to reduce the risks of food borne illnesses. This compliments our HACCP plan already in place and we can produce verifiable logs at any time.

We were even surprised when it helped us learn how accurate or inaccurate our other equipment was during the cooking process. Some of our older ovens do not offer built in thermometers and it was difficult to know if the settings originally programmed were working. We have now mastered a few of those ovens and are getting more consistent tasting products time after time.

Members and guests benefit from the enhanced food quality and we benefit from the automation of multiple tasks at once.