Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub
Equipment Conversion Yields 123-Pound Cheeseburger…
Kitchen Equipment Line Up…
- 1 – six burner range
- 1 – two burner cooktop
- 7 – fryers
- 2 – charbroilers
- 1 – grill
- 1 – griddle
- 1 – pizza oven
Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub is now 100% gas cooking. When Denny Liegey decided to expand his operation he reasoned that one energy source for cooking was the “order of the day”, so he called PPL Gas Utilities for advice and expertise. Lou Stubbs, PPL’s Energy Sales Representative took the call and met with Denny to discuss his future plans.
Prior to the kitchen renovation his cooking process was all electric. But with the need to purchase additional equipment, it just made sense to go ALL GAS due to the superior performance and economics that only gas appliances can provide. And the energy saved will amount to a nice tidy sum over the equipment life cycle. Denny’s original kitchen was staffed with only four pieces of equipment but now, through this renovation project, has expanded to full-line with fourteen appliances that feature natural gas technology!
Electric Demand Reduced…
By eliminating the two 22kw electric fryers from the cooking battery, Denny’s is expected to save nearly $200/month in demand charges alone (44kw x current PEC demand rate of $4.38KW = $192.72). Couple that with additional electric savings of around $3500 annually (44kw x current PEC electric rate of $0.11/kwh = $4.84/hour x 2 hrs/day = $9.68/day x 360 days = $3484.80) and the savings quickly becomes enough to pay for a couple of the new gas fryers. But since the gas isn’t free, we can factor in that cost at roughly $2071 annually (two fryers at 110,000btu’s/hour each = 2.2 therms/hour x 2 hours/day = 4.4 therms/day x 360 days = 1584 therms/year x current PPL Gas rate of $1.308/therm = $2071.87).What is Electric Demand?
Fees levied by the electric utility for the privilege of having ample electricity available to operate all of your lights, refrigerators, HVAC, cooking appliances and other equipment simultaneously “ON DEMAND”. These fees are in addition to the electricity that each piece of equipment uses while operating.Creating a MONSTER…
To celebrate his new Grand Opening, Denny and his staff took the plunge to put Clearfield, Pennsylvania back on the map as home to the “world’s largest hamburger!” In this effort, the crew wheeled out a hamburger of gargantuan size. And along with it, a pound each of mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise, topped off by four to six sliced onions, a pound of lettuce, thirty-three pickles, a pound of relish, 160 slices of cheese and a whole lot of tomatoes. And let’s not forget the 80 pounds of ground beef that went into producing this 123-pound monster! In order to cook the Main Eventer (as Denny calls the monster burger) a custom welder and fabricator was called in to make a special pan and modifications to the oven door, since the Main Eventer burger was now a standard menu item, as required by the Guiness Book of World Records. Denny said that his goals were to bring the record and people back to Clearfield. He said that bringing people to the pub gives them the opportunity to explore other areas of the region. “We want people to come not only for Denny’s … but to see the many the many things people have to offer in Clearfield,” he said.Still MORE to Come…
The next phase of Denny’s growth is currently in the planning stage for early 2008 with the addition of an outside patio/deck dining area. Plans call for the addition of natural gas ambiance items that will include gas lights, patio heaters and an outdoor display kitchen featuring gas cooking. The addition of these gas appliances will be a big boost to accommodate even more customers who desire an outdoor dining experience during those early spring and cooler fall evenings!
