Starting February 2012

At Different Locations all across the USA

TagX will be hosting

Huge Food Service Blowout Equipment Auctions!

For more information or to put in an equipment request call Amanda at 585.292.7260 x 117

Restaurant Equipment Auction

Wednesday December 14, 2011 10 A.M.

***New Location***

100 Beaver Road

Churchville, NY 14428

www.tagXinc.com

Year End Blowout! Hundreds of Lots!

Equipment preview Monday 12/12 and Tuesday 12/13 from 8:00 am-3:00 pm

Brands: True, Lang, Hatco, Bunn, APW, Montague, Vulcan, Beverage Air, Blodgett, Lancer, Victory, Krowne, Wunder Bar, Nuova Simonelli, Saniserve,

And Many More!

Items: Refrigeration, Freezers, Griddles, Stoves, Convection Ovens, SS Steel Tables, Soda Dispensers, Espresso Machines, Flour Bins, Batter Carts, Cappuccino Machines, Food Warmers, Steamers,

And Much More!

Smallwares!

Smallwares!

Smallwares!

A Complete Range of Equipment. All at Bargain Prices!

For more information visit www.tagXinc.com

Contact Neal at 585.259.6353

Or call Amanda at 585.292.7260 x 117 to pre-register!

Where: 1999 Mt. Read Boulevard, Building 3 Rochester, NY 14606

Contact: Marissa at 585.292.7260

mlongstreet@theadvantagegroup.com

Check back for details on brands, partial list and to see photos by Tuesday, July 12!

The Daily Blender

By Jennifer Heigl

April 12, 2011

Phew! Back from a week off, and a handful of food news notables for today. Industry ups and downs continue to hit everyone from the big names to the little names, with some of the larger notables filing for bankruptcy, restructuring, and revamping recently. First, pizza company Sbarro announced their bankruptcy filing early last week. With over 1000 locations in 40 countries, chain representatives expressed their hopes to cut debt by $175M in the move.

“We believe this plan represents the best opportunity for Sbarro to clear a path for future growth by restructuring its debt in an effective and timely manner,” Nicholas McGrane, interim president and CEO of Sbarro, said in a statement.

According to the Miami Herald, fast burger chain Burger King is also facing an uphill battle reporting a 34.5 M loss for the second half of 2010. With over 12,000 units worldwide, the struggling company was sold last fall to investment group 3G Capital, with Chief Executive John Chidsey stepping down later this month as a result of the sale.

“This is a brand that needs to find its voice in the market, and right now it’s having trouble doing that,” said Mark Kalinowski, restaurant industry analyst with Janney Capital Markets. “If you’re going to compete in the same space as McDonald’s you need to figure out what your proposition is to the consumer that makes you different and better than McDonald’s. That’s where Burger King has struggled.”

Darden Restaurants Inc. also announced plans to renovate their Olive Garden brand, remodeling 400 of their 730 locations over the next few years in order to grow “brand perception and same-restaurant sales”. The location updates follow closely on the heels of a revamp of sister brands, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse.

Here in the Portland area, it was notable that a rather sizable buyout offer was delivered to a local chain. Tilman Fertitta, representing a subsidiary of management corporation Landry’s Restaurants, Inc., made a bid for Northwest food chain McCormick & Schmick’s. After posting a $25.1M loss in the fourth quarter of 2010, the restaurant company had planned “a multiyear remodeling program, management changes, training improvements, and an upgraded back-of-the-house system.” Fertitta, however, is convinced the required overhaul is much larger for the chain to revitalize its brand.

“We’d have to get rid of all the bad stores, which there are quite a few of,” he said. “And then we open up one at the right location when you can find it.”

–

We host our auctions once a month. The next one is currently being scheduled, but check back soon for more details!

For More Information Contact:

(585) 292-7260×101

JANUARY 24, 2011

By JAMES R. HAGERTY And PAUL GLADER

Executives from some of the largest U.S. manufacturers are gathering in Washington Monday and Tuesday to seek more government support for their efforts to refurbish and sell used products ranging from cell phones to railroad locomotives to medical scanners.

Remanufacturers—including Caterpillar Inc., General Electric Co., General Motors Co., Eastman Kodak Co. and Xerox Corp.—would like the government to push harder for free global trade in reconditioned products and to help fund research into better methods of remanufacturing, which involves restoring used products to like-new condition for resale.

Auto parts have been rebuilt for decades, along with various kinds of machinery parts and motors. But remanufacturing now extends to a wide array of items, including computers and home appliances.

An estimated $100 billion of remanufactured goods are sold each year in the U.S. and more than 500,000 people are employed in the industry, according to Nabil Nasr, who heads the Center for Remanufacturing at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y., which is hosting the meeting of more than 20 companies along with the Council on Competitiveness, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit group that aims to make U.S. businesses more competitive.

A key issue for remanufacturers is they haven’t convinced everyone that their products are as reliable as new ones. Many countries, including China, Japan and Brazil, have banned or restricted imports of used medical equipment. Even when imports are allowed, government-controlled hospitals sometimes are barred from buying them, with officials citing fears that foreign companies are sending outdated or substandard products.

The Industry of the Used

Executives from some of the largest U.S. manufacturers seek more government support for their efforts to refurbish and sell used products. See images from a Cleveland remanufacturer of commercial-grade vacuum cleaners.

The thousands of large and small firms involved in remanufacturing tout it as a highly profitable business that affords customers lower costs—sometimes as little has half the price of a new product—and also helps the environment by reducing waste and energy use. Remanufacturers say any expansion of their activities will create jobs—a priority in Washington.

Manufacturers often see better profit margins on remanufactured products than on new ones, said Trent Simpson, a product manager at Caterpillar, the construction- and mining-equipment giant, which remanufactures engines and parts for a variety of machines.

“Customers, business and the environment all win,” Mr. Simpson said.

Officials from the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are also due to attend the meeting, which comes as the Obama administration seeks improved its relations with the business community.

Remanufacturing also faces challenges on pricing. Imports of low-priced new auto parts from Asia, for example, can sometimes still undercut parts remanufactured in the U.S., and many products may never be good candidates for remanufacturing. Some, like toasters or hair dryers, are already so cheap it would be hard to justify the expense of fixing and putting them back on the market. Rapid changes in fashion and technology also frustrate some efforts to revive old products.

Working in remanufacturing’s favor, however, is the rising cost of copper, steel and other commodities, making it economical to invest in processes that extend the life of these materials. Meanwhile, environmental legislation is forcing companies to seek production methods that use less energy and leave less waste. Many U.S. states have passed or are considering legislation requiring manufacturers of electronic equipment to take used goods back for recycling or other kinds or reuse. Those laws facilitate remanufacturing because they create more reliable ways of gathering used products, which otherwise might be dispersed in landfills.

A worker fixes a vacuum cleaner.

Vacuum Systems International Inc., or VSI, based near Cleveland, remanufactures commercial-grade vacuum cleaners used to clean retail stores across the U.S. Diana Richards, VSI’s chief executive, says she is expanding the business in Europe. ReCellular Inc. of Dexter, Mich., remanufactured or recycled parts from about five million cell phones last year, up 25% from 2009, says Steve Manning, the company’s CEO.

One reason for such growth is that companies and consumers are searching for cheaper goods as the sluggish economy squeezes budgets. Health-care companies “are under a lot of economic pressure these days,” said Dave Elario, who heads a General Electric unit that remanufactures medical equipment. As hospitals seek lower-cost gear, GE’s sales of refurbished imaging and ultrasound machines last year totaled about 1,500 units, up more than 10% from a year earlier, he said.

Elisabeth Staudinger, CEO of refurbished systems at Siemens Healthcare, a unit of Germany’s Siemens AG, said 20% to 25% of medical scanners sold by the original manufacturers in the U.S. are remanufactured.

Remanufacturing could help companies meet any future limits on their emissions of so-called greenhouse gases. Rolf Steinhilper, who heads a remanufacturing institute at Bayreuth University in Germany, estimated that remanufacturing a car starter produces about 53% less carbon dioxide emissions than making a new one.

Upcoming Auction in Rochester, NY! Everything MUST Go!

Brands Include: Vulcan, Hobart, South Bend, Bunn, Fetco, Alto Shaam, True,
Delfield, Montague, Metro, Cambro, Curtis, Pitco, Groen, Berkel, and many more!

Brands Include: Vulcan, Fryers, Ovens, Griddles, Warmers, Microwaves, Prep Table, Sinks, Brewers, Refrigeration, Freezers, tons of Smallwares, and much more!

Album of Pictures Coming Soon!

Click the Map for Directions

September 13th, 2010 - tagX is Closing and Liquidating Select Lone Star Steakhouse Locations Nationwide This Week!

Approximate Equipment List:

Refrigerated Sandwich Table, Reach in Refrigerator, Microwave, Steamer, Heat Lamp, Warming table, Refrigerated Pizza Prep Table, Charbroiler, Combo oven/range/griddle, Cheesemelter, Griddle counter unit & stand, Fryers, Reach-in Freezer, Convection Oven, Bread mixer, Slicer, Dish Washer, Glass chiller, Ice bin cocktail station, Bottle cooler, Undercounter refrigerator, Bottle cooler W/tap, Hand sink, Four compartment sink, Drink machine, Warming drawer, Tea Dispenser, Tea Urns, Coffee Brewer, Ice Cream Dipping Cabinet, Booster heater, Veggie sinks, SS tables, Storage racks, Dunnage racks, Table W/casters, Ice Machine, Ice bin, Water Softener, Water Heater, Walk in beer cooler, Fire Suppression, Hoods, Table tops, High chairs, Booths, Bar stools, Chairs, Lighting, Décor items, TV’s, and more!

Number of US restaurants falls 1 percent from last year, mom-and-pops hurt more than chains

CHICAGO (AP) — More restaurants have shut their doors as high unemployment and lackluster wage gains keep diners from eating out. The number of U.S. restaurants slipped 1 percent this spring from the same time last year, according to market research released Tuesday.

The NPD Group said there were 579,416 restaurants open across the country this spring, 5,204 less than at the same time last year. Independent restaurants were harder hit than their corporate competitors, with their number slipping 2 percent over the past year as the number of chain restaurants held steady.

About 54 percent of U.S. restaurants are independently owned.

“It’s been a difficult time for the restaurant industry with customer traffic down over the past year,” NPD’s director of foodservice product development Greg Starzynski said in a statement. “The unit losses we’re seeing in our latest census are a reflection of the weakness in the industry with the greatest impact on the independent restaurant operators.”

Americans cut their restaurant visits by 3 percent this year and spent less when they dined out. The decline in restaurant spending was the first recorded by NPD since it began tracking the data in 1976.

A volatile stock market, 9.5 percent unemployment rate and a stalled housing market have caused would-be shoppers to clamp down on their non-essential spending. An economic report released last week showed that consumer confidence fell in July to its lowest point in nearly a year.

Start with a presidential visit, add a senate campaign, and spiff up your waterfront digs.

Travel & Leisure
From August 2000
By M. Farber

There is nothing that makes life sweeter, nothing that gives more encouragement in the middle of hard work, than to spend a few days in Skaneateles.
—H. B. Dodge, editor, Skaneateles Democrat, May 15, 1879

You could write off H. B. Dodge as just another small-town booster, except that he may have been onto something. As was much noticed last September, the president of the United States, no stranger to hard work, ended his summer vacation by spending “a few days in Skaneateles”—in the left auricle of the heart-shaped Finger Lakes region of central New York State. Bill Clinton brought Hillary and Chelsea and Buddy, all but upending this lakeside village of 2,700 and festooning it with patriotic bunting and banners.

Skaneateles—pronounced “skan-ee-at-luss”—had never been graced by a sitting president, and, even in this bastion of conservative Republicanism, Bill Clinton was the real thing. Scandalously real for Doug Clark, the grizzled owner of a Skaneateles fish-fry restaurant, who blew up a storm with his nationally publicized vow not to serve a president who had “lied” to him about Monica Lewinsky. Clinton ate elsewhere. But awesomely real for 17-year-old shop clerk Monica Marsden, who served Bill and Hillary tea freezes and a concoction of French vanilla decaf, cream, and maple syrup. “Not every day the president comes to your town,” said this Monica. Even the Secret Service wowed the villagers. “It’s the stuff of legend,” gushed Sarah Wiles, former president of the chamber of commerce and a great-granddaughter of Gustav Stickley, a seminal figure of the American Arts and Crafts movement who lived in Syracuse at the height of his career.

Clinton-wise, it’s not over. For months, senatorial candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has made the Finger Lakes and other parts of upstate New York a prime target in her quest for votes. In a mantra recited on farms, in factories, and at town meetings, Hillary aligns herself with the people who haven’t been lifted up by the good times of her husband’s administration. She is the “candidate for working folk,” she says; the champion of these “forgotten New Yorkers.”

The consensus is that the Clintons’ presence has finally put the Finger Lakes region—little known but within a day’s drive of tens of millions of people in the eastern United States and Canada—”on the map.” Not everyone is happy about that. It’s as though a secret had been slipped to an indiscriminate audience. And if some here welcome prospects for a surge in tourism, others perceive yet another threat to their treasured tranquillity. Retirees from Kodak and Xerox and Corning Glass like it the way it is, explains Bob Sundell, a partner in Friends of the Finger Lakes: “They don’t want all those strange people around here cluttering up the lakes and making it harder to get to the grocery store.”

WELL BEFORE IMPROVED ROADS, IN FACT well before cars, determined visitors found their way to the Finger Lakes by trains that connected with lake steamboats. Often, they were families in search of fishing and sailing, fall foliage and hunting, or skiing and skating. The crowd that rented summer cottages on the lakes still comes, and it’s still family-oriented. But today it has been joined by a new set of home-buyers, many from congested suburbs, seeking a bygone rusticity, the Rockwellian chic history-rich small-town America. “People are looking for a quieter, simpler time, a place where you can just sit on the lawn on Friday night,” said Linda Roche, a Skaneateles real estate broker whose last three clients to buy on the lake previously owned places in the Hamptons.

“We used to laugh about how only old people go to the lakes,” remarked Regina Hannon, a former Long Islander whose Skaneateles home was once part of the Underground Railroad. “But I love it here—for everything.”

TO SOME, THE PRECISE BOUNDARIES of the Finger Lakes are a fighting issue. As defined by the Finger Lakes Association (founded in 1919), the region embraces nearly 9,000 square miles and 11 slender lakes spanning 14 counties, from Lake Ontario in the north to the Pennsylvania line in the south, from Syracuse in the east to Rochester in the west. But usually it’s considered to comprise the swath of waters and woods, pastures and vineyards and towns, around the six major lakes that gave the region its name and bucolic character.

My wife, Sabine, and I stayed at the decidedly cozy Sherwood Inn, originally a tavern. Some of the rooms have canopy beds and polished wood floors. Ours also had a view over Skaneateles Lake—the highest, bluest, and clearest of the major Finger Lakes and among the cleanest in the country. The village itself, with its Greek Revival and Victorian houses, had an air of contentment but had managed to escape the sterility that often cloaks recently gentrified towns.

The family farms that remain are for growing corn and soybeans and cabbage, no longer for the prickly teasels once used to raise the nap on woolen cloth. Fast-food outlets and malls aren’t welcome (you can find them elsewhere in the Finger Lakes). The only drive-through is at a bank, and neon signs have been banned. Yet the Main Street- style markets have, predictably, been replaced by antiques shops and boutiques, and restaurants serving grilled salmon with mustard beurre blanc.

Naturally, we dropped by Doug’s Fish Fry for some clams and frogs’ legs and what turned out to be the best onion rings I’ve ever had. On the wall was a photo of Alec Baldwin, whose mother lives nearby, and whose occasional strolls through town with his wife, Kim Basinger, are a hit. We, however, were here to see the man whose vow not to serve Bill Clinton had prompted so much ink. We found him at the cash register, wearing his trademark blue cap and blue polo shirt. His eyes were blue, too. He wasn’t sorry, he told us, for what he’d said. He had lost a few customers, but people had stopped by from all over to shake his hand. Would he do it again?He wasn’t sure. Maybe if Clinton walked in, he’d “just walk out the back door and have a beer.”

WE CROSSED SKANEATELES LAKE ABOARD the mailboat, a 48-foot mahogany craft operated by Mid-Lakes Navigation under contract to the U.S. postal system. This is one of the last water routes for mail delivery in the country, and tourists can go along for the ride. Tooting a horn, Captain Rick Kelly nestled the boat close to the docks, where residents exchanged greetings as the mail was handed off to them.

Some of the lakeside houses, usually those that close for the winter, are called camps or cottages. That’s not quite a fit description for the stone building attributed to Stanford White, with 13 working fireplaces, or the towering, pillared white mansion that belonged to a Roosevelt. I had heard of the former owner of one place, Charles Revson, founder of the Revlon cosmetics empire, but not of a current resident, Tim Green, lately of the Atlanta Falcons. I could identify Millard Fillmore, whose boyhood home was near the southern end of the lake and who became president on the death of Zachary Taylor in 1850, but had never heard of Dr. W. C. Thomas, who ran a lakeshore hotel and water-cure spa in the 19th century and lived to be 107. Maybe, like editor Dodge, he was onto something.