With no government bailout pending for foodservice operators looking to upgrade to more efficient cooking equipment, RATIONAL is stepping in with a new rebate program: Cash for Trash. The RATIONAL Cash for Trash promotion offers foodservice operators rebates of up to $1,000 for the purchase of a SelfCooking Center or up to $2,000 in RATIONAL accessories. The program began May 1 and runs through December 31, 2010.
The RATIONAL SelfCooking Center is an advanced piece of cooking equipment capable of baking, roasting, poaching, frying, grilling and steaming. Each unit comes equipped with nine automated cooking modes and 57 cooking processes for turnkey operation. It is available in six different model sizes and in gas or electric configurations.
Foodservice operators who are eligible for the Cash for Trash program include those replacing any brand of commercial combi steamer or heavy conventional cooking equipment, such as convection ovens, steamers, grills and tilt skillets. Also eligible are current customers replacing a RATIONAL unit or adding additional units to replace older, conventional equipment.
The rebate structure for purchases by model is:
• SelfCooking Center 61 & 101 - $500.00 Buy-back rebate
• SelfCooking Center 62 & 102 - $750.00 Buy-back rebate
• SelfCooking Center 201 & 202 - $1,000.00 Buy-back rebate
The rebate amount can be doubled if the customer opts to receive the rebate in RATIONAL accessories such as the CombiFry Basket, Combi Grill & Pizza Tray, Multibaker or cleaning chemicals for the self cleaning and descaling feature. RATIONAL accessories can further customize the SelfCooking Center unit for foodservice operations. Accessory packages are as follows:
• SelfCooking Center 61 &101 - $1,000.00 Accessory Package
• SelfCooking Center 62 & 102 - $1,500.00 Accessory Package
• SelfCooking Center 201 & 202 - $2,000.00 Accessory Package
"In this challenging economy many operators are continuing to use outdated, inefficient or space-hogging equipment to avoid the costs of an upgrade and they're being forced to forego the kind of investment that can help their business grow and thrive," said Vinod Jotwani, director of marketing, RATIONAL USA and Canada. "We started the Cash for Trash program to make the advanced SelfCooking Center technology more accessible for operations that want to grow or are in need of an equipment makeover."
To take advantage of the rebate program, operators must attend a TeamCooking Live event where they can test drive the SelfCooking Center. In order to receive the rebate, the end customer must remove and send back the Serial Identification Tag for the equipment they are replacing and send it to RATIONAL along with a RATIONAL rebate form and purchase documentation. RATIONAL does not take ownership of the old appliance at any time during the program. Rebates are sent directly to the end user.
Acceptance of rebates issued through RATIONAL's Cash for Trash program does not preclude operators from applying for and receiving state-level, energy efficiency rebates. Operators are encouraged to check with their equipment dealer for specific guidance on state program eligibility.
Operators can find out more about the rebate program by contacting a RATIONAL representative or by calling 888.320.7274. Registration for TeamCooking Live is available online at www.rationalusa.com.
