Proluxe

A contact grill presses food between a heated base and a heated top plate, cooking both sides at once. Cafes, bars and takeaways use them for toasted sandwiches, panini, wraps and other pressed items made to order.

On a split lid grill each half of the top plate moves independently. That lets a cook press two items of different thickness at the same time without crushing one of them or leaving the other undercooked.

Two Proluxe contact grills are listed, covering a compact model and a split lid model. Hospitality Connect supplies them Australia-wide from Penrith, New South Wales, with trade pricing for cafes, bars, clubs and takeaways.

A compact grill suits a site with limited bench space and a steady rather than heavy sandwich trade. Venues where toasted items are the main output usually need a larger plate area or a second unit to keep up.

Check the bench depth, the clearance behind and above the grill so the lid opens fully, and the power supply at the install point. Contact grills also need ventilation clearance and space for staff to work safely.