Food heaters for heating food such as hot dogs, sausage links, bratwurst, and the like, and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a food heater can include a roller assembly pivotally coupled to a base. The roller assembly can include a drive unit, a plurality of elongate heaters extending outwardly therefrom and generally parallel to one another, and a plurality of rollers removably positioned over corresponding ones of the heaters. The drive unit can include a drive system configured to rotate the rollers to rotate food placed thereon, while the heaters heat the rollers to heat the food. The roller assembly can be rotated away from the base to facilitate removal and cleaning of the rollers.

Provided is a food separating device for use with a roller grill. The separating device includes a pair of support brackets, a pair of crossover bars, and a plurality of separator bars having a tooth-shaped configuration that extend down and in between the rollers to follow the contour thereof. The support brackets also include vertical members with curved slots for enabling the crossover bars to adjust their height such that the separator bars match the contour of the roller griller rollers with substantially no gap therebetween. The configuration of the separator bars and the curved slots create a divider to separate food located on the roller grill surface, and to prevent food, particularly corn dogs from becoming lodged between or below the rollers. A method of use is also provided.

A food heating device with multilayer shelf includes a base, one or more shelf support, a first side wall member, a second side wall member, a bottom cover member, a middle cover member, and a top lamp bracket. There are two or more layers of heating rollers between the first side wall member and the second side wall member. The bottom cover member and the middle cover member are disposed above bottom heating rollers and middle heating rollers. Each of the cover members at different layers has a cover body. The cover body covers foods on the heating rollers. In addition, one or more lamp bodies can be provided. The food heating device with multilayer shelf is capable of increasing space for exhibition of foods and also increasing overall brightness by adding the lamp bodies.

A grill roller system which is elevated with respect to a grilling surface and which may be freely swung between multiple positions. The grill roller system generally includes a base which is positioned or connected to a grill. A frame is pivotally connected to the base such that the frame may swing, pivot, or rotate between a plurality of positions including a first position which covers the grilling surface and a second position which exposes the grilling surface. A plurality of rollers on the frame may be utilized to rotate and evenly cook cylindrical food items such as hot dogs while other food items such as steaks are simultaneously cooking on the underlying grill surface. The system may also include a rotator assembly for automatically or manually rotating the rollers.

Provided is a canopy cover for a roller grill assembly that works in conjunction with a roller grill food separating device. The canopy includes a pair of support brackets that contact the sidewalls of the roller grill to support the canopy thereon. The canopy support brackets include cutouts for positioning a food separating device on the grill assembly. The configuration of the cutouts allows the food separating device support brackets to rest between the ends of the canopy support brackets and on the roller grill. The canopy further includes a pair of canopy header brackets for supporting a header graphic custom sign positioned above the roller grill. The canopy provides a sanitary cover for a roller grill and a food separating device that permits segregation of food products on the grill surface, protects the food from contaminants, and provides support for an advertising sign.

Provided is a combination food warmer and sneeze guard cover for a roller grill. The device includes a transparent cabinet with a pair of doors and optionally one or more food shelves. The cabinet functions as a sneeze guard cover to prevent contaminants, pathogens, insects, and the like from contacting food contained on a roller grill. The cabinet additionally utilizes the roller grill heating elements to indirectly keep pre-cooked food contained on the shelves in a warm state. The shelves can be inserted and removed as desired, and further include one or more removable sections to allow access to the roller grill heating elements. The device can be retrofitted to function with existing roller grills, and can be quickly installed and removed as desired.

Food heaters with front-facing lift-out rollers are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a food heater can pivot between a first position (e.g., a cooking position) and a second position (e.g., a cleaning position) with the use of a lift system. In some embodiments, the food heater can include rollers that are supported by an integrated support structure of a drip tray when in the first position. In some embodiments, the rollers extend toward a user and can be removed in a direction toward the user when in the second position.

A forced hot air roller conveyor drying assembly is provided. It consists primarily of two parts; a roller conveyor for rolling cylindrical elongated food members while transporting them horizontally from one end of the conveyor to the other, and a hot air drying assembly for blowing hot air around the product as it is being rolled. The combined rolling of the product and the drying of the product helps ensure that the physical roundness of the food product remains nice and uniform while it is being uniformly dried. The forced hot air assembly may include a fan and heating elements, the fan directing warm air to the product rolling horizontally through the assembly and the roller conveyor may be comprised of a multiplicity of paired roller members driven by chain links, which chains are in turn driven by an axle engaging a drive sprocket.

A roller grill for hot dogs and other comestibles possessing a cabinet having an array of rotationally driven heat tubes, each with an outer surface heated by an internal heating element. Mounting plates at sides of the roller grill are configured to support a plurality of axles that are adapted to mate with a gear at distal ends of each heat tube. The gears of the heat tubes are held in parallel alignment by the axles, and are driven by one or more idler gears and one or more drive gears powered by one or more motors. Disposed between an output shaft of the motor and a drive gear, is a slip clutch that disengages power to the drive gear and thereby pauses rotation of the heat tubes if enough rotational resistance is encountered. Heat containment panels with a curvature on an uppermost portion are mountable to sides of the roller grill to reduce heat loss from the peripheral rows of heat tubes and thereby stabilize the temperature gradient of the heat tube array.

A device and a method for the automatic preparation and dispensing of hot dogs comprising a housing fitted with a door, inside of which is a hot dog preparation system comprising a refrigeration unit, a gripper, a drive system, a controller, a toaster system and a sauce application mechanism, together with a self-cleaning system, characterised in that a control panel is located on the outside of the housing, a hot dog pick-up point is located in the housing, constituting a link between the external part and the interior of the housing, and inside the housing there is a refrigerating unit containing storage for the buns and the food input in the form of drawers with closing mechanism that are opened and closed by a dedicated manipulator in response to an order signal received by the controller, the toaster system comprising a dedicated toaster for the food input and a mobile toaster for the buns, wherein the dedicated food input toaster is equipped with rollers containing patron heaters and an infrared radiator, while the mobile bun toaster is equipped with a housing with a lockable lid, heating elements in the form of patron heaters arranged around the plates, while the sauce application mechanism comprises at least one sauce container, at least one movable sauce application nozzle and at least one sauce pump.