Canadian firm pitches citrus slicer for Vegas bars, restaurants

Kevin Szakacs, left, CEO and creator of SupraCut Systems International, and former Gov. Robert List, a partner, posture for a picture at SupraCut's headquarters on Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Las Vegas. Former Gov. Robert List, a partner at SupraCut Systems International, speaks throughout an interview with the Review-Journal at the company's headquarters on Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Las Vegas. Kevin Szakacs, CEO and creator of SupraCut Systems International, speaks during an interview with the Review-Journal at the company's headquarters on Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Las Vegas.
A Canadian business wants to take the laborious task of slicing lemons, limes and oranges out of a bartender's hands and offer it to a machine.

SupraCut Systems CEO and founder Kevin Szakacs said he desires his company's counter top citrus-slicing machine to help the Las Vegas hospitality market and help reduce food waste and prep time.

The company opened its U.S. head office in Las Vegas more than a year ago to concentrate on the food and beverage market within casinos. It hasn't deployed its item in Las Vegas yet, but that's because it wished to discover the right local company partners.

" If you're a liquor business, you pertain to Vegas and give away thousands and thousands of bottles because you want that exposure," he said. "In the devices world, you have one opportunity to get it. So we're happy that we have nearly 100 customers that have actually shown our concept, and now we're prepared to put that into the Vegas market since we understand the machine can live up to their volume."

SupraCut partnered with previous Gov. Robert List and Joe Brown, a Las Vegas attorney and previous member of the Nevada Gaming Commission.

List, who initially satisfied Szakacs at a party earlier this year, said he became thinking about the item because it brought something helpful to the marketplace. He's assisting the company connect with gambling establishment operators and other state magnate.

" I do not think there's any place in the world that utilizes (as) numerous citrus items (in) dining establishments and in the bars," List said. We seem to be a society that truly takes pleasure in having lemons and limes and oranges, so Las Vegas appears like it ought to be the mecca for this particular item."

Multiple solutions

Szakacs, a former bar and dining establishment owner, stated the product provides numerous services for issues in the food and drink market. It prevents the laborious and possibly unsafe job of prep work - - allowing an employee to invest more time with customers rather of cutting lots of fruit slices, he said. And it enables the bar or dining establishment to cut citrus as needed, lowering food waste and offering the consumer a fresher fruit slice.

The device's price starts at $3,899. A monthly lease is also readily available.

A staff member loads the citrus into the maker, chooses the size option and shuts the door. Inside, a knife cuts an even, centered split, which SupraCut calls the courtesy piece, then pushes the fruit through a wedge slicer and into a basket within seconds.

" Over the years, quality of fruit wedges has actually deteriorated because people do not take pleasure in doing the job so they prep them in the morning," Szakacs said. "And then by the evening or the next day, they're simply not fresh, which then clearly affects the quality of your beverage or the quality of the food."

The courtesy cut likewise gets rid of the need for mixed drink selects, given that the piece can sit on the rim of the glass. Szakacs stated wood or plastic picks are frequently used in Vegas, contributing to a dining establishment's expenses.

While SupraCut isn't used in any Vegas casinos yet, the product has actually been deployed at other casinos, resorts, arenas and event centers throughout North America, including Gila River Resorts and Casinos in Phoenix, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort in Hawaii.

McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that puts reporters into regional newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on Twitter.