20 Years and Counting

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. That may be, but you know what is even better? Forging your own path of innovation and disruption, so much so that others try to imitate you.

That’s what EVO has done ever since the company was founded in 2001 in Portland, Oregon. It’s what happens when you get a group of people together who have a passion for food and entertainment, as well as a vision of the future.

The result?

EVO has designed and built a full line of front-of-house foodservice cooking equipment and luxury residential appliances that are exceptionally energy-efficient for both indoor and outdoor use, and our cooktops are the leading live-action display cooking equipment in the world.

Our high-performance equipment includes the game-changing EVent® ventless griddle, the Affinity front-of-house presentation cooktop, the Elevation™ electric Plancha for high throughput, the Centric 20E indoor action station, and the Professional Wheeled Cart for outdoor catering.

Live-action cooking is one of the appeals of Evo foodservice equipment. While other equipment works anonymously in the back of house, an Evo is in the middle of the action, as customers can see their food being prepared. You can even say that an Evo is made for the people!

A recent innovation is Evo EVent ventless griddle. That’s right: no big, bulky, expensive hood is necessary. The EVent®, for example, includes a high-efficiency electric griddle integrated with a ventilation system that extracts air across the griddle surface through a series of filters including an electrostatic precipitator that removes smoke and grease particulates before exhausting clean air.

Yay for science and engineering!

Going ventless allows for versatility that can’t be found in products that need additional ventilation. That’s why Evo is in use in stadiums, arenas, and other venues across the country.  We have ventless griddles cooking delicious fan fare in 60+ world-class stadiums in the US, including AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Madison Square Garden in New York, and Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit, which has an amazing 21 units throughout the venue.  And by being ventless, the ability to cook in high traffic areas grabs everyone’s attention. Evo isn’t restricted to the old-school concession stand, it can be positioned anywhere in a venue, including concourses, luxury seating, and premium food and drink areas.

Not to mention, it creates excitement. People love to watch their food being prepared. They know that when they order something, it’s not coming out of a warming container or pulled out from under heating lamps. Nope, it goes directly from the hot surface into their hands, showing them that it is fresh and ready to eat.  That’s also a big deal for the chefs. After all, how many times do they get to cook in front of a captive audience that is already excited about being at a game or a concert? That excitement can lead to more purchases and bigger profits.

Yeah, we’ve won awards, such as in 2015 when our Evo EVent® was awarded the 2015 Kitchen Innovation Award by the National Restaurant Associations. We’ve earned a lot of kudos and honors, but we’re most proud of the accolades we’ve received from people that use our equipment, and we’re proud to produce products that they can count on to give them consistent results every time.

Evo has become the brand that people trust for quality, craftsmanship, and engineering. Trust is an important part of what we do, and it drives us everyday to keep pushing us to bring more disruption and innovation to the industry.

In the lifespan of a successful company, the first 20 years go by in a flash. Are we ready to rest on our laurels? No chance. In fact, we’re just getting started.