See what replacing your pellet system with Optimus heated carts could cost and save: carts needed, investment, annual savings, and payback. Then request a free, full Value Analysis built on your facility’s real numbers.
Ten questions about your current pellet-based system. Leave anything blank you’re unsure of. The snapshot uses what you enter, and your JonesZylon specialist fills the gaps with real numbers in the full analysis.
Estimated from your answers. Change any answer above and these figures update.
Indicative only. Investment and payback are shown as ranges. Assumes one Optimus cart per 20 hot meals per meal period (3 periods if left blank), 365 operating days, and one staff member per delivery trip. Excludes trays, energy, freight, installation, trade-in value, and financing. Your full Value Analysis replaces these assumptions with your facility’s numbers.
A JonesZylon specialist will build a written cost comparison on your real numbers, ready to take to finance. It’s free, and nothing is a commitment. It adds:
We’ll use these to prepare your analysis.
Your snapshot answers are included, so you won’t need to enter them again.
A JonesZylon specialist will reach out to gather the remaining details and build your written analysis.
| Optimus carts needed | Hot meals per meal period (meals per day ÷ meal periods) ÷ 20, rounded up |
|---|---|
| Estimated investment | Carts needed × Optimus cart pricing, shown as a range |
| Pellet base and dome savings | Units replaced per year × cost per unit. Optimus heats on the cart, so neither is needed. |
| Service agreement savings | Your current annual agreement cost |
| Delivery trip labor | Trips eliminated by carrying 20 trays per cart × minutes per trip × hourly wage × 365 days |
| Tray-up labor | Seconds per pellet base × hot meals per day × hourly wage × 365 days (17.5-second benchmark if left blank) |
| Payback | Estimated investment range ÷ estimated annual savings |
The snapshot is an order-of-magnitude check. For a procurement-ready number, request the full Value Analysis above or review the pricing / ROI / TCO guide. To see how Optimus compares with other heated carts, read Optimus vs. Dinex MOC II, Optimus vs. Cambro Camtherm, or browse all meal delivery carts.
Size the fleet by meals per meal period, not meals per day, because carts are reused across breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A common starting point is one Optimus cart per 20 hot meals per meal period: a facility delivering 600 hot meals a day across 3 meal periods needs about 10 carts. Floor layout, distance from the kitchen, and delivery windows can change that, which is why the full Value Analysis sizes the fleet to your building.
The cart purchase is offset by costs a heated cart eliminates: replacing pellet bases and domes, the pellet-system service agreement, and the labor spent handling bases on the trayline and making extra delivery trips. The calculator estimates both sides. See the pellet system replacement guide for what the transition involves.
It depends on meal volume, labor rates, and what you spend on pellets, domes, and service today. Labor is usually the largest savings line, because heated carts remove pellet handling from the trayline and carry more trays per trip. Enter your numbers above for an estimate, or compare the two approaches in pellet vs. heated carts.
A written cost comparison built on your facility’s real numbers, ready to take to finance. Beyond the snapshot, it covers tray inventory and replacement, your current cart fleet and service life, tray retrieval, service contract terms, and capital request timing. It’s free and not a commitment.
1-800-848-8160 | 305 N. Center Street, West Lafayette, OH 43845