Display case for food items

Abstract

A method and apparati for preparing and displaying a donut having a "fresh-baked" quality in a retail environment principally uses standard equipment available in a typical convenience store or quick-service restaurant. The method utilizes pre-frozen donuts manufactured at a centralized manufacturing facility and involves thawing, storing and heating the frozen donuts at the point-of-service. The donuts are thawed under refrigeration but in a generally humidity-constant environment. This on-site procedure allows a retailer to quickly and conveniently produce a moist, fresh-tasting donut with minimum equipment and effort. Furthermore, the present production method allows the retailer to control the number and type of donuts produced for sale, thereby substantially eliminating waste and allowing the retailer to immediately tailor donut production to local consumer demand. An improved applicator eases the glazing process to permit relatively inexperienced personnel to properly glaze the donuts. The finished donuts are then displayed in a display cabinet which uses both hot and cold lights to regulate the temperature within the display cabinet, as well as to display the donuts under generally full spectrum white light. The illumination of the donuts under full-spectrum white light improves their display appearance.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.