The electrical engineer was frustrated with the way the kitchen was operating and how the employees were treated. So, Meister left his restaurant job on a mission to improve all aspects of the restaurant industry.
In 1976, after six months of engineering, Meister invented the first combi-steamer. The inspiration for combining three cooking methods (steam, convection heat and the combination of both,) came from watching his mother prepare a goose. What began as Meister’s 18 –person combi oven company in Landsberg am Lech, Germany, is now RATIONAL AG with over 2,000 employees located around the world. From humble beginnings, RATIONAL is the global market leader in combi technology.
As the company grew, the core values instilled by Meister remained the same. To this day, the company philosophy is to develop products and employees focused on providing the greatest benefit possible to customers. “Our goal remains to provide maximum customer benefit and to not let anyone outdo us in this. If we manage this, we will continue to grow constantly and be an attractive employer,“ states Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Peter Stadelmann.
In 2004, RATIONAL changed the culinary world yet again with the invention of intelligent cooking and launched the RATIONAL SelfCookingCenter®. With the touch of a button, the SelfCookingCenter® enables kitchens to fry, roast, grill, steam, poach, bake, and much more, all in a single self-cleaning piece of equipment.
RATIONAL opened a subsidiary in North America to bring combi technology to American kitchens. Since that time, RATIONAL has become the market leader in both the US and Canada. “2018 is proving to be a momentous year for North America. The US hired their 100th employee, we are projected to ship over 10,000 units this year, and we continue to have a double-digit growth rate,“ says Markus Glueck, Executive Vice President for RATIONAL North America. “This kind of growth is possible because we have the right people, make the best product and we focus on our customers’ needs before and after their purchase a RATIONAL SelfCookingCenter®.
News – 2018-01-15
Nearly half a century ago, Siegfried Meister had his last bad experience with the restaurant industry.
