For that reason, furthering Infinity's recognition and brand acceptance in the United States has been one of the company's key goals for the first half of 2007, and will continue to be so for the rest of the year, according to Mitch Cohen, Vice President of cooking system sales for Infinity Fryers, as well as Eloma and Stellar Steam.

Given the sophisticated features that come standard with Infinity units - its energy-efficient design and paper/ powder-free oil filtration system, for example - the company is targeting chains, high-end dealers and consultants who embrace green kitchen operations, Cohen said. To date, these efforts are achieving results, especially among chain restaurants, with several large multi-unit concepts now conducting tests of Infinity fryers. Cohen expects these tests to result in orders from several of these companies during the second half of 2007.

"Infinity's fryers are a natural fit for all types of multi-unit operations," he stressed. "Whether operators have a handful or hundreds of outlets, the oil savings and energy-usage reductions Infinity fryers provide add up pretty quickly."

Still, the high-end features of Infinity-brand fryers may limit the type and number of operators who will seriously consider purchasing them. To appeal to a wider range of end-users, especially those whose casual and QSR menus feature many fried items, the company will explore modifying its product line over the coming months, Cohen stated.

Changes that Infinity makes to its products line, as well as chain tests translating into orders, should drive up Infinity's sales in the second half of the year and beyond.

"I think sales will increase dramatically," Cohen affirmed. "We've done a lot of groundwork, so we expect to see some closure with some of these chains that we've been talking to for a long time."