Lil Red’s is a family-owned gourmet grilled cheese concept and longtime vendor at the Texas State Fair, with roots dating back to 1949. What started with the founder’s grandfather operating dozens of fair booths has grown into a beloved, fair-only brand known for elevated grilled cheese made with premium cheeses, turkey, bacon, apples, and creative combinations like mac and cheese melts.
Before TurboChef, Lil Red’s relied on six panini presses operated by three people. Sandwiches were cooked open-faced, with team members manually hovering presses to melt cheese before assembling and lightly pressing each sandwich. The process was slow and labor-intensive, producing just two sandwiches every six to seven minutes and creating bottlenecks during peak fair crowds.
Lil Red’s replaced all six panini presses with a single TurboChef HhC2020 Conveyor, and the impact was immediate. The oven now cooks up to eight sandwiches at a time in just 1.5 to 2 minutes, dramatically increasing throughput while requiring only one operator. The simplified workflow reduced stress, improved consistency, and freed up staff to focus on prep and customer interaction.
“It changed my life. It’s like having two additional employees,” shared the owner. In the first year using the conveyor, Lil Red’s saw a 54% increase in sales, proving how the right cooking technology can help a legacy brand scale without sacrificing quality or creativity.
