Product server with breath guard

1. A product server for holding and displaying food products, the product server comprising

a front customer side,

a rear employee side,

a cabinet having a food preparation surface adjacent the employee side of the product server for the preparation of food orders,

a breath guard pivotally attached to said product server generally near said front customer side of the product server for movement between a lowered generally horizontal position covering said food products held by the product server and a raised position,

said breath guard having a breath guard configuration such that when it is in said raised position it provides a barrier to contamination of the food products by customers on the customer side of the product server while allowing access to said food products by employees on the employee side of the product server,

the breath guard being sufficiently transparent to allow viewing of the food products from the customer side of the product server, and

wherein when the breath guard is pivoted toward said raised position it extends from generally near said front customer side of the product server in an upward direction toward the rear employee side of the product server for allowing access to said food products from the employee side of the product server,

wherein said breath guard comprises a single elongate panel extending from adjacent one end of the cabinet to adjacent an opposite end of the cabinet for covering a plurality of food pans when the breath guard is in said lowered position,

a plurality of food pans in the cabinet, said breath guard being configured such that when it is in its lowered position it overlies the food pans but not said food preparation surface adjacent the employee side of the product server,

an upper frame extending up from the cabinet near the front customer side of the product server, said upper frame comprising upright side frame members at opposite sides of the upper frame, and upright side panels on the upright side frame members at opposite sides of the upper frame, said breath guard being disposed between said upright side frame members and between said upright side panels when the breath guard is in its raised and lowered positions.

2. A product server for holding and displaying food products, the product server comprising

a front customer side,

a rear employee side,

a cabinet having a food preparation surface adjacent the employee side of the product server for the preparation of food orders,

a breath guard pivotally attached to said product server generally near said front customer side of the product server for movement between a lowered generally horizontal position covering said food products held by the product server and a raised position,

said breath guard having a breath guard configuration such that when it is in said raised position it provides a barrier to contamination of the food products by customers on the customer side of the product server while allowing access to said food products by employees on the employee side of the product server,

the breath guard being sufficiently transparent to allow viewing of the food products from the customer side of the product server, and

wherein when the breath guard is pivoted toward said raised position it extends from generally near said front customer side of the product server in an upward direction toward the rear employee side of the product server for allowing access to said food products from the employee side of the product server,

an upper frame extending up from the cabinet near the front customer side of the product server, said upper frame comprising upright side frame members at opposite sides of the upper frame, and upright side panels on the upright side frame members at opposite sides of the upper frame, said breath guard being disposed between said upright side frame members and between said upright side panels when the breath guard is in its raised and lowered positions.

3. A product server for holding and displaying food products, the product server comprising

a front customer side,

a rear employee side,

a cabinet having a food preparation surface adjacent the employee side of the product server for the preparation of food orders, and

a breath guard pivotally attached to the product server generally near the front customer side of the product server for pivoting between a lowered generally horizontal position in which the breath guard covers said food products held by the product server and prevents access to the products from both the customer side of the product server and the employee side of the product server, and a raised position allowing access to the food products from the employee side of the product server,

the breath guard in said raised position having a breath guard configuration such that it protects against contamination of said food products by customers at the customer side of the server,

an upper frame extending up from the cabinet near the front customer side of the product server, said upper frame comprising upright side frame members at opposite sides of the upper frame, and upright side panels on the upright side frame members at opposite sides of the upper frame, said breath guard being disposed between said upright side frame members and between said upright side panels when the breath guard is in its raised and lowered positions.

4. A product server for holding and displaying food products, the product server comprising

a front customer side,

a rear employee side,

a cabinet,

a plurality of food pans in the cabinet, and

a food preparation surface on the cabinet adjacent the employee side of the product server for the preparation of food orders using food from said food pans,

a heating or refrigeration system housed in the cabinet for regulating the temperature of the products held in the food pans,

a breath guard attached to the product server and moveable between a lowered generally horizontal position covering said food pans and preventing access to food products in said food pans from both the customer side of the product server and the employee side of the product server, and a raised position,

said breath guard having a breath guard configuration such that when it is in said raised position it provides a barrier to contamination of the food products by customers on the customer side of the product server while allowing access to food products in said food pans by employees on the employee side of the product server,

the breath guard being sufficiently transparent to allow viewing of the food products from the customer side of the product server,

wherein said breath guard is configured such that when it is in its lowered position it overlies the food pans but not said food preparation surface adjacent the employee side of the product server,

an upper frame extending up from the cabinet near the front customer side of the product server, said upper frame comprising upright side frame members at opposite sides of the upper frame, and upright side panels on the upright side frame members at opposite sides of the upper frame, said breath guard being disposed between said upright side frame members and between said upright side panels when the breath guard is in its raised and lowered positions.

5. A product server for holding and displaying food products, the product server comprising

a front customer side,

a rear employee side, and

a breath guard attached to the product server and moveable between a lowered generally horizontal position covering said products held by the product server and a raised position,

said breath guard having a breath guard configuration such that when it is in said raised position it provides a barrier to contamination of the food products by customers on the customer side of the product server while allowing access to said food products by employees from the employee side of the product server,

the breath guard being sufficiently transparent to allow viewing of the products from the customer side of the product server,

wherein said product server further comprises a cabinet, a food preparation surface adjacent the employee side of the product server for the preparation of food orders, and an upper frame extending up from the cabinet near the front customer side of the product server,

said upper frame comprising upright side frame members at opposite sides of the upper frame, upright side panels on the upright side frame members at opposite sides of the upper frame, and a top shelf supported by the side frame members and spaced above said cabinet, and

wherein said breath guard is disposed between said upright side frame members, between said upright side panels, and below said top shelf when the breath guard is in its raised position.

6. A method of using a food product server, said food product server having a front customer side, a rear employee side, food pans, a food preparation surface for preparing food orders using food from the food pans, and a breath guard, said method comprising the steps of:

moving the breath guard from a lowered position covering the food pans to a raised position in which the breath guard provides a barrier to contamination of food in the food pans by customers on the customer side of the product server while allowing access to food in the food pans by employees on the employee side of the product server;

preparing a food order on the food preparation surface; and

moving the breath guard to said lowered position after said food order has been prepared.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein said breath guard is pivoted between said raised and lowered positions and comprises a single elongate panel extending from adjacent one end of the cabinet to adjacent an opposite end of the cabinet for covering said food pans when the breath guard is in said lowered position.

8. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein said breath guard is configured such that it does not cover said food preparation surface when the breath guard is in said lowered position.