Tools and equipment are one of the most significant considerations when opening a restaurant. Since a major portion of the initial investment is driven towards acquiring all the requisite equipment required to run the restaurant smoothly, you must ensure to get all the essential items while not going overboard with the expenditures.
It is hence important to determine which equipment you will need and which ones you can do without. This will enable you to allocate your resources accordingly. While restaurants differ in how they operate and the menu they feature, the following equipment is a staple across the restaurant industry.
Restaurant cooking equipment
The cooking appliances are usually on the top of any restaurant equipment list. Restaurants usually feature commercial ovens that have a greater power output and more capacity than residential ovens.
Whether you need a convection oven, a conveyer model, a combination, or a burner oven, each comes with different features, and you will need to decide which ones to get according to your menu, i.e., the type of dishes your restaurant will offer and cooking requirements. At the same time, you must also consider what type of oven will suit your kitchen.
Besides ovens, you will need other cooking equipment like a gas or electric range, grill and griddles, deep fryer, broiler, microwave oven, coffee brewer, and toaster. You can select the size and type of equipment according to your kitchen size and cooking requirements. Moreover, while choosing the cooking equipment, ensure you get the right power type for your restaurant kitchen.
Freezers and Refrigerators
Storing food properly and keeping its freshness intact is a crucial aspect of food services. Hence you must invest in high-quality freezers and refrigerators. You must consider a few elements before buying refrigerators and freezers for your business; for instance, how much you will generally be storing, the size of the kitchen, and where the equipment will be placed in your restaurant kitchen.
There is a wide array of commercial freezers and refrigerators available in different sizes, and having different features intended to cater to different sizes of commercial kitchens so you can choose according to your requirements.
Food preparation equipment
The next item on the list is food preparation equipment, i.e., processors and mixers. Processors are a must in a busy restaurant kitchen to make your food-prepping work easy, like cutting, slicing, blending, chopping, and pureeing the ingredients before being added to the dishes. You may need them to prepare the vegetables or make dressings, sauces, or dips. There are different kinds of processors in the market, like buffalo choppers, batch bowl choppers, and continuous feed choppers, and you can choose accordingly.
Similarly, commercial mixers are a must if you have baked items like bread, pizza, or cakes on the menu. You can pick from hand, countertop, or floor mixers depending on the scale of cooking.
Food holders
To keep the food safe and maintain the temperature of prepared food, you will need food-holding shelves and cabinets and food warmers that will ensure that the food stays at an ideal temperature until it is ready to be served. Food-holding shelves and cabinets can also help you save space and keep the kitchen organized.
Ware and dishwashers
A busy restaurant must have speedy services to cater to all customers and ensure that the operations run smoothly as well. While you can rely on the restaurant staff to clean the dirty incoming dishes, you can invest in a reliable commercial dishwasher to clean all dishes quickly and conveniently. It will help you save time, reduce equipment breakage, and help you meet sanitation requirements.
Final Thoughts
The key to a successful restaurant is an efficient and high-performing kitchen; hence you must choose the right restaurant equipment for your operations. It is pertinent to note that restaurants differ in terms of their menu, size, and how they operate and hence may need additional equipment, which may not be among the five equipment pieces mentioned above.
Buying kitchen equipment is a hefty investment, so you must plan properly, budget accordingly, and ensure you get all the essential items. Assess the concept and menu of your restaurant and consider the size and layout of your kitchen before buying the equipment so everything fits and you have all you need to run your restaurant operations.
