If you’re a restaurateur, buying restaurant equipment and supplies can be an arduous task that needs a lot of research. In addition to finding the best deals, you also have to evaluate factors like the size of your kitchen, equipment types your menu mandates, the location of the floor drain, etc.
Building a working kitchen is one of the costliest investments for a restaurant as your restaurant equipment determines the quality and innovation of your dishes. From refrigerators to ovens, cutting boards to food processors, and cleaning tools to kitchen cutlery, every piece of equipment plays a vital role in turning ingredients into delicious food for your customers.
Before you dive into buying restaurant equipment, let us take a closer look at some of the most crucial factors to take into account when making a purchase.
Table of Contents
Your head chef, responsible for designing the menu, will know precisely what equipment you need for your restaurant kitchen. Their years of expertise will contribute not only to making sound equipment decisions for your kitchen, but they will also know the most reliable brands for long-lasting durability.
It is important to have a budget for your commercial kitchen setup. Make a list of the equipment that you need to purchase and the brands that you are interested in. This will help you save time and help you stay within budget.
Certain appliances in your kitchen are bound to run round the clock. It is important to invest in energy-efficient equipment, even if it is a little over your budget, as their price tag is usually offset by long-term savings in gas and/or electricity.
You must make sure that your restaurant equipment is compliant with the regulations of the relevant government body. For more information, make sure to check out the codes and regulations of theFDA.
One of the most important aspects to consider while choosing restaurant equipment is the size of the kitchen. Measure every part of the kitchen as well as the equipment thoroughly. Most of the bigger brands will help you with customizing the equipment to fit your kitchen.
Every commercial kitchen has a workflow. With the help of a restaurant kitchen set-up consultant and a chef, your kitchen staff will be able to move around the kitchen while using appliances, helping the kitchen work efficiently.
A restaurant can have a live kitchen, an open bar, an open pizzeria, or a closed kitchen. The equipment can differ according to your restaurant’s cuisine and kitchen style. Your chef can help you choose the equipment depending on the selected style.
Restaurant equipment and supplies are supposed to be reliable. You must make sure that the brands you choose have a record of excellent customer service and a good, reliable warranty.
Normally, when you decide to buy restaurant equipment, you may visit a local dealer. Many restaurateurs don’t realize that there are online stores for commercial kitchen equipment that offer an exhaustive inventory, customized equipment, free shipping, lower prices, and excellent product warranties.
Most of these online stores sell restaurant supplies at the best rates, which can help cut costs for your business.
To make your equipment shopping easier for you, we’ve done a thorough research and listed the top online stores for restaurant equipment and supplies.
WebstaurantStore is a great option if you want to find everything you require in one spot. It provides furnishings, disposables, crockery, commercial refrigeration, small wares, as well as housekeeping supplies. They also sell products like sauces, oil, dairy, and meat products, as well as dry ice for your restaurant needs.
Restaurant owners can drastically cut their costs by earning free shipping on eligible items with a $99 per month WebstaurantPlus membership.
KaTom has been in the restaurant supply business for more than 3 decades. Their website offers commercial restaurant equipment and supplies, food preparation equipment, cleaning supplies, kitchen organizers, furniture, cutlery, and disposables. KaTom’s buying guides are useful to help you make better-informed purchases for your restaurant.
CKitchen has been one of the pioneers in providing commercial restaurant supplies for over 38 years. Their online store has more than 100,000 products from the most reliable and renowned brands in the industry. CKitchen sells restaurant equipment, food preparation equipment, commercial refrigerators, ice machines, serve ware, bartending supplies, restaurant furniture, janitorial tools and supplies, shelves and racks, storage and transport equipment, disposables, and more.
As an exclusive authorized representative for many manufacturers listed on the website, CKitchen helps to make sure that you are purchasing from a company you can fully trust.
Compared to other websites, the prices offered by CKitchen are the lowest and it also provides a shipping warranty for high-value products. You can also lease commercial kitchen equipment from CKitchen. If you are a new restaurant, CKitchen has trained restaurant consultants and designers to assist you to make the best purchase for your restaurant.
CKitchen with Credit Key also offers monthly payment method plans for kitchen equipment purchases that can be helpful to get your restaurant started.
RestaurantSupply features prominent brands like Ice-O-Matic, Scotsman, and Dispense-Rite on their online store. Their wide range of categories includes plumbing and faucet wares, tableware, packaging supplies, small ware, and other commercial restaurant equipment.
RestaurantSupply provides large equipment leasing to restaurants that can help cut costs at the beginning of their operations. However, they do not offer free shipping. The shipping cost is instead determined by the size and weight of the product.
Being in the business for 5 decades, Equippers provides budget-friendly new and used restaurant equipment. They have bigger warehouses that store their products, helping restaurateurs pick up the product directly from their storage. They sell restaurant equipment, food preparation equipment, small ware, commercial shelves and racks, furniture, and commercial refrigerators from low-end to high-value brands. Equippers also have reliable and short delivery times and free shipping for all their orders.
Conclusion
A local distributor may not always have reliable and renowned brands in stock or available at all. They may also fail to compete with the more robust and lower pricing models of online kitchen suppliers. Online stores also eliminate middlemen, which helps restaurants purchase equipment and supplies at considerably cheaper prices.
Choosing an online restaurant equipment supplier can help expand your options without overstepping your budget. While shopping online, make sure to choose a store with proven positive customer experiences.
Given that commercial kitchen equipment can be a long-term and risky investment if poor in quality, shopping on a website with positive customer testimonials about its services and products’ reliability can help ensure your purchase is a worthwhile and reliable one.
The Internet of Things (IoT) brings revolutionary changes to many industries, including transportation and logistics.… Read More
If you're looking into how to get a free divorce in Virginia, it's vital to… Read More
With the rapid rise of digital currencies, the world is witnessing a transformation in how… Read More
Do you have a friend who is trying to turn over a new leaf and… Read More
A residential roof is a primary defense against all the elements, safeguarding the home and… Read More
Remember the days when a "document" meant a blank sheet of paper and a pen?… Read More