What is the Perfect Time to Replace Your Kitchen Equipment?
Restaurant equipment is really expensive! As a restaurant owner, you can easily spend tens of thousands of dollars on your kitchen equipment. It can really drain your budget! That being said, there are times when you should replace your equipment, and times when you shouldn't. Here is a list of the perfect times to replace your kitchen equipment!
1. If your equipment is broken
If you have equipment that is truly broken and cannot be fixed, you really need to purchase some new equipment. Your restaurant won't be able to function without certain kinds of equipment, so you'll need to replace anything that's broken right away.
Sometimes, equipment breaking can come at a really bad time, and you might not have the money to buy something that's brand new. That's okay! There is used equipment that you can find, which will solve your problem in the meantime. Honestly, used equipment is just as good as new equipment in many ways. Just because something is used, doesn't mean it's not good anymore. Lots of times, restaurant owners sell their lightly used equipment because they want something that's brand new, and they have the money to spend. You can browse online to see if any restaurants near you are selling used equipment. The owner should let you go check it out before you decide to purchase it.
2. If you've spent money fixing your equipment again and again
If you have spent lots of money fixing the same equipment over and over again, stop right now. Do not spend any more money fixing something that is just going to break again. Use your money to get something new, or something lightly used.
Some restaurant owners don't realize the problem of spending money over and over again to fix something. If you're doing this, you're losing money when you should be gaining it. You aren't investing your money the right away. Your equipment should be an investment in your business, and it should work properly. If you don't take the time to get equipment that actually works and doesn't have to get repaired frequently, then you are simply throwing money down the drain.
If this is happening to you, sit down and decide if you want to get new or used equipment. Then, begin the search! Don't spend any more money repairing your equipment ever again.
3. When there are good sales
You should check out your local restaurant equipment store to see if there are any sales! It just might be hard to scope them out. You can check the ads at your local restaurant equipment store, or even in your local newspaper, and see if there are any sales happening. Stores usually have big sales around holidays, like memorial day or the 4th of July, so make sure you go to stores around those times. Also, look online and see if you can find any sales that way. You might find a sale at a faraway store, and maybe you can order some equipment from them online, and save yourself some money.
One of the best times to buy restaurant equipment is when there is a sale! As we mentioned above, restaurant equipment is extremely expensive, and if there is a way for you to save some money, you should absolutely take the opportunity! If you're planning to get restaurant equipment in the near future, you shouldn't make the purchase immediately - you should wait to see if you can find a sale. Taking the time to shop around and look for sales is totally worth it because you could end up saving yourself thousands of dollars!
Good luck with your shopping!
These are just a few of the best times to replace your restaurant equipment! If you follow these few tips, you could save yourself a ton of money, and get some great restaurant equipment, too!