Offering delicious, freshly baked goods can draw in loads of customers, but having the right equipment to bake those goods can make or break restaurants. Unfortunately, new bakery equipment is pricey and costs a lot upfront, especially for restaurants looking to expand. The solution? Used bakery equipment.

However, used bakery equipment comes with its share of minuses, although the money it can save you depending on the equipment you get can be a real dealbreaker.

It’s up to you to decide which equipment is right for you. New bakery equipment that can cost a lot and take a while, or sourcing inexpensive used bakery equipment from the best vendor for used restaurant equipment in Dallas, Texas Restaurant Supply.

New Equipment: The Pros and Cons

Shiny, brand-new equipment lined up all in a row along a counter can be a pretty sight, but it can cost more than an exotic vacation. However, having access to the latest technology and features, plus equipment personalized to your needs, may be precisely what you need.

Bakery equipment is a lot like cars. They are worth much less when you fire them up and use them. The moment you take it out of the showroom, the value of your equipment drops. Also, equipment is often made-to-order, which means a long manufacturing and delivery wait.

You shouldn’t buy new bakery equipment if you’re in a rush, as it takes time for the delivery and manufacturing process, so if your oven suddenly goes out. If you want to replace it with a new one, you will be limited in your business.

Appliances and equipment are updated, and older models are permanently discontinued. If you’re trying to replace anything over ten years old, you likely won’t be able to find the exact new oven. Also, if you enjoy a specific model of an oven and are just looking to replace particular oven, you might be out of luck.

Pros

• Warranties

• Latest Technology

• Energy Saving

Cons

• High Costs

• Immediate Depreciation

• Discontinued Models

Used Bakery Equipment: The Pros and Cons

This is the route if you’re looking to expand into baking immediately or need the equipment fast. Used bakery equipment can save you time and money. Manufacturing or delivery times are no longer required, and you get commercial equipment for a great price.

The money you save by buying used is no laughing matter either. 59% of restaurants fail within the first three years, meaning there’s a lot of pretty new equipment waiting to be snatched up by a savvy buyer.

Used equipment is already used, so there isn’t a significant drop in value when you take it back and fire them up. Plus, if you’re looking for a particular model, chances are you’ll be able to find one, even if it’s been discontinued.

But there are still some drawbacks, the biggest one being the lack of warranties on used equipment. If used equipment breaks down, you’re on the hook for replacing or fixing it. There’s also not much variety in the equipment selection available, so you may have to compromise with a piece that doesn’t have all the features you want.

Pros

• Save Money

• No Long Delivery Times

• Older Styles of Equipment

• Great Value

Cons

• No Warranties

• Limited Variety

Buy Equipment Based on Your Personal Needs

You should carefully consider what you’ll use your equipment for, then research to see what kinds of equipment, features, and baked goods they can produce. If you’re opening a bakery, you’ll need a wide range of equipment that can handle a variety of goods. If you just want to sell freshly baked cookies in your restaurant, you might need a tabletop oven.

New equipment may be more expensive, but it’s also more reliable with warranties to back it up. Used commercial restaurant equipment in Dallas is cheaper, but they have an inherent risk depending on how old and used they are.

So it’s up to you to decide if new equipment is worth the price (and depreciation) or if used restaurant equipment in Dallas can get the job done just fine at a fraction of the cost of buying new.

Commercial restaurant equipment is expensive. Outfitting a professional kitchen takes time, effort, and money, particularly if you spring for new kitchen equipment, which many restaurant owners do, not realizing there’s an easier way.

Fifty-nine percent of restaurants close within the first three years. These restaurants then sell their old equipment back to restaurant supply stores, which offer the used restaurant equipment at depreciated prices.

If you buy used equipment instead of new, you can save on your upfront costs and invest in more important aspects of the business. You don’t necessarily need new kitchen equipment, especially when used equipment is only a few months old and just as good as new equipment but at half the cost.

Let’s take a look in detail at why you should invest in used kitchen equipment.

1. Save on Initial Investment

Buying used restaurant equipment can save you a lot of money when you’re first investing in your business, money that can go toward things like marketing or hiring staff and other critical aspects of starting a restaurant.

By investing more in marketing, ambiance, food, or waitstaff, you make a better impression on customers and have a better chance for success. Then, as your business picks up and you begin generating more profit, you can reinvest in buying brand-new equipment or simply replace your kitchen equipment as you go along.

Essentially, your invest money into more complicated aspects of the business by saving money on equipment, one of the most expensive upfront costs of starting a restaurant.

2. Negotiable Prices

With new equipment, the prices listed on them are often the prices you’ll have to pay. There’s little room for negotiating prices or asking for extras. But that isn’t the case with used kitchen equipment.

You can talk to the vendors about pricing, throwing in extras, or getting deals on kitchen equipment bundles. You get more value for your money than if you buy all new.

Of course, you should also consider the condition and quality of the equipment you buy. Restaurant equipment depreciates after its use, but going for the cheapest of the cheap will only land your business in hot water when it needs replacing.

But if you inspect the machines and ensure they’re in proper working order, not too old, and how much they’ve been used, you can get incredible deals on whole kitchens.

3. Complimentary Equipment

When you’re buying used equipment from a restaurant supply and negotiating the prices, you can ask for small complimentary equipment, like spoons, utensils, cooking utensils, and much more.

Besides bundling together equipment, you can save a lot of money by sourcing a lot of more minor, easy-to-forget equipment from the restaurant supply. Moreover, this equipment is frequently new or barely used by restaurants that shuttered their establishments, so you can get quality equipment for free.

New equipment frequently has hidden fees or one or two complimentary pieces with purchase. More often than not, you have to buy them separately, which produces extra strain on your restaurant budget or might crop up as surprise expenses.

Outfitting kitchens is a lot of work that you may or may not be anticipating, but complimentary equipment included in negotiations can make the entire process smoother.

4. On-Site Maintenance

Used restaurant equipment doesn’t come with warranties, so if it breaks, you’ll be on the hook to replace them. But if the problem is fixable, the vendor, like Texas Restaurant Supply, will send someone out to look at your equipment and fix it.

This is huge, as most commercial restaurant equipment doesn’t have personal maintenance specialists. It’s the difference between closing the restaurant a week and waiting for a layperson to charge you through the nose to get it fixed and opening up within a day because there’s someone ready and waiting to help you.

That’s big for restaurants, and used restaurant equipment frequently comes with on-site maintenance for any issues that might crop up. So before you buy new just for the warranty you won’t need for five to ten years, consider the flexibility and affordability of used restaurant equipment for your brand–new restaurant.

Wrap Up

So, considering that you’ll save some money, will be able to negotiate the price, will receive some extra equipment for free, and will have access to on-site maintenance, buying used kitchen equipment is a no-brainer.