Points To Consider When Purchasing Restaurant Equipment

As you’re on the market for restaurant equipment, it can be difficult to know that you’re getting good equipment for a good price.

We understand that difficulty, and we’ve been there before. Now, to help ease your way, and in the hopes that you don’t have to go through any more difficulties, we made this list.

It’s a list of points that we think are important to consider before or as you’re purchasing a piece of equipment.

With that out of the way, we’ll save you time and start the list with our first point.

Loop The Chef In.

As you’re purchasing equipment for the kitchen, one of the best things you can do is loop the chef into the process. In order to pick the right equipment, you have to consider what you’ll be serving, and absolutely nobody knows that menu more than the head chef.

Even if you don’t have the time to loop them into the whole process, having them jot down some notes on what they’d prefer or insights on what can increase the efficiency of the kitchen can help a lot.

Make A List Of What You Need And Prioritize From That.

You could quickly spend your whole budget if you’re not careful, and that could leave you without a crucial piece of equipment. Luckily, there’s an easy way to avoid that.

Take the time to draft up a list of the equipment you want, then, perhaps taking notes from the chef, prioritize what equipment you absolutely cannot make do without. From there, you can start purchasing with a good understanding of what items you can pay a premium price for.

Regulations.

Any restaurant has a long list of codes and regulations that they must follow to stay in business. So you need to keep those in mind as you shop by ensuring that each piece of equipment you buy complies with any and all regulations.

Your Space.

Another key aspect to keep in mind is the actual size of your space. If you buy without looking at the dimensions of the equipment, you could find yourself without room to actually operate within the kitchen.

So measure your space, and then keep track of the dimensions of each piece of equipment that you buy.

Your Kitchen Processes.

Once again, this is something that is made a million times easier with the help of your chef. You should have a conversation discussing what will actually happen in your kitchen, what processes the staff will go through, and lastly, what equipment will make those processes faster.

Energy Efficiency.

An important aspect of running a successful business is keeping tabs on your energy consumption. Take notes on what is considered energy efficient and what could be improved on. A good example of that is the difference between gas and electric ranges. You may want the control of a gas range, but an electric range's energy efficiency can’t be overlooked.

Warranties And Maintenance Agreements.

You want to have confidence in your equipment. Yes, that means buying good, solid equipment. But it also means that you need warranties and maintenance agreements. Both of those will give you and everyone else, piece of mind in case something goes wrong.

Take Notes And Ask The Chef.

That’s the last thing we will say here, if you take notes about the products and what your chef has to say, then you’ll more than likely be stellar. Simply keep all of these points in your mind as you go about it.

We wish you luck, and we’re sure that whatever equipment you decide on will serve you, your staff and your customers for years to come.