Restaurants are filled with tons of equipment in order to prepare, store, and serve food to customers. Opening a restaurant is no easy feat and usually requires a considerable investment in kitchen equipment before getting started.
If you are on the path to open a restaurant, you’ll want to know exactly what pieces of restaurant equipment you’re going to need to budget for. Some are obvious, such as refrigerators and freezers, while many you don’t realize you need, such as a mop sink specifically for filling your mop bucket.
Keep reading to learn about the most essential equipment you are going to need for your restaurant business to be successful.
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Table of Contents
Ovens
You are going to need a large commercial oven in order to cook the majority of your restaurant’s food. In fact, you might need multiple different ovens.
If your menu is varied, your going to need to cook different foods at different temperatures. Plus, if you offer baked goods as well, you are going to need a baking-specific oven.
When filling your commercial kitchen with ovens, consider the comfort of your team. Lots of heat-producing equipment can quickly make a small space feel incredibly hot.
Look into ways to increase ventilation in the kitchen so that all of that heat can escape, and ensure you have fans to keep your staff comfortable.
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Ranges
Aside from ovens, ranges are the next place where most of your food will be cooked. A gas range will give your cooks better control over temperature when cooking, which is ideal for meat.
They are also more cost-effective than electric ranges and can work even without electricity. But having an open flame in your kitchen increases your risk of accidents and fires.
In fact, thousands of restaurants burn every year due to kitchen fires. If you opt for a gas range, ensure your team is properly trained to avoid accidents and keep the kitchen safe.
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Food Processor
Food processors make it much easier for your team to chop up large amounts of ingredients at one time. No one has time to cut ingredients by hand, so a processor is a must.
Depending on the ingredients being prepared, food processors can also shred, grind and puree, making them very versatile in your kitchen. There are multiple different types of food processors. Before buying one, consider your menu and figure out what types of ingredients will need to be processed most frequently.
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Freezer Alarm
As a restaurant, you likely have thousands and thousands of dollars of products stored in your commercial freezer. Buying in bulk is always the most cost-effective method for sourcing ingredients, so you probably have plenty of products on hand.
But you are relying on your commercial freezer to always be running, and on your power company to never leave you without power. Since we don’t live in a perfect world, you should have a commercial freezer temperature alarm.
Once set up, these alarms can alert your smartphone or computer any time that the temperature of your freezer rises above the safe threshold. So if there’s ever an issue, you’ll know about it right away and can solve the problem before all of your food in the freezer spoils.
These simple alarms can save you a lot of money.
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Stainless Steel Tables
Most of your kitchen top surfaces will need to be stainless steel. These are durable surfaces that are easy to clean and disinfect, making them safe for use in the food and hospitality industry.
You’ll likely need to outfit your kitchen with a number of stainless steel tables and countertops. They are available in many prebuilt sizes and configurations, able to fit in any space or corner of your kitchen. Plus, they can come with sinks built-in, making it easy to wash hands or ingredients in multiple areas of the kitchen.
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Personal Protective Equipment
Your staff is going to need a ton of personal equipment to keep them safe in the kitchen at all times. This means having plenty of aprons available to protect them and their clothing from hot food and surfaces.
Hairnets should be provided to keep the food free from hair. You should also provide oven mitts and pot holders to avoid burns.
You’ll also want to have some cut gloves available to prevent accidental cuts, which are far too common in restaurant kitchens. Have an extensive first aid kit available and make sure everyone knows where it is stored. Also, be sure your team knows how to use a fire extinguisher.
Have wet floor signs for both the kitchen and common areas of your restaurant, to protect people from falling and protect your business from lawsuits.
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Anti-Fatigue Mats
The people working in your kitchen are going to be on their feet for their entire shift. This means standing for eight hours or longer per day.
This can put a huge strain on their feet and the rest of their body. Invest in anti-fatigue, rubber floor mats for each station where people stand in place for long periods of time. This will make it far more enjoyable to work in your kitchen.
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Espresso Machine
If you serve breakfast, brunch, or dessert at your restaurant, you are also going to want to serve coffee. It’s always a major letdown when restaurants serve incredible food but offer terrible coffee.
For most restaurant owners, coffee isn’t their focus. As a result, it becomes an afterthought, leading to many disappointed customers.
Instead, you want everything you serve to your customers to be outstanding. This means you should invest in quality coffee-making equipment, such as a nice espresso machine. Then you can serve up specialty coffee beverages, such as macchiatos, cappuccinos, and lattes that will compliment the food you are serving to your customers.
Budgeting for Restaurant Equipment
Now that you know what restaurant equipment is needed for your restaurant to be successful, you need to start planning your budget. All of this costs money and will rapidly increase your business startup costs.
Consider buying used. You can still get good equipment for a much lower price. You can always upgrade later on.
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