When opening a restaurant, you will find that one of your biggest costs to consider is your kitchen. What equipment will you need to have for opening night and beyond? By ensuring you have the right equipment in your commercial kitchen, you can save time, money and space.
Here is a checklist of the essentials for smooth service.
– Oven
– Hob
– Grill
– Freezer and refrigerator (walk-in or chest)
– Deep-fat fryer
– Sauté/Saucepans
– Soup/Stock pots
– Baking sheets and pans
– Tongs
– Mixing bowls
– Chef’s knives
– Whisks
– Spatulas
– Steam table
– Serving dishes: entrée plates, salad plates, pasta bowls, appetizer plates, dessert plates/bowls
– Fire extinguisher
– Cleaning rags and cloths
– Mop and bucket
– Shelving for equipment storage
– Rubber floor mats
-Marble Tiles – These are great for backsplashes in any kitchen and can be easily sourced through sites including https://irwintiles.ie/index.php/marble-stone-tiles.html
– Soap/Sanitizer dispenser
This, of course, is not an exhaustive list and will require tweaking as per your own specifications. If you have a specialised market – for example, you exclusively sell seafood or you plan to serve self-cooking steaks on steak stones – you will need to buy in the specifics in order to fulfil this vision.
Appliances and Resources
The larger appliances will require the most consideration. Will your kitchen space have the room for a reach-in refrigerator or an under-counter model? Would you be looking for a 4-burner stove, or would something like a medium duty 6 burner gas range oven be more suitable, You need to work with the space you have available to you and work around the layout of the kitchen.
Will you be buying your appliances new directly from the supplier? If so, remember that the value of these products will depreciate as soon as they leave the shop, much like a brand new car. However, you will also have the guarantee of a warranty.
To save cash you can also buy second-hand. Often appliances such as ovens or grills can be bought nearly new and in good condition. Of course, this will mean you don’t have the security of a warranty, but these products will most likely not break within the given period anyway.
Buying at restaurant auctions is another way to save cash. Kitchen equipment and the smaller items, like utensils and serving dishes, can be snapped up here for great prices.
