Finding The Correct Equipment For Your Restaurant

Many people start new restaurants or food service operations every day. Many have experience in the industry, some own existing restaurants but many have never operated one. Even people who have worked in a restaurant may have difficulty in determining the right equipment for a new build.

Start out by determining your target people group & menu. Think about their needs & how they will interact with your menu. Build a sample menu & analyze your recipes. Once the menu is determined you will know what equipment & tools will be needed. Be sure to evaluate how much a single equipment type will be needed. For example: If you have a heavy fryer menu such as seafood but need a fryer for smaller appetizer items, you might need to reserve large full size floor fryers for the large menu items & use a counter top unit for small appetizer batches. Also the volume of each menu item will determine quantity of equipment. If you serve large quantities or the same item you will need larger quantities or sizes of the same equipment.

Remember you can gain capacity in two ways, more of the same equipment or larger size of the same equipment. Often the larger equipment can be a greater investment but if your operation will have the demand for product the larger equipment will help you cook larger batches. Remember though that a single large equipment item can produce greater quantities of product but if it goes down for service or maintenance you station is down too. Often the operator that has multiple units of the same equipment item can still operate while repairing or servicing another.

Also your financial budget may dictate what equipment you will be able to acquire. We suggest you analyze your equipment list as a whole & determine what is your primary or most important equipment items & which are not absolutely required. The ones that are considered major items that can not be removed from list or downsized should be noted as primary cooking equipment. You must determine which primary equipment items you should invest in & if you should buy new or used condition. Used equipment is fine for back of the house items, but if it is a major equipment item you must be absolutely sure that it will function properly once put into service. Many operators have tried to save on used equipment only to find them inadequate on opening day. Not a good time to fail regarding the equipment.

Often each equipment supplier has several lines of equipment from many manufacturers. Usually an economy or import line, mid range & high end or high performance. Normally the economy or mid lines work for most operations, but if the operation is a high volume such as hotels, school, hospital, large institutional or commercial food manufacturer. These operations need the best they can get, they can not afford to be down.

Be sure to sketch out your kitchen layout. Put it down on paper. Look for proper product flow, equipment secquence & space allowances. Look for layout improvements that can improve building costs by eliminating extra plumbing or drains. Remember time & motion study play an important part in the productivity or the kitchen. If workers have to constantly walk accross kitchen, use unreasonable reach between work station & prep areas, the end result is slower orders & extra costs to the operator. Consult several experienced chefs to see what layouts work best for them. The food should flow from back door into storage to prep, then cooking to plating & out through the pass to customers. Also be sure the incoming from dining does not intefere with the food out to dining, you dont need servers & bussers stumbling over each other.

Finally, be sure to remember how power usage & warranty will come into play. Used equipment often has little to no warranty while new has warranties from manufacturer. The warranty can prevent losses due to repair & service. Power use is especially important. Different voltages, phase as well as gas types affect how efficiently the equipment will operate.

Power consumed during operation is an operation expense that can be reduced from the start. Also smart decisions like not ordering a walk in cooler with a top mount condenser & then placing unit inside your air conditioned building, thus having to cool the heated air the condenser puts out.

Consult your restaurant equipment dealer when shopping for equipment. A reputable dealer with experience can guide you into the right equipment by discussing your operation & budget needs. Remember that starting up an new food service business can be very expensive. You must be smart in buying the right equipment at the best price not buying the best priced wrong equipment. There is much to be said & considered regarding new builds. Putting enough research & planning in the front end can save thousands & help make your start up a survivor!