The kitchen is the beating heart of any restaurant. It is where all the serious action happens; where everything that brings customers to the restaurant is established and created. From food preparation and plating to cleaning dirty dishes and storing ingredients, the kitchen that serves best is the one with the proper commercial restaurant equipment.
Choosing equipment for commercial kitchens in hotels and restaurants is one of the most important and, undoubtedly, one of the most expensive investments to be made in establishing an eatery. Though the public likely will never see the hustle and bustle that happens in the kitchen, the correct equipment and its positioning will go a long way to putting something on the dining table in a timely fashion that will please the client and entice them to return.
Quality restaurant equipment will be able to hold up under the rigors of constant use and still provide reliable service. Commercial kitchens are a riot of activity. Only industrial grade equipment can be counted on to be built of sturdy enough construction. Commercial grade equipment also comes with safety mechanisms that can help prevent grease fires and other accidents that will shut a restaurant down for costly repairs.
Other considerations to be taken into account when equipping the kitchen include the size of the space and the type of cuisine that will be offered. Size matters. Most restaurants built for that purpose make plenty of room for all the commercial restaurant equipment they will need. Many, however, are fitted into existing buildings that had never been used as a modern dining establishment. So any redesigning and remodeling must take into account the size specifications of the required stoves, ovens, grills, refrigerators, and preparation areas. Some quality restaurant equipment companies, however, can be called upon to customize pieces to fit in awkward spaces.
The size and shape of the prospective kitchen area also will dictate the placement of the various pieces of equipment to permit traffic to flow easily between the various preparation and storage areas and then to the pick-up shelf. Space concerns also makes it vital that only the equipment most needed for the cuisine will be installed. A restaurant serving mostly pasta dishes, for example, likely will not make much use of a industrial grade deep fat fryer, but could use a specialized pasta cooker.
Investing in quality restaurant equipment also can prove a major asset should the time come to sell the property. Quality equipment will make the price more appealing to potential buyers, who will be looking at their own costs of operation. Equipment bearing the names of well-regarded manufacturers can be a major selling point because it will indicate the buyers likely will not have to replace or repair the pieces. Thus the new establishment will be viewed almost as a turnkey operation where the new owners can start selling meals with a minimum of set-up.
So the selection of commercial restaurant equipment is a major consideration in both ongoing and new establishments. Restaurateurs will undoubtedly get more bang for their buck by investing in quality equipment, both in day-to-day operation and in any sale of the business.
Article written by James Andrews.
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