Planning to open a restaurant?
Opening a restaurant might seem easy, especially when it’s a small, quaint location. But the truth is that you must prepare a lot of things before even opening. There are millions of other businesses competing for attention, after all.
Otherwise, your restaurant won’t last long.
Don’t panic yet.
With this guide, you’ll learn some of the things you need for your local restaurant. This ensures that your business is capable of handling customers efficiently. Read on and find out more:
1. Commercial Refrigerators
Any restaurant must have commercial refrigerators. It’s because the law requires it and it helps to keep your ingredients as fresh as possible for longer periods. With this, you save more money with your ingredients, allowing you to serve fresher dishes every day.
The good news is that you have lots of viable choices for commercial refrigerators. As a restaurant, you can have several that you can use for various purposes. For example, you can get a refrigerator exclusively for vegetables set to the proper temperature to keep them fresher.
2. Ovens, Ranges, and Microwaves
Ovens and ranges ensure your restaurant’s dishes are perfect when cooked. You have several varying types of oven needed for your restaurant kitchen. This will depend on the food your establishment offers.
Regardless, all restaurants must have conventional or convection ovens. Ensure that your commercial range has enough burners to cater to large guest groups. Also, get microwaves to help heat your dishes.
3. Ice Machines
This is another essential piece of restaurant kitchen equipment. It’s because it allows you to serve cold drinks to large groups. After all, you can make ice on demand.
It can dispense ice directly into a soda fountain or an ice bin.
You can also use these machines to make blended drinks like smoothies, slushes, and margaritas. The ice also helps preserve seafood and fresh meat. This makes it easier because you need not make another trip to the refrigerator.
If you want a good ice machine brand, look no further than the Hoshizaki Ice Machine. It’s an indispensable piece of restaurant equipment with more functionalities than most.
4. Warming Cabinets
It’s almost impossible for you to finish a table’s entire dish order at the same time. If you want to avoid the hassle, put a warming cabinet in your restaurant kitchen. This ensures that the food remains warm until you’re ready to serve it among the others.
With this, you can guarantee your diners’ food to be hot when served at the same time. Also, warming cabinets allow you to cook food in advance. This ensures your food is hot and ready as soon as the customers order them.
5. Commercial Grills and Griddles
Does your menu include burgers, steaks, or pancakes? If so, your kitchen will be better off with a commercial grill. For most restaurants, you can use Griddles and flat-top grills because of their versatility.
With these restaurant products, you can cook several servings at the same time. You can also use specialty grills and griddles. For example, panini grills are great if you want to cook these Italian sandwiches.
That’s why you must consider all your menu items. It’s what helps you determine whether you’ll need a specialty grill or griddle. This ensures you won’t become one of the 20% of businesses that fail each year.
6. Deep Fryer
If your menu consists of mostly fried food items, your kitchen becomes more efficient if you get a deep fryer. It allows you to make French fries, calamari, churros, and mozzarella sticks with no issues. That’s what makes it a valuable staple to most commercial kitchens.
When you select a deep fryer, think about its temperature range and capacity. This is especially important when you’re running a family restaurant. If your menu has a family-sized platter of French fries, you must have the right size of the fryer to ensure you cook it efficiently in one go.
7. Hot and Cold Beverage Equipment
Every restaurant must have the necessary equipment to serve beverages. This applies even when you only aim to serve water. With hot and cold beverage machines, you will have a wider range of offerings for drinks.
If your restaurant caters to mostly adults, coffee makers and drink dispensers are great additions. You must also have a brewer for iced tea and a soda fountain. At the very least, get a hot water dispenser for customers that shun away from cold water.
8. Prep Tables
These give a clean and clear space for your chefs to prepare dishes and their ingredients. Work tables are also great for rolling out dough or putting final touches on dishes before going out of the kitchen. Most prep tables have undershelves you can use as storage spaces for common items, making them easier to access.
Prep and work tables use a wide range of materials, but the most common is stainless-steel. It’s because this material is easy to maintain and clean because of its corrosion resistance. Depending on your restaurant, you might want to get marble or wood worktops to make the dough.
If your restaurant specializes in sandwiches and salads, you can buy specialty prep stations for them. It allows your employees to make custom food items for guests.
9. Sinks
This is a requirement for health and safety purposes. It’s because they’re necessary to ensure that your equipment remains sanitary. You can use it to rinse fresh produce, cleaning utensils, and your kitchen staff’s hands.
Buy stainless-steel sinks to ensure it’s easy to clean while maintaining high durability. Look at your local health codes to know the number of sinks necessary for your restaurant.
Grow Your Local Restaurant Today!
These are some of the best equipment your local restaurant needs to ensure its success. If you want to abide by the law while delivering the best service, use this list to buy the equipment you don’t own yet.
Did our guide help you launch your restaurant? If it did, don’t stop here. We’ve got even more business guides to help you find your footing so don’t hesitate to give them a read today.
