Things You Should Do Before Buying Restaurant Equipment.....

September 01, 2016

Things you Should Do Before Buying Restaurant Equipment.....

What type of Equipment will you need? (Usually talk to your Head Chef who knows their restaurant equipment and do your own Homework!!)
Will you need gas? propane? electric for your equipment?
Is my equipment certified? UL approved? NSF Certified?
Do you have the measurements for the space needed for your equipment? Does the equipment have access into the kitchen due to size? Are the Doors Big enough? Can they be taken down to bring in Equipment?
Will you need delivery/freight? Is delivery/freight included? If delivery/freight not included, what are the charges?

(Know your Stuff! Well, at least try and have an idea if you have totally no clue.)

Look online first, I say this because you want to CompareCompare Check the pros and cons of buying online. Check if shipping is included, see if they have any promos or coupons available!
Then, if online isn't cutting it out for you, Look locally! Locally you will, for the most part, get the lowest prices and sometimes can even haggle the price down depending if you are buying from a private owner, a dealer, or a corporate. Local is also better because they can have local pick-up or local delivery!

Set a budget that is realistic and flexible
Know what you want to pay for certain equipment and make sure you also know the estimated worth of your equipment so you don't get taken advantage of.

Check to see if you can get a copy of your stores kitchen blueprint
And if you cant, you don't need to be Picasso, but draw an estimate of the shape of the kitchen so can get an idea of where you want to put all the equipment and make sure it fits
Plus take pictures too (its easier to visualize)

Choosing Quality over price in the long run will definitely save you from a few hair pulling moments.
Buying new might be the way to go if you don't want to run into any future problems with leaks or breakdowns.
Especially when looking into used restaurant equipment, you want to try and buy like-new equipment or in really great shape.(ask to see if it runs, if you are not sure). Also you might want to ask how old the piece is because usually there's a factory warranty for a few years after being bought.

Happy Shopping! Don't forget to checkout our Catalog!