Did you know that there’s a lot more involved than just workforce to have an effective restaurant?

It’s true; there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes that you don’t realize.

One of the biggest factors that often gets overlooked when opening or running a restaurant is the equipment used.

The truth is if many restaurateurs had the money, a lot of them, i.e., 47% of them, would spend on updating or getting new equipment.

Having good equipment and an even better team can certainly help get the sales in and establish a credible reputation. 

To help you, though, today we’re going to walk you through our restaurant equipment list. We will look into each of the most important pieces of equipment you could have in a commercial kitchen and what to consider before buying your restaurant equipment. 

Cooking equipment used in restaurant

When it comes to cooking equipment in a restaurant, there’s more equipment you need than you often realise, to help you have the best restaurant, you might want to think about owning the following:

Ovens

A commercial oven is the pinnacle to any good restaurant, without them it’d be difficult to survive. Therefore you should think about owning the one or a few of the following:

Commercial oven

Most restaurants either have one commercial or standard oven to help make baked dishes. If you're planning on opening a restaurant, you must have one. A commercial oven's benefits are more prominent in size than typical ovens, allowing you to cook more. 

You can also get specialized commercial ovens for cooking Chinese food, chicken rotisserie, pastries, and more. A commercial microwave and oven often have convection allowing food to be heated more efficiently, and it's a lot more affordable.

• Size: The most common commercial ovens range in 24, 48, and 60 inches wide and can be between 12-72 inches tall.
• Importance: These are essential for commercial kitchens as they hold larger pans and trays than your home would and provide more heat.
• Price Range: $1,900-$17,000
• Most Needed for: Restaurants, sandwich shops, smokehouses, and bakeries.
• Most Famous Brands: Vulcan, Baker's pride, and Old Hickory.
• Downsides: Uneven cooking and the desired temperature isn't always achieved.

Convection oven

A convection oven contains a built-in fan that helps circulate air around the food while cooking. Commercial convection ovens are best for cooking cakes, cookies, roasting, toasting, and dehydrating certain foods. They also cook faster, more easily, and use less energy than typical ovens.

• Size: Full size convection ovens can range from 24-36 inches wide with a baking depth of up to 16 inches deep in size.
• Importance: This type of oven is extremely useful as it allows you to bake and roast a diverse selection of items from deserts, potatoes, bread, and meats. Plus, the time it takes for such items to cook is reduced.
• Price Range: $1,820-$22,100
• Most Needed for: Bakers and meat based restaurants.
• Most Famous Brands: Vulcan, Ikon, Migali, Cookline, Moffat, and Sierra Range.
• Downsides: Sometimes, the fan can be louder than a standard oven, they're more expensive than traditional ovens, and food can be more likely to burn if the cooking time is not right.

Combination oven

Combination ovens allow you to undergo three types of cooking in one. It typically uses the form of convection, steam, and a mixture of the two.

This allows you to cook multiple foods in large quantities, and sometimes these ovens can also replace steamers, kettles, and more. Plus, due to the variation of cooking methods they offer, they also tend to have programmable menus.

• Size: It can vary based on the manufacturer, but they basically come in mini (3-5 pans), tabletop (6-12 shelves), and floor models (20 shelves for storing 20 full-size sheet pans or 40 hotel pans).
• Importance: It allows you to undergo a range of cooking methods in one go. They also have accurate temperature and moisture control and can save you from buying other equipment.
• Price Range: $5,875-$15,413
• Most Needed for: A variety of large-scale foodservice operators.
• Most Famous Brands: Axis, MKN, Lainox, Electrolux, Unox, and Rational.
• Downsides: Gas combi ovens tend to require more maintenance and can be expensive to buy.

Rotisserie Oven

A rotisserie oven offers a unique cooking method that revolves around a rotating spit, allowing for even cooking and deliciously juicy results.

They are particularly popular for roasting meats, but can also be used for cooking other foods such as fish, vegetables, and even desserts. Here are some key points to consider about rotisserie ovens:

• Size: Compact countertop models can handle 3-5 pans, tabletop models range from 6-12 shelves, and floor models offer 20 shelves for storing 20 full-size sheet pans or 40 hotel pans, making them suitable for small households, larger cuts of meat, or high-volume foodservice operations.
• Importance: Rotisserie ovens are important for those who value flavorful and succulent roasted meats. The rotating spit ensures even cooking and browning, while the constant rotation helps to retain the natural juices, resulting in tender and juicy meat.
• Price Range: Entry-level models can start around $100, while more advanced and larger capacity ovens can range from $200 to $500 or more.
• Most Needed For: Restaurants, catering companies, and large-scale foodservice operators can greatly benefit from rotisserie ovens as they allow for the preparation of significant quantities of roasted meats efficiently. The ability to cook multiple foods simultaneously makes them ideal for high-demand situations, where efficiency and consistency are paramount.
• Popular Brands: Ronco, Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach, and Breville.
• Downsides: One potential downside of rotisserie ovens is the need for regular maintenance. Grease and drippings from the rotating meats can accumulate, requiring periodic cleaning to prevent buildup and ensure proper functioning.

Pizza oven

Cook pizzas by roasting, baking, and broiling using a pizza oven. These cooking ovens are beneficial for the pizza industry as they have great power and can quickly reach high temperatures for cooking pizzas. These are particularly beneficial for takeaway food places or restaurants specializing in pizza.

• Size: The average size for a commercial pizza oven ranges from 90cm x 90cm.
• Importance: Allows pizzas to be cooked quickly under a high temperature.
• Price Range: $726-$48,789.
• Most Needed for: Pizza restaurants and fast food outlets.
• Most Famous Brands: Asber, Bakers Pride, Sierra Range, and Peerless.
• Downsides: They're expensive.

Conveyor Oven

A conveyor oven is a form of an industrial oven that cooks items that are required to be in the oven for a specific amount of time, such as bread, panini's, or toasted sandwiches. 

It allows large amounts of foods to be cooked in batches. It also has an electric conveyor belt that helps the food move slowly, ensuring it receives continuous heat.

• Size: Medium ovens range from having a belt length of 18-26 inches and a chamber length of 20-36inches. Large conveyor ovens have a belt size of 24-32 inches and a chamber length of 36-40inches.
• Importance: Efficient way to cook pizzas, bread, sandwiches, and pastries.
• Price Range: $1,311-$9,573
• Most Needed for: Hotels, coffee shops, and bakeries.
• Most Famous Brands: Star and Omcan.
• Downsides: It's difficult to cook a range of different dishes simultaneously.

Microwave ovens

This type of restaurant equipment saves you time from cooking many items from scratch. A commercial microwave supports your kitchen efficiency by helping with steaming, reheating pre-cooked items, and defrosting.

• Size: 12-23 inches
• Importance: Reheats and defrosts food within minutes
• Price Range: $284-$3254
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant kitchen
• Most Famous Brands: Amana, Sharp, and Winco
• Downsides: They're not as effective as cooking to kill bacteria and pathogens.

Induction burners

This stovetop uses electromagnetic currents to cook food instead of an open flame. Many restaurant owners prefer to use these in a commercial kitchen as they're safer to use. Plus, they heat the pans directly and are easy to clean up afterward. Most induction burners are portable, too, which means you can easily move them around.

• Size: Induction burners mainly have 3 different sizes, ranging between 60-90cm.
• Importance: You can control the temperature more easily than gas and electric.
• Price Range: $110-$2,280
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant that uses stainless steel pans and needs to cook a lot.
• Most Famous Brands: Cookline, Cooktek, Eurodib, and Cooktop.
• Downsides: You have to use magnetic cookware; otherwise, the induction burner won't work properly. As they're new technology, they tend to cost the same as a standard cooktop.

Ranges

If you want to cook food items at a different heat on top of a stove, then you’ll need to explore the different commercial ranges available.

Gas ranges

This is a large type of cooking stove that uses various gas ranges. They're ideal for preparing breakfast items, grilling foods such as burgers and steaks. These typically plug into a liquid or natural gas supply and design high-volume kitchens.

• Size: Most gas ranges typically are 30 inches wide and 27-29inches deep.
• Importance: Temperature is easy to control and easier to grill, simmer, and sear.
• Price Range: $1,295-$21,719
• Most Needed for: Any professional kitchen
• Most Famous Brands: Cookline, Migali, Hitachi, Colors, and IFB.
• Downsides: Heat can be lost easily and not energy efficient.

Electric ranges

In comparison to gas ranges, electric ranges tend to be easier to clean and distribute heat, but they take a longer time to heat up. It mainly works due to electricity being powered through coils attached to the electric range.

• Size: There isn't typically a standard size for these, but the most common ones tend to be 30 inches wide; however, you can find some less or larger depending on your kitchen size.
• Importance: Temperature is easily dispersed, and the range is easy to clean.
• Price Range: $3045-$19,347
• Most Needed for: Any professional kitchen and cuisine.
• Most Famous Brands: Imperial, Vulcan, and GE Profile.
• Downsides: It's hard to detect that it's on; therefore, it's easier to burn yourself.

Others

• Chinese Wok ranges
• Stock pot ranges
• Pilotless ignition gas ranges

Gas or electric grill

This restaurant equipment can either be a commercial outdoor grill or an indoor grill. These grills are gas or electric powered specifically for commercial kitchens.

• Size: Can vary.
• Importance: Allows food to be cooked quickly and in large quantities.
• Price Range: $289-$11,475
• Most Needed for: Cooking pancakes, scrambling eggs, grilling sandwiches, burgers, and cheesesteaks.
• Most Famous Brands: Standard Range, Prepline, Eurodib, Globe, and Grindmaster-Cecil ware.
• Downsides: They produce a lot of grease.

Griddles

This restaurant kitchen equipment is a flat iron plate that usually sits on a countertop, heats, and cooks food. Normally, commercial griddles have a square or rectangular shape, making it easy to flip food.

• Size: The sizes of a griddle can vary, ranging from 12-72 inches.
• Importance: Its large flat service allows more food to be cooked in one go.
• Price Range: $289-$21,719
• Most Needed for: Breakfast style restaurants and burger joints.
• Most Famous Brands: American Range, American Range specials, Asber, Atosa, Star, and Ikon.
• Downsides: Many fats and oils accumulate on them, which means regular cleaning is required.

Deep fryer

A deep fryer is a restaurant kitchen equipment that allows you to heat fat, oil and fry food quickly. Commercial fryers are particularly good for cooking french fries, chicken nuggets, flour-based, and processed food.

• Size: Their length can vary from 12-23 inches, and the amount of pots they hold can vary from 5-30lbs in weight.
• Importance: Helps with food prep by allowing you to fry food quickly.
• Price Range: $2,614-$3635
• Most Needed for: Fast food restaurants
• Most Famous Brands: Eurodib and Star
• Downsides: A large amount of oil is wasted.

Commercial Toaster

These electric-powered machines allow large amounts of bread such as bagels, muffins, and toast to be heated up and toasted in one go. Normally commercial toasters use a conveyor belt to toast bread quickly.

• Size: Length can range from 12-23 inches and depth 20-25inches.
• Importance: Allows large amounts and different varieties of bread to be toasted quickly.
• Price Range: $479-$3,170
• Most Needed for: Hotels and breakfast style restaurants.
• Most Famous Brands: Star and Omcan.
• Downsides: Supervision is required as customers can easily burn themselves.

Others

• Pop up toaster

Sandwich press

A sandwich press is kitchen equipment that helps you grill sandwiches easily. Most of these sandwich machines make grilled sandwiches or paninis. They are great for snack bars, delis, lunch venues, and restaurants.

• Size: Their lengths can range from 12-35 inches, and depths can reach up to 25 inches.
• Importance: Allows you to squash, press, and compress slices of bread together.
• Price Range: $329-$2024
• Most Needed for: Deli's, coffee shops and cafes.
• Most Famous Brands: Cookline, Eurodib, Grindmaster-Cecilware, Star, and Waring.
• Downsides: If you want to cook a lot of sandwiches, the sandwich press tends to be more expensive.

Specialty cooking equipment

Salamander Broiler

This kitchen appliance sits on a countertop and cooks items using dry heat. These machines use a grill, live coals, gas burners, or electric coils. A Salamander broiler is perfect for melting cheese, reheating foods, and cooking quickly.

• Size: 24-72 inches based on the type.
• Importance: Helps melt foods with cheese on quickly and reheats food quickly.
• Price Range: $477-$7022
• Most Needed for: Sandwich shops, bakers, and pizzerias.
• Most Famous Brands: Migali, American Range, Vulcan, Sierra Range, and Atosa.
• Downsides: When broiling meat, it can breed bacteria quickly sometimes.

Others

• Hot dog equipment
• Commercial rice cookers
• Sous Vide Water bath cookers

Refrigeration and Ice

Commercial refrigeration refers to the specialized refrigeration systems and equipment used in various commercial settings such as restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, and foodservice establishments. It encompasses a range of refrigeration units, including walk-in coolers, display cases, reach-in refrigerators, and freezers.

Freezers and refrigerators

All commercial kitchens require a refrigerator and freezer; without them, you can't keep large amounts of food fresh. A lot of them can cool large amounts of good quickly and allow for safe handling.

• Size: 20-30 cubic feet and 20-30 inches wide.
• Importance: Allows you to freeze and keep large amounts of products cold reliably.
• Price Range: $1,376-$20,000.
• Most Needed for: Commercial kitchens.
• Most Famous: Coldline, BlueAir, Turbo Air, and Hoshizaki.
• Downsides: They require a lot of space.

Walk in freezers

Walk in freezers allow you to freeze large volumes of all-year-round food for your restaurant business. These freezers have a range of insulations available and can come with or without a floor.

• Size: Over 72 inches in length and over 30 inches deep.
• Importance: This allows you to freeze a large number of products.
• Price Range: $4,4140-$9429
• Most Needed for Commercial kitchens.
• Most Famous: Amerikooler and Mr.Winter.
• Downsides: These freezers can be noisy and sometimes prone to leaks.

Ice Machine

A commercial ice machine does precisely what it says; it makes ice. Depending on the ice maker, different ice cubes are made and are great to help your customers cool off quickly.

• Size: The size of ice makers can vary based on how much ice you want to be stored.
• Importance: This allows you to quickly store and provide ice at a fraction of the cost of buying.
• Price Range: $949-$14,289
• Most Needed for: Bars, food pick-up trucks, and portable vendors.
• Most Famous: Coldline, Blue air, Atosa, Eurodib, and Hoshizaki.
• Downsides: Too much ice can accumulate quickly if customers don't order.

Others

• Salad bar refrigerators
• Small refrigerators
• Reach in refrigerator
• Ice cream display freezer
• Chest freezer
• Compact freezer

Display cases

Not only do you want your food to taste good, but you should also aim for it to be well presented. Therefore consider the following:

Food Display Cases

Food Display cases are restaurant equipment that allows you to hold food, present, and keep it hot for a long time. Some of these cases vary, with different LED lighting to draw in customers' attention, heated floors, and different layers. Most importantly, food display cases are practical for anyone in the restaurant industry as they can allow staff to grab food and serve to customers easily.

• Size: The sizes can vary based on the amount of food you want to be stored in the case.
• Importance: Makes food look presentable and attractive to buy.
• Price Range: $295-$10,327
• Most Needed for: Deli's, sandwich shops, and bakeries.
• Most Famous Brands: Marchia, Old Hickory, Atosa, Custom, and Diamond Equipment.
• Downsides: They may break at high temperatures and require a lot of maintenance.

Others

• Sushi display cases
• Open air merchandisers
• Deli display refrigerated cases
• Bakery display cases
• Countertop salad bars

Beverage equipment

When opening a restaurant you cannot disregard the drinks machines. Some of the best beverage equipment to own are:

Beverage Dispensers

Beverage dispensers are restaurant equipment that dispenses cold drinks, mixes, and adds to ice them. They can also store premade drinks like juices, ice, lemonades, and more.

• Size: Sizes can range from 12-12 inches and 24-35 inches.
• Importance: They save the restaurant business time by premixing and holding drinks.
• Price Range: $549-$1890
• Most Needed for: Bars, fast food outlets and restaurants.
• Most Famous Brands: Coldline and Grindmaster-Cecil ware.
• Downsides: They require a lot of cleaning.

Commercial Juicers

Save your good prep time and use this machine to create tasty food and meat juices. This restaurant kitchen equipment is useful as they're designed to squeeze large amounts of juice out of fruit and vegetables. When using commercial juicers, very little goes to waste and therefore quite useful for health clubs, cafeterias, juice bars, and anyone working in restaurant kitchens.

• Size: On average, they have a length of 12-23 inches and a depth of under 20 inches.
• Importance: Allow for highly nutritious drinks to be made quickly.
• Price Range: $139-$9,877
• Most Needed for: Juice bars and health clubs.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, Eurodib, Grindmaster-Cecilware, Robot Coupe, and Skyfood.
• Downsides: They're very noisy to use.

Coffee makers

This is an electric appliance that sits on your countertop and brews coffee. Usually, a coffee maker will have a hot plate, glass coffee pot, carafe, filter, and water. This kitchen equipment is useful if you own a breakfast restaurant, cafe or serve standard coffee to your customers.

• Size: The dimensions vary based on how much coffee you want it to hold.
• Importance: Allows black coffee to be brewed quickly
• Price Range: $149-$2,595
• Most Needed for: Breakfast places, cafes, and hotels.
• Most Famous Brands: Coldline, Prepline, Bunn, and Grindmaster-Cecilware.
• Downsides: The water still needs to be boiled.

Others

• Frozen slush machines
• Hot chocolate dispensers

Food Preparation

Time is the essence in the kitchen and you’ll want to make sure food is prepared efficiently and quickly. So think about owing the following:

Food processors

Reduce your food preparation time using a food processor. Food processors come with multiple blades that help you shred, grate, slice, and chop your food. Therefore saving you a lot of time and efficiency.

• Size: On average, they hold about 14-16 cups of food, and the average depth is under 20 inches.
• Importance: Saves a lot of time in food preparation.
• Price Range: $549-$4926
• Most Needed for: Deli's, bakeries, and busy kitchens.
• Most Famous Brands: Vitamix, Axix, Eurodib, Nemco, and Robot Coupe.
• Downsides: Food processors may remove some nutrients and vitamins from the food.

 Batch bowl processor

If you regularly have small-medium sized batches of food, a batch bowl food processor can save you time. They allow you to drop food in the bowl and get a desired cut, shape, and mix.

• Size: Normally, there's no specific size; the size varies based on the blade.
• Importance: Keep all your finished product in one place and to a specific size.
• Price Range: $250-$5000
• Most Needed for: Any type of kitchen.
• Most Famous Brands: Vitamix, Axix, Eurodib, Nemco, and Robot Coupe.
• Downsides: Not good for large batches.

 Continuous feed food processor

This food processor works continuously, dropping food in a spare bowl. It's best suited for a commercial kitchen that regularly requires food to be processed.

• Size: Size can vary based on the blade and slicing disc.
• Importance: Allows large amounts of food to be processed without interruption and wait.
• Price Range: $600-$26,000.
• Most Needed for Commercial kitchens
• Most Famous Brands: Vitamix, Axix, Eurodib, Nemco, and Robot Coupe.
• Downsides: They're expensive.

Buffalo choppers

Arguably these are the most powerful and heavy duty food processors on the market. Buffalo choppers are completely made out of metal designed to process meat. Not all kitchens require this type of food processor; therefore, consider your menu first before buying.

• Size: The blades, bowl depth, and length can vary.
• Importance: Evenly cuts meat quickly.
• Price Range: $449-$2,886.00
• Most Needed for Burger joints, steakhouses, and high volume meat restaurants.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, Atosa, Axis, Eurodib, and Globe.
• Downsides: Not all choppers are safe for cleaning in the dishwasher.

Combination processors

This processor is a bowl cutter and helps prep vegetables. These processors help with finely chopping, mixing, and grinding food.

• Size: Varies based on the size of the blade.
• Importance: Great for making soups, dips, and sauces.
• Price Range: $449-$2,886.00
• Most Needed for: Restaurants who make a variety of food.
• Most Famous Brands: Kenwood, Magimix, andxq Kitchen aid.
• Downsides: Their speed isn't as fast as a single processor.

 Floor mixers

If you have a pizzeria or bakery, you'll want to invest in a floor mixer. These allow you to mix and produce a large amount of dough, batter, and sauce daily. Floor mixers tend to be large and heavy duty standing on the floor to mix large ingredients quickly.

• Size: Most models come in sizes of 30, 40, 60, 80, and 140 quarts.
• Importance: Help produce large volumes of dough, batter, and sauce.
• Price Range: $4183-$17,348
• Most Needed for: Pizzerias and bakeries.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, Atosa, Axis, and Eurodib.
• Downsides: It can be difficult to clean.

Hand mixers

Handheld mixers have a long handle with sharp blades that rotate at the bottom. They allow you to use your hands and rotate the blender to quickly blend, chop, and emulsify ingredients.

• Size: Varies
• Importance: Good for quickly blending soups, doughs, and dressings.
• Price Range: $30-$400
• Most Needed for: Home chefs or small restaurants.
• Most Famous Brands: KitchenAid, Hamilton, Braun, and Dualit.
• Downsides: They're exhausting to use in comparison to commercial mixers.

 Countertop mixers

A countertop mixer helps ingredients be easily mixed, whipped and needs large quantities of ingredients over time. Compared to a commercial mixer, they sit on your countertop and are only meant for small bakeries or restaurants that don't require regular mixing of ingredients.

• Size: Standard size is between 4.5-5.5 quartz.
• Importance: They're hands free and produce little mess.
• Price Range: $550-$3,488
• Most Needed for: Home chefs or small restaurants.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, Atosa, Axis and Eurodib.
• Downsides: It's not good for thick batters.

Meat Slicers

Meat slicers help you slice any type of meat, cheese, and vegetables to the size you want. They save you a lot of time from manually cutting food items. Plus, commercial meat slicers come with a range of blades to give you a different type of slice that you want.

• Size: The most common length is between 12-23 inches, and depth is under 20 inches.
• Importance: Save you time cutting meat.
• Price Range: $379-$7,3640
• Most Needed for: Delicatessens and butchers.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, Atosa, Axis, and Eurodib.
• Downsides: Cross contamination of bacteria can easily occur; therefore it needs to be cleaned frequently.

Sharpening Stones

These help knives stay intact and sharp if you use them regularly. They allow you to sharpen the blade of your knife to help you save time when chopping, prepping, or any other activity involved with knives.

• Size: 6-12 inches.
• Importance: Saves you buying new ones and provides you with the best quality knives.
• Price Range: $7-$30
• Most Needed for: Anyone
• Most Famous Brands: Kota Japan, Dan's Whestone Company Inc, and Chefic Whetstone.
• Downsides: Sharpening knives sometimes cause knicks in the blades.

Food preparation counters

Food prep counters allow your food to be easily prepped on a surface and usually have a refrigerator for storage space underneath the counters.

• Size: This can vary based on the sections. The average size is 34-36 inches tall.
• Importance: Helps with quick food preparation.
• Price Range: $1,307-$8,904.
• Most Needed for: Commercial kitchens and sandwich shops.
• Most Famous Brands: Coldline, Blue air, Hoshizaki, Turbo Air, and Asper.
• Downsides: They're heavy duty, require a lot of room, and are expensive.

Commercial work tables

A commercial work table is a vital component in professional kitchens, providing a robust and hygienic surface for various culinary tasks. These tables are often constructed from stainless steel, known for its durability and ease of cleaning.

• Size: Typically, commercial work tables range from 24 to 96 inches in width, accommodating different kitchen sizes and workflow requirements.
• Importance: These tables are essential for food preparation, offering a stable and spacious area for chopping, mixing, and assembling dishes. Their sturdy construction withstands the rigors of daily kitchen use, and the stainless steel surface helps maintain cleanliness.
• Price Range: The cost of commercial work tables can vary, ranging from about $100 to over $2,000, depending on size, quality, and additional features like undershelves or backsplashes.
• Most Needed for: These tables are indispensable in commercial kitchens, particularly in restaurants, hotels, and catering facilities, where extensive food preparation takes place.
• Most Famous Brands: Leading brands in this category include Advance Tabco, Prepline, Eagle Group, Gridmann, and John Boos, known for their quality craftsmanship and reliability.
• Downsides: One of the main challenges with commercial work tables is ensuring consistent cleanliness, as the stainless steel surfaces can show water spots or fingerprints and may require frequent wiping down in busy kitchen environments.

Cutting boards

Cutting boards prep tables are mainly wooden or plastic that goes on the top of food preparation counters.

• Size: Average size of cutting boards are 12-18 inches.
• Importance: Help food be cut easily and protects the counter top.
• Price Range: $13.00-$1,290
• Most Needed for: Commercial kitchens.
• Most Famous Brands: BK Resources, John Boos, OXO, and Gorilla Grip.
• Downsides: Cross contamination is more likely to happen in wooden cutting boards.

Storage containers

Food storage containers are great as they can help make your prep easier by keeping food fresh and accessible. They're good for keeping wet food together, dry food together, and labeling food to know what it is.

• Size: The average size is 8.5 feet (2.59m) high and 8 feet (2.43m) wide
• Importance: Keep food accessible and fresh.
• Price Range: $29- $654
• Most Needed for: Any type of restaurant kitchen.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, BK resources, and Winco.
• Downsides: Not all storage containers retain heat and are great at sealing off the air.

Commercial blenders

Blend, crush, puree, and chop vegetables, sauces, meat, frozen foods and yogurts in a robust commercial blender.

• Size: 20-25 inches deep.
• Importance: Allows time to be saved blending fruit or vegetables.
• Price Range: $79-$2,162
• Most Needed for: These are good for juice bars, restaurants, and coffee shops.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, Vitamix, Blendtech and Hamilton Beach,
• Downsides: They take time to clean.

Warming & Holding

In a restaurant you can’t always guarantee that food will be served on time, therefore, you will want to have proper food warming and holding equipment. You should think about having the following: 

Steam tables

Steam tables come in either an electric or gas steam table. The purpose of this restaurant equipment is to keep sauces and other food warm while you serve it. A steam cooking table is practical because it saves your kitchen staff time by prepping a new meal.

• Size: Varies based on the number of pans and plates you want it to hold.
• Importance: Keeps food hot for hours
• Price Range: $697-$5325
• Most Needed for: Catering services and buffet-style restaurants.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, Eagle Group, and LJ Manufacturing.
• Downsides: The more food you want to be warmed, the more expensive the steam table is.

Serving ware

In addition to equipment, you will also need serving ware to present your food to your customers. This means you'll need glasses for serving drinks, plates for serving food, napkins, and more. It's also important that you consider extra if you have any spillages or breakages.

Plates, bowls and cups

• Size: 11-12 inches for plates and bowls 8-16 ounces.
• Importance: Allows food to be eaten.
• Price Range: A full dinnerware set can cost between $10-$125 per piece.
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant.
• Most Famous Brands: OurPlace, Noritake, and Lenox.
• Downsides: It may be difficult always to buy the same design in bulk.

Cutlery

• Size: Varies based on whats in it
• Importance: Allows food to be eaten.
• Price Range: A full set can cost between $50-$100.
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant.
• Most Famous Brands: Lenox Portola, Zwilling Opus, and LIANYU.
• Downsides: It's expensive to buy.

Safety equipment

It's important that your commercial kitchen follows safety regulations and is stocked with proper safety equipment. You must abide to safety protocols so your restaurant can operate efficiently if you're unsure how to follow the national restaurant association's guidelines.

First aid kit

This small box is designed for employees and customers to help them when sick or injured. First aid kits usually contain antiseptic wipes, bandages, plasters, painkillers, and more. They can act as a temporary measure before someone else gets help.

• Size: Varies based on the contents.
• Importance: It can help you deal with medical emergencies quickly.
• Price Range: $10-$100.
• Most Needed for: Every restaurant.
• Most Famous Brands: VSSL, Coleman, Be Smart Get Prepared, and Red Cross.
• Downsides: It takes a baseline of medical knowledge to use it.

Non Slip shoes

These shoes with grip allow your kitchen staff not to slip when in the kitchen. They're important as they can protect your staff from falling and injuring themselves.

• Size: Varies based on a person's shoe size.
• Importance: Reduces the likelihood of injury.
• Price Range: Differs based on the brand.
• Most Needed for: Every restaurant kitchen.
• Most Famous Brands: Dansko Clogs, Vans, Dr Martens and Birkenstok clogs.
• Downsides: Reliable non slip shoes can be expensive to buy.

Dishwashing gloves

These are pieces of equipment that allow staff to protect their hands from chemicals when washing dishes. Normally these gloves are made of plastic or latex and can fit on a variety of hands.

• Size: S, M, and L.
• Importance: Protects the skin from cleaning chemicals.
• Price Range: Differs based on the brand.
• Most Needed for: Every restaurant kitchen.
• Most Famous Brands: Playtex Living Premium, Casabella Waterblock Gloves, and Spontex Bluette Gloves.
• Downsides: They can be uncomfortable to wear.

Cut restraint gloves

These gloves are a form of personal protective equipment which helps hands with cuts or lacerations be protected from kitchen equipment and machines.

• Size: Ranges from 12-18 inches
• Importance: Protects the skin from kitchen equipment.
• Price Range: Differs based on the brand.
• Most Needed for: Every restaurant kitchen.
• Most Famous Brands: Dex fit, Fortem, MaxiFlex and Semboh.
• Downsides: They don't fully stop direct contact with knives and injuries can still occur.

Others

1. fire extinguishers
2. sanitation equipment

Dishwashers & Sinks

In your restaurant kitchen and bar area, you should aim for the best hygiene practices and washing equipment. To help do this, here are some dishwashers and sinks you might want to think about: 

Commercial Sinks

Compartment sinks

These are restaurant equipment with multiple compartments to help clean, rinse, and sanitize.

• Size: The compartments in these sinks can range between 16,18, 30, and 24 inches.
• Importance: This restaurant equipment allows you to perform multiple duties at once.
• Price Range: $408-$2,616
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant kitchen.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, BK resources, and Winco.
• Downsides: Not all storage containers retain heat and are great at sealing off the air.

Bar sinks

Bar sinks are kept below the bar to pour out drinks and ice. This piece of restaurant equipment is usually made out of copper or steel.

• Size: The average size 22-33inches wide
• Importance: Allows you to clean glassware at the bar quickly.
• Price Range: $249-$1,112
• Most Needed for: Bars
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, BK Resources, LJ Manufacturing, and Sapphire.
• Downsides: They need counter space

   Disposal sinks

A disposal sink is also quite useful to have in a restaurant kitchen as they help remove and dispose of food scraps easily.

• Size: Size depends on the speed of the disposal.
• Importance: Allows you to dispose of food quickly.
• Price Range: $200-$600
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant that needs to quickly get rid of food waste.
• Most Famous Brands: Waste King, Everbuilt, WasteMaid, and KitchenAid.
• Downsides: Can develop a bad odor.

Drop-in units

This is a sink specifically designed to fit into an opening of a counter.

• Size: The size of the sink can vary based on the counter size.
• Importance: Can save room by fitting into any counter.
• Price Range: $91-$782
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant kitchen that does not have much space.
• Most Famous Brands: BK Resources
• Downsides: They need heavy countertops.

Wash hand sinks

This type of sink is good for a restaurant kitchen as it helps reduce bacteria contamination by allowing employees to wash their hands where they're stationed.

• Size: 12-23 inches, and bowl size can vary
• Importance: Allows for a clean restaurant kitchen.
• Price Range: $89-$983
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant kitchen.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, Atosa, BK Resources, and Sapphire.
• Downsides: Breeding ground for bacteria.

Mop sinks

This piece of restaurant equipment are sinks that stay on the floor and clean a mop.

• Size: Varies based on the mop
• Importance: Cleans the dirt on mops in one place
• Price Range: $299-$820
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant kitchen.
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline, Atosa, BK Resources, and Sapphire.
• Downsides: They're expensive.

Portable sinks

These are mobile sinks that are used by mobile vendors that don't have a faucet.

• Size: The size of this free standing kitchen equipment can vary.
• Importance: It can fit any sized kitchen, and no installation is required.
• Price Range: $150 and upwards
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant kitchen.
• Most Famous Brands: Ozark River and Jonti-Craft
• Downsides: They're small.

 Commercial Dishwashers

A commercial dishwashing machine allows crockery, pots, utensils, and cutlery to be washed, clean, and sanitized in one go. Commercial dishwashers allow a large amount of kitchenware to be washed quickly.

• Size: 12-32 inches long or 24-35 inches long and 20-25 inches or 26-29 inches wide.
• Importance: It can fit any sized kitchen, and no installation is required.
• Price Range: $2,195-$6,032
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant kitchen.
• Most Famous Brands: Fagor, Eurodib, and Jet-tech.
• Downsides: The cost of this dishwasher is quite high.

Others

• Commercial undercounter dishwashers
• Conveyor, Door type dishwasher

Worktables & Shelving

In addition to machines, it’s important you have the correct equipment in place for storage and ventilation. Therefore you might want to consider the following:

Ventilation

When using any gas or electric grill, you must use the right ventilation, such as exhaust hood filters. These help remove grease, smoke, and debris before entering your kitchen. This stops the rest of your cooking equipment from becoming a significant fire hazard.

• Size: 12-23 inches
• Importance: Reduces the risk of fire in your ventilation system.
• Price Range: $69.00-$74.00
• Most Needed for: Any kitchen that has an oven or stove.
• Most Famous Brands: LJ Manufacturing
• Downsides: They need to be cleaned regularly.

Storage racks and shelving

Having proper storage equipment can be an ideal solution for your restaurant by helping streamline your restaurant operations. This is because most of your essential kitchen equipment is available within arms reach. Most of this storage comes in mobile storage racks, storage containers, and shelving.

Storage racks

• Size: Length ranges from 12-35 inches, and depth can range from 20-29 inches.
• Importance: Stores high volumes of food easily.
• Price Range: $17-$89
• Most Needed for: Any commercial kitchen
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline and Winco.
• Downsides: They require a lot of maintenance.

Storage shelving

• Size: 14-24 inches with lengths ranging up to 72 inches.
• Importance: Make food and equipment more accessible to reach.
• Price Range: $85-$457
• Most Needed for: Any commercial kitchen
• Most Famous Brands: Prepline
• Downsides: They can take up a lot of room in your kitchen.

Kitchen Display System (KDS)

Kitchen display systems are technological pieces of equipment that streamlines your orders. They provide staff with real time insights into orders without any confusion. KDS systems help you provide tick times, color code orders and see what food is still ready to be cooked. They also use cloud integrated technology, allowing the digital order to be viewed from anywhere and previous ones to be retrieved. In addition to saving time, they're sustainable too, saving you using paper.

• Size: Varies based on the number of screens you use.
• Importance: Increases order efficiency and retrieval.
• Price Range: Subscription based.
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant or bar.
• Most Famous Brands: Toast, Revel, Lightspeed, Touch Bistro, and Fresh KDS.
• Downsides: They're expensive to buy.

Point of sale system (POS)

A point of sale system is essential for most restaurants. If you're not familiar with it, it's a digital system that keeps track of the major tasks in your entire restaurant, from orders, transactions to customer relationship management and reporting. Most POS are customizable towards your restaurant concept and have an easy to use interface.

• Size: It's software, no size required.
• Importance: Gathers all your data, inventory, and sales in one place.
• Price Range: Subscription based.
• Most Needed for: Any restaurant or bar.
• Most Famous Brands: Square POS, Lightspeed, Shopify, PayCafe, and QuickBooks POS.
• Downsides: Some software could have security risks.

Things to Consider Before Purchasing Restaurant Kitchen Equipment

The truth is when it comes to the restaurant business you don’t want to just buy anything without properly thinking about it. If you do this, you could compromise on quality and efficiency. To avoid this, you should consider the following:

Menu Type & Size

Before purchasing any restaurant kitchen equipment, it's essential you fully know your menu first. For example, are you going to have a fixed menu with a few options or one that has a cycle menu with large options over some time? Are you more of a grill-based dish restaurant or a pizza restaurant that requires a stone oven

Due to the type of cuisine you plan to serve; you must review your restaurant kitchen equipment list before you begin to buy.

It's always crucial that restaurant owners decide on the menu before buying different equipment types. Once the menu and concept are designed, you can slowly start buying cooking equipment to match your menu.

Pricing & Budget

On the contrary, though, if you have scarce resources, you might want to have a smaller menu and invest in equipment over time or renting it. Before you decide anything, you must evaluate your budget and determine if you want to buy new or equipment used in the restaurant.

Now, if it's new equipment, the price will tend to be higher to invest in, but there's more likely it will come with a warranty in case there are any damages and is less likely to break down. Whereas if you plan on having essential restaurant equipment that's already been used, it might save you a bit of money at first, and you may not have to spend money on tax.

In addition to this in the restaurant business it's also important you think about the pricing of the items on your menu. The reason for this, if your prices are too high, it's more than likely your competitors will appeal more to your customers. Whereas if your prices are too low, you may not profit enough to survive in the restaurant industry.

Quality

The restaurant equipment you use will be the center of your kitchen, so you will want one that can be reliable over time without breaking easily. Therefore before purchasing any restaurant equipment, you will want to choose items that can last, have good reviews, come with a warranty and service agreement.

The Difficulty of Using and Cleaning

Regardless of the kitchen layout, you're using over time, you will likely have some grease build-up amongst your restaurant equipment.

This is why you must pick cooking equipment that your team can easily wipe down to reduce the build-up of grease. If you have a commercial kitchen that's difficult to clean, the grease build-up might affect the performance of the equipment resulting in bad food.

Maintenance

It's important that you conduct regular maintenance for your essential restaurant equipment. Obviously, it's understandable that you or your team might be too busy attending to other errands like serving or cooking; therefore, you must have service contracts in place. 

Service contracts help your business run smoothly, have fewer interruptions, and it's less likely you'll have difficulties with profits. Plus, if you have service contracts in place, you can schedule them for quieter times, stopping your service from being restricted.

Kitchen Size

To deliver great food in your restaurant, you must consider your kitchen size first. There are many benefits to considering your kitchen size; the most important reason is so that you have proper circulation and movement. 

For example, you will want to have space between specific workstations, cooking, washing up areas, preparation, and more. This can allow for a safe flow of people and products, making your services more smooth and your production time quicker. Plus, if you consider the size of your kitchen wisely at first, it's more likely you will save time and money on modifications in the long run.

Growth plans

At first, when opening a restaurant, you might find yourself with limited resources, but that might not be the case later on. Ideally, before buying lots of equipment, you will want to consider any potential growth and expansion plans you might have in the future. 

In your growth plan, you'll want to consider what's the next step for your restaurant, certain strategies like marketing or food production. Doing this will help provide you with a larger idea of the type of equipment you'll want to purchase.

The Equipment supplier

Depending on how big your restaurant is, all the kitchen equipment can run up to a hefty price. Therefore you should be able to choose a supplier that's sold following your budget, one that is reliable and delivers on time to you. That means the supplier should have plenty of storage equipment in stock, be willing to replace faulty items, and sell high-quality products. It's important from early on that you establish a strong relationship from the start.

Leasing Options

If you're a new restaurant, it's a bit difficult to predict what your business will require in the next 5-7 years.

Therefore, at first, you might want to consider exploring the leasing options available for your restaurant as it will provide you with greater flexibility in case you do want to expand at a later date.

Plus if you don't have a lot of money to invest in your restaurant at first, you might also wish to lease out certain equipment that has short life spans like ice machines or walk in coolers.

How to source your restaurant equipment?

High quality equipment can be costly depending on the amount you require and its quality. As a restaurant owner, you could even find restaurant supplies like kitchen utensils, paper towels, and condiment dispensers costing a lot of money. Therefore, to help make sure the costs align with your budget, you must carefully consider your purchases. 

To do this, you must have trustworthy suppliers that can provide you with affordable and reliable deliveries. Then conduct research and list the top suppliers you can rely on. If you're stuck on restaurant suppliers, check our restaurant equipment at Kitchenall, we deliver nationwide within 3-4 days and also ship to Canada.

Conclusion

Overall, when starting a restaurant business, you should think and craft a restaurant kitchen equipment list. There's a lot of safety and kitchen equipment to opening a restaurant, and they can be quite expensive to purchase.

Before purchasing any equipment, every restaurant owner must consider topics such as restaurant concept, menu, pricing, supplier, kitchen size, and maintenance. Also, don't forget to think about safety equipment, POS, and KOS systems

FAQ

1. How much does restaurant equipment cost?

The price of restaurant equipment can vary based on the quantity you require, energy efficiency, retailer, and additional warranties that might be needed. Usually, when opening a new restaurant, you can expect to pay anything between $40,000-$200,00 for new restaurant equipment; it may be slightly cheaper if you want used restaurant equipment.