Opening a new restaurant is an exciting time. There are many things to consider. But almost none of those considerations are as important as selecting the right cooking equipment. If you get that right, you will have a happy chef and a much better chance of having happy customers as well. So, along with the decisions about design and décor an attractive and innovative menu, you will need to decide and then lease or purchase cooking equipment and supplies.
The choice of cooking equipment will depend on the kind of food you plan to serve and who will do the cooking. A fully experienced chef may bring their own knives and maybe some speciality pots and pans, but you will still have to make a plan to get all the rest of the cooking equipment and supplies you will need for your new establishment.
1. Getting Ready
Long before you open your new restaurant doors you will need supplies and cooking equipment. That will include equipment for food preparation, bake preparation, pots and pans, boilers, spoons and ladles, tongs, strainers and thermometers. You will also need supplies for cooking stations as well as hot table supplies, tabletop supplies and beverage and wait stations.
2. Station to station
You will need cooking equipment and supplies for every cooking station like the fryer station, grill station, griddle station and others that you have in your restaurant. Each station will also need its own specific supplies. For example, the fryer station will need baskets, skimmers and tongs. The grill station will need blades, brushes and fire retardants, and the griddle station will need blades, scrapers and thermometers.
3. Food Preparation
Your food preparation areas will all need to be well-equipped. This is not only with knives and the tools of the trade, but also employee hand sinks, soap dispensers, anti-bacterial soap, and brushes and hand sanitizers. You will also need aprons and cutting boards and pots and pans of all shapes and sizes. For the bake preparation area there will need to be a range of measuring spoons and dry and liquid measures, along with scoops and sifters and sieves.
4. The Basics: Pots and Pans
Any new restaurant will also require a variety of pots and pans. These will range from different size stock pots with covers to sauce pots, brazing and sauce pans. You will also need frying pans with non-stick coatings and insulated handles. Then you will likely need small and large double boilers and stainless-steel spoons with insulating handles are available to reduce hot handles. Plus, a supply of wooden spoons and ladles for stirring and serving purposes.
5. Leasing vs. Buying
Some pieces of cooking equipment are better to buy than lease. This will depend of course on your menu, the style of restaurant and your cooking staff’s specific needs. For the most part it might be better to invest in some high quality new equipment than to skimp on this important part of any new restaurant. You definitely want to start out with fresh, clean and new pots and pans of all the varieties that your kitchen may require.
You also want to have new grills and stoves that meet the requirements of your chef and line cooks and can meet the demands of your menu. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shop around and see what your neighbourhood cooking equipment dealer has to offer. They may be able to offer you a deal you can’t refuse on any number of cooking equipment and supplies that might fit perfectly into your new restaurant.