Foodservice Equipment and Supplies magazine mentions, in their NAFEM guide, that the trends for purchasing equipment for your restaurant’s kitchen are changing.  Where in the past the relics of the kitchen were kept hidden from customer view, now “exhibition cooking” is becoming part of the front-of-the-house show.  That said, there is also “less tolerance…for having people work in crappy kitchen environments,” according to Certified Master Chef Brad Barnes of the Culinary Institute of America in New York.  The atmosphere of the kitchen can also set the tone for the whole of the restaurant, and creativity is sparked when the working conditions are optimal.  While equipment is getting “sexier” though, so too is it getting smaller.  With a focus on maximizing the front-of-the-house seating area, where the money is made, the back-of-the-house is downsizing by purchasing items that serve multiple purposes, or by acquiring such machinery as smaller ovens, which do the job equally as well as their larger counterpart but actually wind up with the double benefit of being more energy efficient.

Whether you are in the market for new equipment for a grand opening or are interested in replacing what you already have, the most important part of purchasing is to do your homework first.   If you are purchasing cooking equipment, determine how the unit will be used.  How much space do you need in order to accommodate the amount of traffic coming through your restaurant?  How many burners will you need on your induction cooktop?  How many chickens will you need to cook at a single time on your rotisserie?  For food prep equipment, food types will help you to determine what you will need to buy to meet your needs.  If you are purchasing a food processor, necessary horsepower is based on the type of food you will be processing, but bowl size is ultimately decided by the volume of customers you will serve in a day.  Slicer blade sizes are dependent on the dimensions of the foods you will be cutting, and the material of the slicer rests on the type of foods to be cut.  Stainless steel is the best bet for cutting tomatoes, for example, because the acids don’t react with the metal as they would with aluminum wares.  And always take into consideration the cost for replacement parts when shopping for your food prep equipment.

Tabletop and smallwares are other purchases to consider and while their cost is imminently smaller than that of large equipment, the “turnover” rate is greater.  Cooking utensils should be NSF listed, since this assures the piece is easy to clean and safe for contact with food.  Beyond that, what will the utensil be used for?  Is it compatible with the equipment it will be used with?  A $10 tool is no great deal if it ruins your $75 saute pan…  When choosing glassware, durability is key!  With so many choices available to restaurant owners, style is rarely compromised.  You do, however, need to remember that glassware does break, and that breakage needs to be taken into account when determining final numbers for purchase.

No purchase is too big or too small to study up on before taking the leap.  And NAFEM is a great place to learn about industry trends and products that are available.  For your brand new kitchen or as replacement pieces for your existing operation, make sure you do your homework and then choose what will work best for you.

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