Five Important Tips to Keep in Mind When Buying Restaurant Equipment

Purchasing restaurant equipment and supplies is not something that should be done quickly or on a whim. Plenty of thought, research and knowledge is required to make sure you obtain the items your restaurant needs in order for it to run efficiently, safely and up to code.

The following are five tips to keep in mind when it comes to making quality equipment purchases for your commercial restaurant.

Don"t buy more equipment than is necessary.

Know what food will be on your menu and only buy the restaurant supplies that are required to make the meals you offer. Concentrate on maintaining an efficient and practical kitchen by purchasing as little equipment as possible to keep the space functional. Remember, less is more. 

Ensure local codes are met.

In order for you to run a legal restaurant operation, all of the restaurant equipment you buy needs to meet the local building, health and fire codes that are enforced in your area. Since this is the case, make sure you check what codes your commercial kitchen must adhere to by contacting each department to discover what is and is not permitted.

Make sure your restaurant establishment can handle various commercial appliances.

Not all buildings are created equally and some older structures though unique and charming in appearance may not be able to provide the electricity support that a current day restaurant demands. Knowing your limitations will help you in your equipment purchasing decisions.

Only consider purchasing used restaurant equipment from a seller you trust.

Make sure you are comfortable with the individual selling you the equipment. In addition, make certain that all of the parts of the used machine function. Do not buy anything unless you have seen for yourself that the product is fully operational.

All restaurant equipment must be NSF approved.

To be considered suitable for commercial kitchen use, all restaurant equipment must be approved by the National Sanitation Foundation. Using products that do not have NSF approval can result in expensive fines and wasted equipment dollars when inspectors discover non-NSF approved equipment. To determine if the equipment you are interested in is NFS approved, look for the circular blue NSF sticker. 

Finally, don't let a salesperson pressure you into buying restaurant equipment you don't need. Having a machine you won't use in your kitchen is not only a waste of money but is a waste of space that you could be using more effectively.