Selecting the right restaurant catering equipment is vitally important at any time but especially during difficult economic times. The key to success is to source restaurant catering equipment that delivers in both price and performance. Among the many items of equipment needed in a restaurant or other catering establishment are grills, griddles, specialist combination ovens, fridges, freezers and commercial dishwashers or glass washers. If setting up a cafe, bar or restaurant from scratch, a considerable outlay will be necessary, so it is essential to choose your equipment wisely. The old adage “you get what you pay for” is very apt in these circumstances; if you are able to afford it, buy the best quality you can, taking into consideration your own particular needs.

To get down to basics, you need to consider the principal restaurant catering items. A kitchen can be fundamentally split into three functions – storage (for example, fridges, freezers, cupboards), preparation/cooking (counter tops, stoves, ovens etc) and cleaning/washing up (commercial dishwashers and glass washers).

There is a huge choice when it comes to ovens, fryers, griddles and other cooking appliances. Likewise, commercial dishwashers are available in many different models and price ranges. It all depends on the type of establishment you have and the envisaged likely customer throughput. A traditional fish and chip shop will require super efficient and high heat output deep fat fryers or counter top fryers, as well as hot plates or a Bain Marie, to maintain the temperature of the cooked food. However, such an establishment is often operated as a takeaway, meaning that food and drinks are served in disposable containers, along with plastic cutlery. Therefore, a commercial dishwasher or glass washer may be of limited benefit. Pubs, clubs and bars (serving drink but a limited amount of food) will use a large volume of glassware in a short time, so a fast operating glass washer will be more suitable than a heavy duty commercial dishwasher. Glass washers have very rapid washing and drying cycles, ensuring a speedy turnaround. They are also more compact than industrial dishwashers, so are invaluable in places where space is at a premium. Also useful for smaller kitchens, for example those found in bistros and “gastro pubs”, are gas or electric boiling tops, as well as space saving warming and ambient cupboards.

Increasing in popularity in the restaurant trade are “chargrills”, high heat barbecue systems and also combination steamers and ovens, also known as “combi” ovens. These are very versatile and are used not only for banqueting but also in small to medium restaurants all over the world. However, the most popular item of all is the microwave. Other restaurant catering equipment that is also proving popular are specialist items such as pasta boilers, wok cookers, potato ovens, soup kettles, rotisseries, rice steamers and pizza ovens. Larger restaurants may well have several of these items and may also have more than one commercial dishwasher.