While some restaurant menu items never change, newer additions to the menu require new commercial food equipment. For example, many restaurants have frozen yogurt on their dessert menu now. That means the owner needs a commercial frozen yogurt machine in the kitchen to prepare this item. To keep your customers coming back, you need to know what menu items they like and be able to prepare them quickly.

Commercial food equipment news can help you stay on top of the latest trends. You can also find out what new food preparation supplies are available to help your chefs with the food prep process. As you prepare to purchase new commercial food preparation equipment, to add new items to your menu or make preparation of food easier for your staff, evaluate the following:

1. Consider whether the new commercial food service equipment truly adds to the quality of the product you are selling.

2. Find out if the new food preparation equipment is efficient and actually shortens the food prep time.

3. Ask if the new commercial food equipment can pay for itself with increased sales.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Stay current by reading commercial food service equipment trade magazines

You can read many of these magazines online or you can order a hard copy. Regardless of which method of delivery you choose, these are an excellent source of up-to-the minute commercial food preparation news and trends.

I recommend: Nation’s Restaurant News is an online magazine that highlights commercial food preparation news and trends. Reed Business Information provides information about commercial food preparation in its newsletter entitled Restaurants and Institutions.

Sign up for free online commercial food service equipment newsletters

These newsletters often highlight news and trends in food service equipment and preparation techniques. Many of these newsletters also provide recipes that you can easily adapt for your restaurant.

I recommend: ThomasNet provides information about food preparation equipment on its website. Sign up for the newsletter provided by Global Equipment to keep up on new food prep equipment.

Read blogs and buyer's guides provided by companies that sell commercial food preparation equipment

You can often trace new trends by observing the comments posted on these blogs and other websites. These companies often feature their latest products, so you can get an idea of how the food prep equipment styles are changing.

I recommend: ServU-Online, a provider of commercial yogurt machines among many other items, offers a blog to keep its customers posted on commercial food preparation news and trends. Big Tray has a number of buyer’s guides you can use to help you with the purchase of items like commercial food mixers, industrial food grinders and convection ovens. These guides can help you choose commercial food preparation equipment with the newest features.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  As you read commercial food service equipment reviews, remember who the author is. If the person writing the piece is also selling commercial food equipment, his opinion might be biased. If you read several articles that all favorably mention a piece of food prep equipment, you know you are looking at a piece you can seriously consider adding to your restaurant.

Opening a restaurant or other food service business starts with choosing the correct commercial food equipment. A full service restaurant or diner needs food preparation equipment that is vastly different from a sandwich shop or ice cream shop. At the very least, you need commercial food mixers, some kind of cooking units and refrigeration units to keep your raw and prepared product cold. An ice machine is indispensable also.

Start by deciding what kind of operation you want, and then, you can choose the correct commercial food service equipment for that type of business.

1. Select commercial food service equipment for your restaurant.

2. Find the right commercial food equipment for your sandwich shop.

3. Choose commercial yogurt machines for your ice cream shop.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Stock your restaurant with the right commercial food equipment

A full service restaurant needs grills, stoves, deep fryers, food prep tables, refrigeration, dishwasher and ice machines at the least. You may also want to add a hot buffet bar, a dessert bar and a salad bar.

I recommend: Artic Food Equipment offers a full line of commercial food preparation equipment from commercial food mixers and industrial food grinders to steam tables and bussing carts. They sell used equipment also. American Range specializes in commercial ranges and related products. Check out their ranges, hot plates, fryers, griddles and other types of cooking surfaces. They offer a warranty on their products that you can read right on their webpage.

Get the right food prep equipment for your sandwich shop

Sandwich shops usually do not need the in depth commercial food preparation equipment that restaurants need. In fact, you can start on a shoestring with just a grill, deep fryer and food prep table, and then add more equipment as money allows.

I recommend: Gold Star Restaurant Equipment and Supply offers sandwich shop accessory items along with the rest of its food prep equipment. They also sell signs, which you will need, so check them out. Ace Mart Restaurant Supply sells sandwich prep stations. Keep your meats, cheeses and salad items handy to make those sandwiches right in front of your customers. All your products will stay cold while you serve through your busy lunch hour.

Purchase commercial yogurt machines for your ice cream or frozen yogurt shop

Are you looking to get in on the ice cream and frozen yogurt profits? Opening up an ice cream and yogurt shop may be just what your neighborhood needs. Commercial yogurt machines and soft serve ice cream machines are just about all you need for your start.

I recommend: ABest Kitchen offers dual-purpose commercial yogurt machines that double for soft serve ice cream machines. Get started with this money maker today. A City Discount offers a full line of commercial yogurt machines. Their counter top model is very small so it can fit in your tight space.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Check for warranties on your new or used commercial food preparation equipment. If you purchase used equipment 'as is,' make sure it functions properly before buying.
• •  Consider insuring your commercial food equipment. You should be able to add this to your business insurance policy.

To protect your investment, you should know the best ways for making the most of commercial food preparation equipment. Since this equipment is expensive, you should learn about the best way to take care of it.

Every person in the kitchen should know how to care for your commercial food service equipment. That includes the safe operation, cleaning and light maintenance. Each piece of commercial food service equipment should have its own designated storage area. If machines such as industrial food grinders have special blades and attachments, each of those should have a storage place as well.

Taking good care of commercial food preparation equipment also involves organizing and safely storing the paperwork that came with it. Keep the following information handy:

1. Warranties for each piece of commercial food equipment should be kept in a readily accessible file in case it should break.

2. Save operational instruction booklets. If possible, post a laminated copy of the operational instructions on the wall beside each piece of equipment.

3. Keep parts lists and websites in a file in case you need to order replacement parts.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Read expert opinions on making the most of commercial food preparation equipment

Commercial food preparation websites often offer expert articles on how to care for commercial food preparation equipment. These informative pieces offer tips and tricks of the trade to help you make the most of your investment.

I recommend: CaterSearch.com offers expert advice on making the most of commercial food preparation equipment. This site explains how to get the most efficient use out of food preparation equipment. You can find information on Buzzle.com that tells you how to care for and clean household appliances. Many of these common appliances, such as microwaves, are also standard commercial food preparation equipment.

Teach your employees safe handling techniques for your commercial food preparation equipment

If employees handle knives, paddles and any other attachments with care, the equipment lasts much longer. Make sure everyone in the kitchen knows how to use each piece of equipment properly. If employees misuse the equipment, offer them retraining. Make it clear that you do not tolerate unsafe practices in your kitchen.

I recommend: The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website focuses on teenagers who use commercial food service equipment like commercial food mixers and commercial yogurt machines. While the website focuses on younger workers, the information is applicable to all employees. Food Service Warehouse offers instructions on the proper usage of machine guards to protect your workers as well as your food prep equipment.

Sanitize your commercial food preparation equipment properly

If the equipment is clean, it is going to perform better. Some pieces of equipment can go into a dishwasher while others cannot. Make sure your employees know the difference to avoid costly mistakes.

I recommend: Delmar Cengage Learning offers tips on how to properly sanitize food prep equipment. Hobart also offers tips to help you provide a sanitary food prep experience for your customers, as well as a safe experience for your kitchen employees.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If a piece of your commercial food equipment breaks down and you find you can no longer order replacement parts from the company, look at a website that offers used commercial food service equipment for sale. You may be able to find a similar machine you can buy at a discount and use for spare parts.

When operating a kitchen in a restaurant, residential establishment or catering company headquarters, you’ll rely on an assortment of commercial food preparation equipment to get the job done quickly and properly. By obtaining professional tools to chop, cook, chill and warm ingredients, you’ll give your kitchen staff the necessary equipment to create delicious and eye-catching results. Learn industry terminology like “spiral mixer,” “heat lamp,” and “mandoline,” to effectively communicate your kitchen needs to vendors and manufacturers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Heat lamp

Heat lamp units can warm completed dishes or keep specific ingredients warm while chefs are preparing other components of the dish. Consider an overhead warmer to free up counter space for additional equipment.

I recommend: Discover additional features and specifications of rod type heat lamps through Arctic Food.

Commercial food processor

Unlike smaller and less-powerful food processor models used in home kitchens, commercial food processors feature the power and attachments to do everything from grating vegetables to mixing dough. Choose the size that will suit the amount of food prepared by your business.

I recommend: Check out an assortment of commercial food processor models and replacement parts through Central Restaurant Products.

Spiral mixer

Speed up dessert and bread making preparation with a spiral mixer that can mix a high volume of dough or batter. Try a model with a tilt lift to make removal of mixed ingredients even easier.

I recommend: Check out photos and features of spiral mixers and additional mixing tools through Gold Star Restaurant Equipment.

Mandoline

For slicing an assortment of vegetables for appetizers, salads or main dishes, the lightweight cutting tool known as a mandoline is a must. Used in conjunction with a pusher to protect fingers, the mandoline can create web-cut slices, paper-thin slices or julienne strips.

I recommend: Get more information on mandolines, including specifications, spacing options and cutting directions through the WEBstaurant Store.

Vacuum sealers

Also called vacuum packaging machines, vacuum sealers can preserve food products and protect frozen items from freezer burn. Advanced cooks can also use the equipment as part of the 'sous-vide' cooking style which vacuum packs foods to slow poach in a water bath.

I recommend: Find an assortment of vacuum sealers for small to large restaurant or catering operations through CKitchen.

Food-grade lubricants

If you're performing routine maintenance on food preparation equipment, it's essential to lubricate everything from tools to door hinges. Be sure to use Food and Drug Administration compliant food-grade lubricants to avoid contaminating food products.

I recommend: Find more information on food-grade lubricants for use with food slicers and cutters through Total Lubricants USA.