Purchasing restaurant counter tops and restaurant cabinets from a large commercial cabinet and counter manufacturer is one of the biggest investments you will make in your business. Additionally, cabinets and counter tops for restaurants serve a purpose that is both aesthetic and functional. So you'll want to be sure that your new restaurant counter tops and cabinets are properly installed and able serve you and your customers for years to come.

This guide will help ensure you are making the most of counter tops and cabinets for restaurants. Read on to learn how to:

1. Install a restaurant counter and restaurant cabinet;

2. Maintain a commercial counter top;

3. And make sure your restaurant counters conform to ADA requirements.

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

Install commercial counter tops and cabinets

With installation costs often accounting for more than half of the final price of a new counter top, you can save a great deal of money by installing your counter yourself. This is an intermediate job that can be completed by most people who have a basic knowledge of the steps involved.

I recommend: For excellent directions on how to install a prefabricated laminate counter top, visit Wilsonart International. Installation steps are detailed in written instructions that cover the entire process. If you are planning to install cabinets, Ron Hazelton Productions breaks down the installation process with written instructions and a video.

Maintain restaurant counters

Without proper care, your restaurant counters can become scratched, stained or damaged. It is important you and your employees know the proper preventative measures that will keep your restaurant counter top looking like new. If damage has already occurred, a professional can often fix it by refinishing the counter top.

I recommend: Countertopspecialty.com is an excellent reference for the dos and don'ts of counter top maintenance. The list of instructions details topics such as sealing stone counter tops, how to best clean wine spills and how much heat you can put on a counter top. If you need professional help repairing and maintaining counter tops, give a call to Verde Valley Solid Surface Counter Top Refinishing and Maintenance. The company serves residential and commercial customers.

Be sure your restaurant counters meet ADA requirements

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that sales and service counters are accessible to everyone. Strict regulations are set for counters of different sizes and uses, so you will want to read through the requirements to determine which ones you must meet.

I recommend: The U.S. Department of Justice provides informational and technical assistance on complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A detailed description of what is required for restaurant counters is available on the website. Adaptive Access is another source to learn about ADA compliance.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Do not attempt to install commercial counter tops or cabinets without at least two people to assist in the project.
• •  Take time to regularly review the guidelines for the proper maintenance of restaurant counter tops with your employees. After all, they are the ones who will be using the counter tops most of the time.
• •  Be sure to check with your local city or town to make sure they do not have additional access requirements beyond ADA.

Your choice for restaurant cabinets and counter tops determines the feel of the restaurant kitchen.

When you choose your commercial counter tops, keep in mind your budget, the maintenance required to keep up the counter tops and the look you want to achieve.

Along with restaurant counters, the cabinets may add to the overall feel of the restaurant or simply provide storage. Some restaurants use industrial shelving instead of cabinets. It's a good idea to plan at least one closed restaurant cabinet to keep the dishes clean when they aren't in use.

The counter tops and cabinets for restaurants need to:

1. Provide a work environment that meets safety regulations.
2. Fit your vision for your restaurant.
3. Be durable and non-porous.

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

Buy a stainless steel restaurant counter top

Choose from 30-inch to 120-inch counter tops to place over existing restaurant counters or select wall mounted stainless steel tables with a back splash and no spill edge. Add shelves to create stainless steel cabinets.

I recommend: Restaurant-Services.com, an online commercial cabinet and counter manufacturer, specializes in stainless steel. They provide a wide variety of sizes, lip options and customize counter tops and cabinets to meet your specifications. Specialty Stainless offers integral backsplashes, welded joints for security and raised "v" edges or marine edges to keep liquid from running off the counter top.

Use natural or engineered stone

Natural and engineered stone typically cost more than stainless steel, but provide you the opportunity to choose custom cabinets and counter tops, pick from a large variety of colors to match your interior design and add a bit of luxury to the restaurant.

I recommend: Use DuPont Zodiaq Quartz Surfaces' Complete Palette to help you find a color of Zodiaq you like. Countertop Rock provides online color selection for granite, marble, and Caesar stones as well as patterns for the edge details of the counter tops.

Consider specialty restaurant cabinets and counter tops

Heated cabinets, cold cabinets and condiment cabinets serve a specific purpose. Reduce the risk of cross contamination from food with a specialty counter top like a butcher block. Butcher block counter tops eliminate the possibility of a cutting board slipping off your counter top.

I recommend: KaTom Restaurant Supply, Inc. and Butcher Block Co. are two online commercial cabinet and counter manufacturers that offer a wide variety of specialty items like warming cabinets and condiment cabinets.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use restaurant cabinet and counter top suppliers that manufacturer, deliver and install restaurant counter tops and cabinets.
• •  Order your cabinets and counter tops early so they can be delivered without having to maneuver around other restaurant furniture.
• •  Find out whether the material you use needs to be sealed or maintained on a regular basis.

Having proper restaurant counters and restaurant cabinets is essential to any successful restaurant business. You don't necessarily have to have custom cabinets and counter tops, but you do want to have cabinets and counters that give your employees enough room to prepare meals and store food, utensils and supplies.

The pricing and costs of counter tops and cabinets for restaurants varies greatly, depending on what type of commercial counter top or cabinet set you purchase. Size, material and installation will all impact the final price. So before you start to look for restaurant cabinet and counter top suppliers, take a moment to decide if you need:

1. Commercial counter tops for restaurants that can be cut to size;

2. Custom or stock restaurant cabinets;

3. Or freestanding units that combine a restaurant counter and restaurant cabinet.

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

Purchase restaurant counter tops

When you start to look for a restaurant counter top, you will quickly learn that the final price depends on the material and style that you choose. Custom edge treatments will add to the price. And finally, prices vary depending on what part of the country you are in. In general, you will pay about $40 per linear foot for laminate and $60 to $100 per square foot for natural or engineered stone. (Note that laminate is sold by the linear foot and stone is sold by the square foot.) If you are hiring someone to install your restaurant counter, installation is usually a little bit more than the cost of the counter itself.

I recommend: Formica Countertops & Cabinets sells what the name implies. The company is based in Houston and gives free estimates. Inland Counter Tops specializes in Corian countertops for restaurants and other commercial businesses in Southern California.

Purchase restaurant cabinets

Good restaurant cabinets are not cheap, and specialty cabinets are even more expensive. For example, heated holding and proofing cabinets can cost you anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 each. Custom cabinets can cost just as much, if not more.

I recommend: Central Products has a large selection of specialty cabinets for restaurants, including heated cabinets and transporting cabinets. If you want custom-built cabinets for your restaurant, check out the examples on the website of DDP, a company that specializes in restaurant cabinets.

Purchase freestanding units that combine restaurant counters and restaurant cabinets

Serving stations, storage counters, coffee bars and cash register stands can all be purchased as a single unit. This saves you the cost of having to buy restaurant cabinets and restaurant counters separately and put them together. Prices vary by piece, but generally, a small cash register stand, storage counter or condiment station will cost you less than $500.

I recommend: ServU-Online Restaurant Equipment and Supplies has dozens of freestanding counter and cabinet units for sale on its website. For a good selection of serving stations, fountain units and back wall counters, check out Display Case Showcase.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When calculating the pricing and costs of counter tops and cabinets for restaurants, don't forget to include the cost of maintaining your counter tops and cabinets. For example, the counter tops may have to be sealed on a regular basis.

In a restaurant, counter tops and cabinets are an essential part of the business. So before you select counter tops and cabinets for your restaurant, you should have a good understanding of the industry's key terms. This guide will help you figure out the pros and cons of counter tops made from stainless steel, Corian and granite. You will also learn about specialty cabinets, such as heated holding cabinets, back wall counters and humidified display cabinets.

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

Stainless steel counter tops

Stainless steel counter tops are ideal for use in busy restaurant work areas because they clean up easily and resist abrasions, corrosion and rusting. Stainless steel is manufactured by combining steel and chromium.

I recommend: For more information on exactly what stainless steel counter tops are made out of, as well as other reasons why the surface is ideal, check out SpecialtyStainless.com.

Corian counter tops

Corian counter tops are made from a solid surfacing material that can be cut, drilled and formed into almost any size and shape. Corian counter tops are stain-resistant, easy to clean and do not require any special sealing. The disadvantage of Corian is that it will be damaged by hot items, such as pots, that are above 212-degrees Fahrenheit.

I recommend: Corian was created by DuPont, which offers lots of information about the product.

Natural granite counter tops

If you want to install more luxurious counter tops in the public areas of your restaurant, then consider natural granite counter tops. Natural granite is one of the hardest, natural products on earth. It can't be damaged by heat, is scratch-resistant, and once polished, it retains a high-gloss shine. The disadvantage to granite is that it is porous and can stain. You can protect your granite from stains by sealing the surface.

I recommend: Countertop Rock is a great source of information about natural granite counter tops. From the linked page, scroll down to learn about honed granite, polished granite and flamed granite. The website also explains the benefits of granite and how to care for it.

Heated holding cabinet

If your restaurant makes a large quantity of food in a short period of time, then you might want to invest in a heated holding cabinet, also called a warming cabinet or transporting cabinet. A heated holding cabinet is a large cabinet on wheels that will keep food hot while it is waiting to be served. Most cabinets come with tracks on the inside, so you can simply slide in a hot tray of food.

I recommend: Visit Central Products to see pictures of various types of heated holding cabinets. Click on the pictures for more information.

Back wall counters

Back wall counters are great because they can be used for almost anything. They typically come with adjustable storage areas and are topped with a large, open counter space and back splash. The units are not fixed, so they can be moved if you decide to change your restaurant layout.

I recommend: For a picture of back wall counters and more information, visit Display Case Showcase.

Humidified display cabinet

A humidified display cabinet is used to keep food the proper temperature and texture while it is on display, waiting to be purchased. It contains a heater and humidifier to keep the food fresh and warm.

I recommend: To see a picture of a humidified display cabinet and get more details, check out Instawares.