Have you ever wondered why some plants turn out better products than others? It has a lot to do with the workers they hire, but it also has to do with the way they care for their equipment. If you keep your equipment in good shape, the products you turn out will be more consistent — and that is true in most any industry. Train your workers to keep the space around their equipment clean and clear. Remind them to lubricate their machines and report any abnormalities ASAP. As you read on this blog, we hope you gain a better understanding of industrial equipment, the care it requires, and related topics.
The cost of investing in commercial kitchen equipment to establish a new restaurant can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you are preparing to set up your new restaurant and you need to start selecting your equipment, it's important to approach this selection process properly. With the right planning, you can be sure that you will make the most of the money that you are investing into your new restaurant's kitchen. Here's a look at each category that you need to think about and some tips for ensuring that you get the right equipment.
Start With Food Storage
When it comes to commercial kitchen equipment, the food storage equipment is perhaps the single biggest expense. Proper food storage is essential to commercial kitchen safety, and it plays a key role in protecting your fresh food investments. That's why your food storage equipment should be the first thing that you select.
For proper food storage, you'll need to have a refrigeration unit as well as a walk-in freezer. It's important to consider the volume of food you anticipate storing in each one so that you can select a unit with sufficient capacity. Don't base your capacity needs on a start-up level of business, though. Consider the potential that your restaurant may see a lot of business growth, especially if the food is good and the prices are reasonable. Choose refrigeration and freezer units with room for storage growth as your business's demand and food inventory needs increase.
You may also want to consider the features that come with each unit. Although you'll likely put temperature sensors or thermometers in both your cooler and freezer to comply with health and safety requirements, you may also want to look for units that come with integrated temperature alarms. These alarms will notify you if the temperature inside the unit falls outside the programmed parameters. This may help you to avoid food loss if you have a malfunction in the equipment.
Prioritize Cleaning And Sanitization
Once you have your food storage infrastructure together, the next aspect you should think about is your cleaning and sanitization stations. Remember that all of the dishes and appliances in your commercial kitchen must be washed and sanitized according to health and safety standards. If you want to help reduce the time and manual labor involved in these tasks, consider incorporating a commercial dishwasher with a sanitizing cycle to make it quicker and easier to keep all of your dishes and cookware clean.
In addition to the cleaning system for your dishes and cookware, you also need to have a washing station established for fresh foods. Opt for a separate equipment investment for this section so that you don't risk having suds from the dishwashing station or food particles from dirty dishes contaminate your fresh foods.
Sprayer nozzles are a great fixture investment for these stations as well. It's easier to control the flow of water when you have hand-held sprayers that you can use to direct the rinse water. Talk with your kitchen equipment supplier about incorporating a sprayer nozzle on each of your washing stations.
Be Selective About Your Cooking Equipment
The final equipment investment should be in your cooking equipment. Make sure that you take the time to carefully consider your options and choose cooking equipment that fits your company's needs. For example, there's no need to invest in a deep-fryer station if you aren't going to be offering any fried foods on your menu.
Think about the types of food you will be offering, and select cooking equipment that will match that menu. Consider a wide range with as many burners as possible to help ensure that you can keep multiple dishes cooking at once. This helps you to meet the demand of a busy service.
You may also want to consider multiple wall ovens to allow for cooking different dishes at different temperatures. Remember that, during service, you'll have many different types of orders coming in at one time, so the more versatility you have in your cooking equipment, the easier it will be to keep your ticket times lower.
Talk with a local commercial kitchen equipment supplier today for more information and to see what types of equipment will work for your new kitchen.