As anyone who owns a restaurant will attest to, behind every good chef is a first-class piece of equipment. It doesn’t matter how accomplished you are in the kitchen, if you have shoddy catering equipment, it’s a waste of time. Whether it’s a small bistro, a bar or a big restaurant, your kitchen needs to be furnished with high performance, durable appliances.
The ideal commercial kitchen has to be highly practical, with certain equipment being a necessity. These consist of a high performance traditional oven, as well as a microwave and/or convection oven, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, grill, and a preparation counter. Certain kinds of restaurants might also need specific appliances, such as a pasta boiler, rice cooker, griddle, or a pizza oven. Machines that automatically prepare food, such as food processors, mixers, blenders and potato peelers can save you lots of time in the kitchen, freeing you up to take care of other duties.
Be certain that your equipment is large enough to take care of the estimated amount of customers. There’s nothing worse than discovering you have wasted a lot of cash putting together your commercial kitchen, only to find out that the oven or fridge is too small for your needs. Also, don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can count on hand washing if you hope to serve a large amount of customers. If you don’t buy a commercial dishwasher you will find that the kitchen staff spend more time washing up than they are actually making food! Even though fresh food is most favoured, a walk-in freezer is necessary, as there are multiple items that you might not be able to buy on a daily basis. In addition you can buy in bulk, avoiding that awkward moment when you need to tell your clientele that you are out of something. This is particularly critical for ’specials’ of the day, or your signature dish.
Don’t forget the fundamental requirements for easy food preparation: top-notch chef knives and cookware. Stock a wide-ranging supply of pots, pans, baking trays and mixing bowls in multiple shapes and sizes. Ponder the type of food that you will be offering, and buy the correct utensils and kitchen apparatus.
A fully functioning bar should be stocked with all the correct barware and bar equipment you need to have to serve whatever beverage is required. Don’t forget cocktail shakers, bottle chillers and ice buckets, and of course, the correct glasses. Don’t make a gaffe such as using the incorrect type of glass for a particular drink. This will tip the customer off that the bartender doesn’t know what he or she is doing!
An extremely important aspect of your establishment is the decor. Table linens, china and cutlery have to be of the highest quality. A customer will have plenty of time when waiting for their meal to take a look at their surroundings, and mismatched or flawed items will not go unnoticed. It is very important to display your menu well. A lot of bistros pick a blackboard, whereas others may opt for the classic table menu.
Cleanliness is absolutely necessary, in fact, most diners are just as picky, if not more, about the hygiene of the restaurant as they are about the the quality of the food. In order for your kitchen to pass food hygiene standards, the entire area must be extremely clean, especially food preparation and storage areas.
Many restaurants these days have an ‘open-plan’ kitchen featuring their chefs in view of everyone. That being the case, it is exceedingly important that they are dressed appropriately. Occasionally, a chef may venture into the eating area to answer a customer’s questions, so it is important that they are dressed smartly from head to toe! This is also relevant to waitstaff and greeters. These are the first members of staff that your patrons will talk to, and always remember that first impressions count.
A restaurant can only thrive in today’s competitive market if it is adaptable. It’s always a great idea to read up on the up-to-the-minute culinary trends and equipment available, so that you can keep your restaurant ahead of the competition. Finally, when outfitting your establishment, always buy whatever you need at a reputable catering supply business, and check out their policy on returns and delivery service.
Rebecca A Cartwright has worked in the catering supplies industry for many years and offers recommendation relating to chefs tools at the web site Oxford Chef Shop.