Operating a small restaurant business can be extremely difficult. You are often competing against large named restaurants. You are encouraging customers to choose your food over another brand, that they already know. This usually means that you only get one or, if you are lucky, two chances to create a repeat customer. Restaurant success comes from a variety of methods, but one of the most important factors is that you are prepared to serve restaurant quality foods. This means having high level chefs, an enticing menu, and very importantly, commercial grade restaurant equipment.
Why is restaurant grade equipment necessary?
Many small restaurant owners go into business and then quickly fail. Some even have a great menu plan and unique menu items. However, if you cannot keep up with a steady flow of customers, you can never succeed. Commercial restaurant grade equipment improves the speed and efficiency that food items are made. These items allow restaurants to keep up, while still offering a high quality and tasteful menu item.
Commercial grade fridges and freezers
If you do not have sufficient fridges and freezers or if they are not commercial grade, you will find it difficult to properly store your menu ingredients. Not only can this be a problem for food efficiency, but it can also be against food safety codes. You can be fined, and ultimately shut down, if you do not follow your city and state?s food storage requirements. Everything will need to be labeled and stored in a specific order.
Commercial spiral mixers
Commercial spiral mixers are used to quickly and properly mix ingredients together. There are likely many dishes on your menu that require the combination of numerous food ingredients. Commercial spiral mixers may be in the form of blenders or food mixers. In addition to having high powered commercial spiral mixers, make sure you are also following proper cleaning techniques. It can be harder to keep the mixing blade clean, so it may need to be sanitized between each use.
Dough roller machines
Dough is used for many menu items, including pizza, sandwiches, and side dishes of bread. Having a dough roller machine is crucial if you are serving a lot of bread items. It can take up to 25 minutes to knead dough by hand, however, it will not take nearly as much time and effort with an industrial dough mixer. This product may also be useful if you sell a lot of desserts. An industrial bakery mixer can quickly and smoothly mix together all of the ingredients of your dessert items.
Heavy duty meat grinder
The majority of restaurants sell a lot of dishes that contain meats. Using a commercial meat cutter can save the kitchen a lot of time and money. The heavy duty meat grinder grinds the meat into easier cooking portions. It is important to note that proper cleaning of your heavy duty meat grinder is extremely important. Keeping everything cold is one of the most important things you can do to maintain your meat grinder. Serious Eats recommends putting your meat grinder and all of its parts (except the motor) in the freezer for one hour before grinding and keeping your meat well chilled until it is ready to grind.
Sanitizing and cleaning products
Restaurants are mixing all types of foods together. Improper handling of meats and food ingredients or improper cleaning can cause food borne illnesses to occur. Smaller businesses tend to have higher rates of food related illnesses, because of a lack of sanitizing and cleaning products. Word of a food borne illness can significantly damage the reputation of a restaurant. Ensure that you are following all safety cleaning and storage tips within your kitchen.
The restaurant industry is an extremely competitive business. In the restaurant industry, annual sales have reached $783 billion, making it difficult for new restaurants to enter the industry. You can improve your chances by preparing for proper kitchen techniques. You will need commercial grade products that can help you keep up. You will also want to follow the best cleaning and sanitization standards.