Kitchen Planning · 2 min read
Where Kitchen Equipment Budgets Go Wrong
The traps that lead restaurants to overspend on kitchen equipment, and what to ask before ordering.
Equipment is one of the largest cheques written before opening, and one of the easiest places to overspend.
The traps
- Multi-function equipment bought for features the kitchen never uses.
- Choosing on price, then paying for it in breakdowns mid-service.
- Ordering before the layout is final, so pieces do not fit or cannot be serviced.
- A line sized for the opening menu and nothing after it.
Worth asking before you order
- What utilities does it need, and does the site have them?
- Is there service support and are spare parts available locally?
- What does it cost to run, not only to buy?
- Can the team clean it in the time they have?
Which pieces deserve the money depends on the menu and the volume behind it. That is the conversation to have before the order goes in.
