Pros and Cons on Used Equipment

Brisbane Second Hand Catering Equipment is one good choice for catering owners for a variety of reasons, the most important factor of which is the limits of one’s budget in setting up the catering kitchen.

As caterers (and restaurant owners) know, equipment is the main heart of the cooking business, and without the right ones, your business cannot be expected to flourish. This is the owner’s dilemma because getting the right kitchen equipment would require a big chunk of the investment budget.

New or second-hand

There are many pros and cons on either side of the coin whether to buy a new set of equipment or settling with gently-used Brisbane second hand catering equipment.

Getting an older set of equipment is definitely cheaper, but with a shorter shelf life. On the other hand, new equipment is relatively costly but with a higher shelf life and a warranty to go with it. These facts will have a positive (or negative) impact of your restaurant or catering operations.

New equipment

With new equipment, you get exactly what you need with specific parts and all. It definitely works better. The end results will be reduction in the scope of delays and it will help in preparing dishes faster, preserve materials better, and serve your orders more swiftly.

It comes with a warranty for at least a year or so. This helps dispel your worries in instances of breakdown or failure of the equipment. It also makes it easier to maintain them without worrying about costs.

Health codes

The new equipment will meet the health codes and this is a big plus for everyone on the lookout for safe and healthy products that will preserve the quality of the prepared food. Some new innovative equipment has these qualities to produce safe and healthy food.

(Second-hand equipment might not meet the new health and safety standards.)

Most new equipment today is star-certified as energy-savers. In the long run, these will keep your costs down and no worry on unnecessary power bills every month.

Second-hand equipment

Getting previously-used restaurant equipment is the most appropriate alternative if your budget is very tight to afford a new set. This is the most feasible choice to buying new kitchen equipment for your business.

One big reason for this is that it is easier on the pocket. Brisbane second hand catering equipment prices are not written on stones. You can always ask for lesser prices from the sellers and should not be afraid to bargain with them.

Like new

In the restaurant industry where the turnover rate is high, it might be possible that the second-hand equipment you bought are practically brand new.

Like you need to examine the materials for rust and missing pieces, you may discover items that are fully functional. New restaurant equipment comes with warranty saving the owner the worry of what will happen if there is equipment failure.

Several retailers have in-house employees who do the reconditioning of used pieces before they are sold. This is very favorable to the next buyer because you can contact them in case the purchased equipment needs repair or maintenance.

Modern Ergonomics and Preparations

Obviously, the heart of a commercial restaurant is the kitchen. What it produces (and how fast) makes or breaks the dining experience for the customers. The secret is in the commercial kitchen’s layout which is the result of the commercial kitchen design.

It will always be a toss up between a haphazard preparation in putting up the kitchen’s design or a strategic design to have the restaurant’s team to work efficiently and produce high-quality meals consistently.

Poorly-designed kitchen will have an inefficient staff because they will always be worried on bumping each other. A winning commercial kitchen design (executed from an excellent layout) is easy to use, meet the restaurant’s needs, and the staff being able to deliver an amazing experience to the customers.

Ergonomics

There is need to factor into the kitchen design some crucial considerations in order to ensure safety and function. The first one is ergonomics. This is simply designing and arranging things people use so that people and things interact act most efficiently.

Take for instance the question of how much equipment the kitchen will need to hold, how many people will be in the kitchen and how the flow of the kitchen staff’s routes goes between stations.

Space

How much room you need to work will limit the commercial kitchen’s layout you can adopt. Industry guidelines suggest dedicating 60% of your commercial space to the front of the house and reserving the remaining 40% for the back of the house.

For instance, if your restaurant has an area of 500 square feet, 300 square feet would be used for the dining area and waiting room. The remaining 200 square feet should be reserved for the kitchen.

Staff communication

In designing space, never leave out the human factor. Facilitate the interaction and communication of the staff with an open floor plan instead of a maze-like kitchen with walled-off sections. The executive chef and the managers need to oversee the things going on in the kitchen.

This consideration is important in a fast-food restaurant but is applicable to high-end restaurants with experienced chefs.

Safety

In a kitchen, safety and design go together. You first need to consider food safety in the restaurant. You need to design a space that keeps food safe for consumption.

There is a vital need to check with local authorities to ensure your restaurant takes food safety precautions that go beyond common sense. In some states, local regulations may determine your commercial kitchen layout or design elements.

In Missouri, for instance, the code prohibits the use of wood as a food preparation surface and prohibits carpeting in a commercial kitchen.

For example, Missouri’s food code prohibits the use of wood as a food preparation surface (with a few exceptions) and prohibits carpeting in a commercial kitchen. Check local commercial kitchen laws to ensure that your restaurant is up to code.

You also need to take your staff’s health when you design your commercial kitchen. You might build proper ventilation into the space.

Fire safety is a major concern, too, and you need to consider safety like installing smoke detectors and putting fire extinguishers in correct places.

Saving Investment Money

Businesses in the food industry sometimes can come and go. According to some figures, about 90% of restaurants go out of business in the first five years or so that they’re in. When they do, some would try to recover some of their losses by getting rid of their equipments. 

For those starting new in the business, on the other hand, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to buy all your equipments spanking new. To keep more money for use in some other areas, you can buy used equipments.

In most cases, buying second hand catering equipment Brisbane is one smart way of saving some of your start-up capital. Brand-new equipment can be very expensive. In buying used equipment, you can still choose the best brands at a lower original price.

 Here are some tips when buying used equipment for use in your establishment.

Equipment condition

Like any astute owner with good common sense, you certainly want to check the condition of everything that you will buy for use in your own kitchen. More important, you need to ensure that the pieces of equipment will work and can give you a longer lifespan than you estimated.

The condition you are looking for includes the provision that all the parts and pieces are there and are in good condition overall. Make sure that you have some kind of a warranty. Usually, these are good for about 60 to 90 days from date of purchase.

Some warranties are transferable to whoever will buy it (the new owner). Better still would be if these equipment still have manuals. 

Market price

For buyers, you need to take into consideration the wear and tear of the used equipment.  Also, it pays to know the ballpark prices of the items at present since it was purchased some time ago.

Typically, liquidated merchandise (including restaurant equipment) is priced at 20% of its regular value. You can also consult an equipment appraiser who can give you suggested pricing.  

Choose local sellers

Finding a local restaurant equipment dealer (or an owner) will enable you to check the equipment before buying. Also, you need not worry on shipping or transport expenses if you can pick them up. 

Likewise, if you have a whole kitchen to outfit, you may be able to buy out an entire kitchen for one price for another savings. You may be able to get a dishwasher, cold storage, stoves, ovens, grills and maybe even plates and cutlery in one substantially lower price than buying these pieces individually. 

Gently-used equipment

Obviously, a product that had been used for a long time has a shorter life span. On the other hand, a product that had been used for a short period has a longer life span. Don’t settle for kitchen equipment that had been used for more than three years.

At auctions, or from dealer of used equipment, you need to ask how many years of regular use had the equipment been used. Getting dealers who can divulge this information to would-be buyers is another story.

Extending Equipment Lifespan

Commercial cooking equipment, like in QLD commercial cooking equipment, needs the kind that are usually industrial-grade and not the home variety kind. The main reason is that they make quality foods that are usually large-scale for the consumption of many people.

Like in all commercial kitchens, these establishments are definitely packed and filled with all types of equipments and supplies. Unlike home cooking, however, there is a constant interaction between every appliance (and the personnel manning them) inside the kitchen – from the ovens to the fryers, even all the way to how the food are served.

Kitchen equipment maintenance

Unlike in the homes when things are cleaned (and maintained) and stored in an easier time frame, commercial kitchens don’t have the luxury of such.  Kitchen equipment maintenance is one of the secrets in the success of these establishments.

Appliances are kept at their best shape possible to reduce the risk of breakdown, from the preparation stage to the serving of food.

The benefits of keeping up with an equipment maintenance schedule are great and are necessary.

Breakdown prevention

When any of the restaurant’s cooking equipment breaks down, the repair costs are only a part of the expenses that you will pay. There are many inter-connected costs that are mostly hidden and sometimes cannot be accounted for.

The biggest of these is loss of customers and time. The time to repair your busted equipment is definitely a chunk off of your earnings. Losing your customers is one invisible way of losing money in the long run.

Equipment breakdown are usually unexpected. However, preventative maintenance sometimes happens in the middle of a dinner rush which can be disastrous on your income.

Extending equipment life span

When you do maintenance, your equipment enjoys the residual benefit of having its life span prolonged. This makes up the many years you can recoup your investment on the equipment.

Like any other appliance, regular servicing and tune-up sessions with a professional can extend the lifespan of your QLD commercial cooking equipment. This extends its being useful to your establishment.

Efficiency improvement

Like most equipment and other appliances in your kitchen, some might be prone and are already in the middle of a lime-scale buildup. When your kitchen appliances are not adequately cleaned and de-limed, its original function suffers and will become inefficient in time.

With regular maintenance on schedule, your appliances are repaired to work like new while at the same time are cleaned up in order to run efficiently.

Clean and sanitary

In a commercial kitchen, the main aim is to serve the food in the best way possible – delicious and safe to eat. This is one insurance that kitchens (and restaurants) care the most.

If your kitchen is hypothetically not properly maintained, chances are, it can become dirty and might harbor pathogens that endangers not just the food preparers but mainly the customers who will consumer them.

The exteriors of the appliances and equipment might be easier to clean up. The inside parts are a different story. The access to these internal parts will take the proficiency of repair and tune-up professionals.