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As anyone in the restaurant business will tell you, behind every good chef is a first-rate piece of equipment. No matter how gifted you are in the kitchen, when you work with shoddy catering equipment, it’s a waste of time. Whether it’s a little bistro, a bar or a larger eatery, the kitchen needs to be equipped with high performing, long-lasting appliances.

The ideal commercial kitchen should be highly functional, with specific kinds of equipment being indispensible. These consist of a high performance traditional oven, also a microwave and convection oven, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, grill, and a prep counter. Certain types of restaurants might also need specific apparatus, including a pasta boiler, rice cooker, griddle, or a pizza oven. Machines that automatically prepare food, including food processors, mixers, blenders and potato peelers can save you a lot of time in the kitchen, allowing you to spend time on other things.

Be certain that your appliances are large enough to take care of the projected size of customers. There’s nothing worse than spending a lot of cash putting together your commercial kitchen, only to find out that the oven or refrigerator is too small for your requirements. Also, don’t think that you can rely on hand washing if you hope to serve a lot of customers. If you don’t buy a commercial dishwasher you will find that the kitchen staff spend more time cleaning up than they do actually preparing food! While fresh food is most favoured, a walk-in freezer is a necessity, as there are multiple items that you might be unable to buy nearby. In addition you can purchase things on a large scale, avoiding that uneasy moment when you need to notify your patrons that you don’t have a certain item. This is especially crucial for ‘specials’ of the day, or a signature dish.

Always remember the fundamentals for the best food preparation: high quality chef knives and cookware. Keep a wide-ranging supply of pots, pans, baking trays and mixing bowls in multiple sizes and shapes. Think about the kind of fare that you will be selling, and purchase the correct utensils and kitchen apparatus.

A well equipped bar should be stocked with all the proper barware and bar equipment you need to prepare whatever beverage is ordered. Remember cocktail shakers, bottle chillers and ice buckets, and of course, suitable glasses. Don’t make a mistake such as using an unsuitable kind of glass for a certain drink. This will tip the customer off that the bartender has no experience!

A very important feature of your establishment is the decor. Tablecloths and napkins, crockery and cutlery need to be of top quality. A patron will have plenty of time when waiting for their meal to view the surroundings, and poorly matched or chipped items will not go unnoticed. It is very important to present your menu well. Many bistros use decide on a wallboard, while in contrast others may opt for the traditional table menu.

Cleanliness is absolutely necessary, in fact, most customers are just as finicky, if not more, about the hygiene of the establishment as they are about the food that is served. In order for your kitchen to pass food hygiene inspections, the entire area must be as clean as possible, in particular food preparation and storage areas.

Many restaurants currently have an ‘open-plan’ kitchen with their chefs in full view. Hence, it is extremely important that they are dressed appropriately. On occasion, the chef may venture into the restaurant area to answer a customer’s questions, so they should be properly attired from head to toe! This also applies to waitstaff and greeters. They are the first people that your customers will converse with, and don’t forget that the first impression is extremely important.

A restaurant will only prosper in today’s over-saturated market by being adaptable. It’s always a great idea to study the up-to-the-minute trends and supplies available, so that you can keep your restaurant in front of the pack. Finally, when furnishing your establishment, always buy whatever you need at a reputable catering supply company, and look into their policy on returns and delivery service.

Chloe L Anderson has worked inside the catering supplies industry for a lot of years and provides guidance related to cooking equipment uk at the web site Chef Shop UK.