Equipment is the heart of your restaurant. Unless you have the right restaurant kitchen equipment in place, you can hardly expect your restaurant business to flourish. However, commercial kitchen equipment requires a substantial amount of investment. Thus, restaurateurs always face this dilemma to get old and second-hand equipment or whether to buy new equipment. While purchasing old equipment will be cheaper, it will have a relatively less shelf live. On the other hand, new equipment will be relatively costly but will have a higher shelf live, and it comes with a warranty. Both the acts will have some positive and some negative impact on your restaurant operations, and this is precisely where we will be talking in this article. This article will help you put an end to the new vs used restaurant equipment debate!
Should You Buy New Or Previously Used Restaurant Kitchen Equipment?
There are various dimensions to look while deciding on whether you should purchase old kitchen equipment or get hold of a used one. Keep these factors in mind while purchasing restaurant kitchen equipment and put an end to new vs used restaurant equipment debate.
1. Buying New Restaurant Kitchen Equipment
It is no rocket science to understand that purchasing a new restaurant kitchen equipment is always a costly venture, and unless you have a proper budget plan and enough money at hand, it is advisable to think for alternatives. However, there are several pros which might prompt you to buy new restaurant kitchen equipment:
- You can quickly get what you need: It is always easier to get hold of new kitchen restaurant equipment. You can get exactly what you need with specific parts.
- It comes with a warranty: All the new restaurant kitchen equipment comes with a warranty for a year or so. It is a sign of relief for mostly all restaurant owners from any instances of potential failure or breakdown of the equipment. This not only comes as a mental relief, but it also ensures that maintenances of them will be easier on pockets.
- It will perform better: It goes without saying, that a new restaurant kitchen equipment will have a high-performance rate. It will reduce the scope of delays, and it will help you to prepare dishes faster and preserve raw materials better, which will help you to serve the orders more swiftly than usual.
- It will meet the health codes: Everyone is always on the lookout for safer and healthier products that will preserve the quality of the food prepared. With these intentions, new innovative equipment is discovered and launched now and then. Hence, if you get hold of the used or second-hand equipment, there is a high chance that they would not meet the new health and safety standards, while the newer ones will comply to the new regulations.
- They will be energy saving: Mostly all the new restaurant kitchen equipment are star certified. This will help you to save your cost in the longer run. You will not have to worry about paying the unnecessary amount at the end of the month on the electricity bills.
While there are quite a few pros on getting new restaurant kitchen equipment on board, the most important thing to consider before getting or purchasing one is to see whether it is within your budget. In the attempt of getting all the new equipment, you might exhaust all your money, which otherwise you could have invested in the other areas of your restaurant business, like interiors, marketing, the hiring of staffs and organizing for the grand opening.
2. Purchasing Old Restaurant Kitchen Equipment
Buying a previously used restaurant kitchen equipment is the most viable alternative if you are operating on a tight budget. This is generally the most feasible alternative to purchasing a new restaurant kitchen equipment. The various reasons that prompt restaurant owners to get used or second-hand restaurant kitchen equipment in place are:
- It is easier on pockets: Prices of used restaurant kitchen equipment are never written on stones. Hence, you can easily ask for lesser prices from the dealers and do not be afraid to bargain with them.
- It is like new: As the restaurant industry has a high turnover rate, it is possible that the second-hand kitchen equipment will practically be brand new. While you should examine the material for rust and missing pieces, you can find items that are fully functional that will save a pretty penny. However, new restaurant kitchen equipment comes with a warranty, which relieves a lot of restaurant owners from thinking about what will happen with the sudden failure of the equipment.
- Complimentary Items: When purchasing several pieces of used equipment, you can request that the seller throws in an extra item to show good faith. This will help you save funds for more equipment, rehabilitation, or a rainy day.
- You can get reconditioned items: Several retailers have in-house employees who recondition the used equipment before putting them up for sale. This option is very lucrative since mostly these are the employees who you can contact in case the purchased equipment needs maintenance or repair.
Here are the things that you must consider before purchasing old or previously used equipment.
Before purchasing the equipment, first, sit and decide on the amount you are willing to spend on getting all the essential equipment needed to run a restaurant in place. Collect all the restaurant equipment facts and go through them. Once you have the detailed idea of your budget then you can quickly decide whether you can purchase all new restaurant kitchen equipment, or else you can go for the used or second-hand ones.
