Finding a Decent Catering Equipment Supplier a Three Step-Model

Finding a decent supplier for your catering equipment can be difficult, but it’s essential that you get it right if you want your restaurant to run as efficiently and profitably as possible. Below, you will find our three-step model to help you find the right supplier for your needs.

Step 1: Work Out Exactly What You Need
Do you need to buy a particularly specialised piece of equipment? If so, you will need to find a supplier who can design and manufacture that piece of equipment.

Do you need to buy many different items? In which case, you need to choose catering equipment suppliers that offer a large range of products.

Do you want to use a supplier that also provides an installation service? If so, you need to find a supplier that can do so.

Once you have worked out which type of supplier you need, you can then find suitable supplier.

Step 2: Finding Suitable Suppliers
The best place to find a supplier is from other people who use that supplier. So, if you work in the restaurant industry, your best bet in finding a supplier is to ask other restaurant owners.

If you have good relationships with local restaurants, you can ask them who they use. However, if the local restaurant trade is particular competitive, they may be reluctant to provide you with names. If this is the case, join a few networking groups. Networking groups exist specifically for the reason of selling goods and finding suppliers.

If neither of these works, then try contacting restaurants that are further afield and that offer a similar menu. You are not their direct competitors, so they should be more than happy to provide you with details.

Step 3: Contact the Suppliers Directly
By now, you should have a good list of suppliers, with two or three catering equipment suppliers who appear to be better than the rest. Contact them and arrange a meeting. You can then use this meeting to test them for suitability.

At this stage, you should have all the information required to make a wise choice in terms of your chosen equipment supplier.

If you are looking to find a new catering supplier, then please get in touch at http://www.garnersfse.co.uk/

Kitchens Designed For Success

Any good kitchen designer worth their salt will probably have studied the subject at design school. It’s an art as well as a technical achievement to create the very best kitchen.

This applies to domestic as well as commercial installations and in both cases, experience counts. A badly designed kitchen that doesn’t flow can be difficult to work in and with many temperamental professional chefs this will be a big problem.

An essential part these days of becoming a professional kitchen or bathroom designer involves a high level of being versed in CAD. Very precise fitting is particularly important in a commercial kitchen where it is essential to ensure an easy clean environment.

To study restaurant kitchen design involves an ability to first sketch an appropriate layout of all equipment for a designated area. This is then repeated on CAD software in a 2D and 3D perspective.

An appreciation of good lighting is also an important part of any design. All work surfaces should be well lit and this doesn’t work if a worker in the prep area has a light behind casting shadows on the work top.

Many restaurants are open at night and even in the day there is often very little daylight in most kitchens. This is because they are usually tucked away out of the sight of the diner. 

The amount of equipment in a commercial kitchen is far greater than in a domestic one. And because of the heavy use it is always far more expensive compared with domestic appliances.   

For this reason the equipment is often leased and maintained by the supplier. It’s a depressing fact that a new restaurant is one of the biggest new business failings possible. Around eighty to ninety percent fail before two years are up.

It’s hard to balance the books with something as unreliable as customer numbers. And cash flow is another problem as it can take a couple of years before the owner can even think about taking a salary.

But when it all comes successfully together, it can be an extremely satisfying profession.