A lot goes into owning and running a restaurant. From creating your concept and business plan to seeking out the best supplies and equipment, countless decisions are to be pizza prep tables made and challenges to be faced.
Figuring out the best place to buy your supplies is just one of these challenges. Whether you’re searching for the best price or the highest quality, a little legwork upfront can ensure you get the best pieces in the best place—and create the best restaurant possible in the process.
Ask Around
As a brand-new restauranteur or someone who’s been around the block a few times already, you‘re likely not the only person you know in this field. If you’re comparing pizza prep tables, for example, other pizzeria owners can recommend their favorites—and help you steer clear of inferior equipment.
You might be wondering what pizza tables offer environmentally friendly refrigeration systems. Or, you might be hoping for a prep table with shelves and drawers to store all your most popular toppings. And where will you go to buy whichever fits? Chances are, your colleagues sought these out in the past and can share their insights. Don’t know someone in person? Online reviews can offer similar advice!
Consider your priorities.
It’s possible to bootstrap your brand-new restaurant, but it requires some degree of prioritizing. If that perfect pizza prep table is the most important piece of restaurant equipment you’ll buy, you might be able to cut costs on your less-critical sandwich station, for instance. If you want to make pizza on a top-rated stainless steel pan, you may find condiment pans at a lower cost to compensate for the expense.
Take some time to prioritize your equipment and supplies to make sure you’re spending on the pieces that matter most for your needs. Then, pay attention to what restaurant supply stores offer the prep table or other equipment you want most. They’ll likely stock the additional items you need but are less invested in.
Look at your restaurant as a whole.
Once you’ve determined that a pizza prep table or another piece of restaurant equipment is essential, it’s important to pay attention to how they’ll fit into your restaurant as a whole. If you need separate condiment pans for your pizza sauce, consider how you’ll work it into the drawers or shelves you have available. If you don’t have a refrigerated compartment open, where can you store your perishable ingredients? Is your cutting board in a convenient space for chopping, mincing, or dicing?
Your kitchen, storage, and dining areas will all depend on an efficient layout to be successful. Before purchasing a new piece of equipment, visualize how it will fit into the existing workflow or how you intend to get things done if this is a new venture. The best supply store will allow you to see the equipment displayed as it would be in action and has experts who’ll help you make sure it’s a good fit.
Pay attention to the fine print.
When you buy high-end restaurant supplies, you can envision using them for years to come. In reality, though, issues happen. Accidents and disasters can ruin your expensive equipment in an instant, through no fault of yours.
Before you commit to purchasing a product, study intricacies like what sort of warranty is offered. The same goes for other product details—make sure a piece will fit in the cubic feet you have available or will work with your existing equipment, if applicable. Study the overall policies of the store, too—will they replace a defective or damaged item?
Starting a restaurant from scratch or replacing equipment that’s too old to keep up with you, the right restaurant supply store will offer various price points and items that meet your needs. Figure out what you need most and where you’ll find them—then find the shop that best meets your budget and other requirements.
