Imagine this: You’re getting ready for the daily lunch rush at your deli. This means you’re juggling a ton of sandwiches, salads, and drinks both for dine-in customers and to-go orders. Right as you’re preparing to start cranking out sandwiches, your sandwich prep table breaks in front of your eyes. Without a sandwich prep table, how can you handle the rush?
The right restaurant equipment can often make or break an eatery’s success. After all, you use your accessories, cabinets, and prep area every day, don’t you? Whether you need quality food pans, a refrigerator that actually stays cold, or prep tables that won’t fall apart at the worst possible moment, here’s how to find quality restaurant equipment that can help you out.
Find a local retailer.
Whether you need stainless steel sandwich prep tables, a salad prep table, or even a pizza prep table, it’s probably easiest if you start locally. By shopping with a local brand, it’s easier to forge industry connections in your city. This can lead to some key perks down the road, such as free shipping, presale offers, and bundle deals. Whether you need new pizza cookware, a sneeze guard for your front of the house, or accessories to help smooth out some dinner service hiccups you’ve experienced, starting local is a smart call.
If you’re considering a local brand, ask for referrals and restaurant advice. If you need juicers, ingredient bins, or new shelves and carts, ask a colleague who recently invested in a juicer, ingredient bin, or new stainless steel shelves. This can help direct you to the right websites and even save you money through smart referral discounts. Of course, if you’re just starting your business, you might not have all of these local connections at the ready. If that’s the case, you still have options to help you find the right equipment, prep tables, accessories, and tools.
Consider used restaurant equipment.
If you don’t have to pay for the latest salad prep table release, or you really need accessories and equipment that’s functional above all else, you might want to consider investing in used restaurant equipment. From beverage coolers to stainless steel salad prep tables, you can find premium deals on top equipment. If you’re looking for a used restaurant equipment retailer, you might want to do a bit of research beforehand, though. For starters, look at any retailer’s website. Check out the terms of use or the “use of this site” section to find any information about returns, warranties, and replacements for faulty products. After all, you don’t want to invest in a stainless steel salad prep table and then not get what was advertised.
You can also look for brands that offer free shipping past a certain purchase amount. If you’re only ordering drawers, pans, a cutting board, or a smaller table, this might not be a big issue. However, if you’re trying to ship a salad prep table across the country, it’ll likely cost you a fair amount. Free shipping can help mitigate some of these extra expenses and help you save even more. Even if a site doesn’t mention free shipping, some brands are willing to negotiate. Ask a sales representative about any free shipping options or discounts.
Make long-term investments.
Even if you’re buying lightly used restaurant equipment or a sandwich prep table, you want to know that you’re making a long-term investment. Look for products with good reviews that are built to last. This can help you avoid overspending on constant repairs and replacements. When you also invest in ongoing maintenance, you can secure a strong return on investment. With the right restaurant supplies, there’s no telling what you can achieve.
