Customized Commercial Kitchen Equipment

In Commercial Kitchen Equipment B. TURAN

Customized commercial kitchen equipment allows businesses to tailor products to their specific needs. With increasing flexibility from manufacturers, virtually every piece of restaurant equipment can be customized and accessorized. Such personalization aids in branding and staff convenience optimizes storage, and ensures compliance with local codes. Customization options extend to altering the size, shape, appearance, and function, enabling businesses to make specialized purchases that precisely suit their operational requirements.

Customization is a fast-growing trend in 2024, and by investing in such products, you can gain a competitive edge in the market. You can maximize your efficiency, use your space in the most optimal way possible, and streamline the cooking and serving operation with ergonomic, well-designed machinery and furniture. Read on to discover why you should invest in customized commercial kitchen equipment, what parts you can customize, and how to start the process.

What are The Advantages of Using Custom Commercial Kitchen Equipment?

There are 7 main benefits of using customized commercial kitchen equipment in your foodservice business:

• Compliance with Local Codes
• Maximizing Limited or Unconventional Spaces
• Enhancing Staff Convenience
• Strengthening Brand Identity
• Better Return on Investments Through Tailored Features
• Addressing Unique Ventilation Needs
• Innovative Storage Solutions

Compliance with Local Codes

Customizing your commercial kitchen equipment is critical to complying with your local health and safety code because every region has unique regulations governing commercial kitchens, and off-the-shelf equipment might not always be enough. By using customized commercial kitchen equipment, you can ensure that your kitchen meets all the requirements and avoids potential legal issues. FDA codes can be met by ordering custom high-quality materials to minimize cross-contamination or germ build-up. OSHA codes can be met by offering a safe space for your staff and minimizing occupational hazards with custom equipment and layout.

Maximizing Limited or Unconventional Spaces

Kitchens that are perfect in size and shape are rare. To solve this problem, you can use customized commercial kitchen equipment to make it fit perfectly in limited or unconventional spaces. This can help you have a much healthier workflow and a much more efficient kitchen.

Enhancing Staff Convenience

In a commercial kitchen, comfort is important to improve efficiency and employee happiness. You can utilize customized commercial kitchen equipment, including ergonomic designs that reduce your staff’s workload during long shifts, strategically placed components for ease of use, and features that streamline cooking processes, to have a much happier and healthier kitchen staff! Also, you can make your equipment ADA-compliant to create a more accessible and inclusive work environment.

Strengthening Brand Identity

Customized kitchen equipment helps you form or strengthen your unique brand identity. From custom designs to colors and incorporating brand logos on equipment, these customized touches can significantly improve the overall aesthetic of your kitchen and reinforce brand recognition.

Better Return on Investments Through Tailored Features

Customized commercial kitchen equipment is designed to include specific features for the unique needs of your business. By using customized commercial kitchen equipment, you can ensure that you’re not spending money on unnecessary features and that every aspect of your equipment serves an important purpose. In the long run, customized commercial kitchen equipment leads to a better return on your investment as your equipment serves your business’s operational needs better.

Addressing Unique Ventilation Needs

Every commercial kitchen has different ventilation needs depending on what you are cooking. Customized commercial kitchen equipment can be designed to include the size and layout of your kitchen and the type of cooking you perform. If you run a fast food restaurant, you can invest in grease-focused filters to fine-tune the tailoring. This way, you can make sure that you have a safe and comfortable working environment!

Innovative Storage Solutions

Customized commercial kitchen equipment allows you to get innovative for your storage needs. You can use designs that save space, specialized compartments for unique ingredients, or reinforced shelves to carry your heavy equipment! Customized equipment helps you keep an organized and efficient kitchen to serve your customers better!

What are The Disadvantages of Custom Commercial Kitchen Equipment?

There are 4 downsides you should keep in mind when investing in custom equipment:

• Higher Upfront Cost
• Harder to Resell
• Longer Wait Times for Orders
• Special Maintenance Needs

Higher Upfront Cost

Since these pieces are manufactured specially and individually for you, the cost tends to be higher. While customizations can benefit your profits in the long term, if the configurations you want are minimal and not truly necessary, you should opt for standard machinery. A cost analysis is a must when you decide to purchase customized commercial kitchen equipment.

Harder to Resell

The fact that the item will be designed with specific configurations will narrow down your potential buyer base and lower its resell value. However, if you intend to use the product for a long time or believe there is a market for your version, you can bypass this disadvantage.

Longer Wait Times for Orders

Since the products are manufactured upon order, it will take a minimum of 10 days for design, manufacturing, and shipment to be done. If you cannot afford to wait, you can opt for a standardized version.

Special Maintenance Needs

If the configurations are beyond cosmetic customizations, you will need special attention to maintaining your unique product. While this can be slightly inconvenient, it is not a dealbreaker if you can give the necessary attention and schedule for professional maintenance periodically.

What Can be Customized in Customized Commercial Kitchen Equipment?

Size, shape, material, aesthetic, branding, door type, and shelves are the main components you can customize on your equipment. Each kitchen is unique, and manufacturers have been striving to meet every special demand sufficiently. Customization options are increasing daily, and considering that it is a rising trend, they will continue to increase. Many businesses can benefit from customized products, including but not limited to restaurants, hospitals, supermarkets, school cafeterias, and more. Consider the following components before ordering a customized piece of equipment.

• Size: The size of the equipment dictates whether it can fit in your space and be a part of the operation. Most brands will offer one or two size options. The options might cost you valuable foot space by being too big or restrict your storage needs by being too small. You can measure the allocated areas in your kitchen and order your machinery accordingly.
• Shape: If the equipment or the space is weirdly shaped, you should invest in alternative shape options with customized commercial kitchen equipment. Oddly placed columns can take up a lot of valuable space, and shaping your machinery around them can help you bypass the oddities and difficulties. The easiest product to shape is the prep tables.
• Material: Customized commercial kitchen equipment is often made from stainless steel to improve durability. Since these products are manufactured upon order, you shouldn’t shy away from investing in good material. This will directly influence how much use you get from a single product and extend its lifespan.
• Aesthetic: Aesthetic concerns can also be addressed with customized commercial kitchen equipment. While functionality is the paramount priority, you can indulge in your aesthetic preferences and improve the appearance of your kitchen by deciding on a color scheme and types of finish.
• Branding: You can customize the appearance of the pieces of equipment to reflect your brand identity. Such customizations can range from something as simple as picking a signature color to creating and improving the brand awareness of your establishment through logo imprints. You can cover the machinery in advertising images or decide on an aesthetic and furnish your kitchen with products with the same vibe. Proper branding will grant high-end energy to your establishment and elevate its status in the eyes of the customers.
• Door Type: Most pieces of equipment, such as coolers, freezers, and merchandisers, can be customized. You can choose between options such as glass doors, sliding doors, double doors, and single doors.
• Shelves: Unit shelves and wall shelves can be personalized to suit your space. Shelf depth, size, and placement within units can be customized to create more efficient storage spaces. You can choose to have fewer shelves within a cooler to store taller ingredients or more shelves to store smaller ones. Pharmaceutical coolers and freezers usually come with many shelves to store products such as vaccines and meds that do not take up a lot of space. You can opt for shelves with less depth in display merchandisers to make all the products visible.

How to Get Customized Commercial Kitchen Equipment

You can get customized commercial kitchen equipment by following these 3 easy steps.

1. Assess The Needs of Your Kitchen: You can use the list of possible customization as a checklist and see if you need them. Assessing your space and your long-term plans for your business will shape how much and in what you can invest.
2. Schedule a Consultation with Your Provider: Most brands and dealers offer free consultations to guide you about customized commercial kitchen equipment. With trained eyes on your kitchen, you can get an accurate idea of what can be done and achieve maximum efficiency.
3. Place Your Order: Once you assess your needs and space and consult an expert, you will have the necessary information to place an order. Don’t forget to stay in touch with your provider to ensure you are on the same page. Since customized purchases are specially made for you, there must be no misunderstandings. Once the products arrive, don’t forget to ask for professional help to install them. Their custom nature might present difficulties for installation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the versatility and adaptability of customized commercial kitchen equipment are indispensable for modern foodservice businesses. The benefits are extensive, from addressing unique space constraints and enhancing staff convenience to improving brand identity and ensuring compliance with local codes. Customization in kitchen equipment allows for precise alignment with operational needs, promising an efficient kitchen environment and a wise investment in the long-term success of your culinary venture. Embracing this trend positions your business for operational excellence and distinguishes it in a competitive marketplace, underscoring the significance of tailored kitchen solutions in 2024 and beyond.

Originally published on https://www.chefsdeal.com/blog/