Posts Tagged ‘restaurant equipment’
Pursing a Culinary Career
My best friend from elementary school through high school had some trouble finding his niche in college-to put it lightly. After attending six different universities, most of which he flunked out of, he decided to pursue a career as a chef. After completing an 18-month program at a culinary school, he was able to land a job as a sous chef in San Diego.
While he loves working in the food industry, he said that it took some time for him to adapt to the fast paced atmosphere and large scale cooking duties. One of the most daunting tasks, he told me, was entering the restaurant’s large food storage cabinet and having to locate product. Now that he has had time to adjust, he is thriving in the highly competitive restaurant world.
Down-Home Cookin’
When my wife and I opened a diner off of I-5 last summer, we certainly didn’t have any grand aspirations. We had always been the ones hosting large family get-togethers and cooking meals for friends, and we figured that the diner would simply be home cooking on a slightly larger scale. To our surprise, within a few months we were forced to add a new dining area to the small space we had bought a mile off of the freeway.
At first we had basic cooking equipment, like ovens and several stove top burners, but with the influx of customers, we recognized the need to upgrade. We began investing in commercial grade equipment that greatly reduced our prep time. It also made it easier to churn out better tasting cuisine.
Competing in a Busy Restaurant Market
When I decided to open a diner in the downtown area of my small city, there was no shortage of breakfast and lunch joints. The main difference was that most of those greasy spoon joints used prepackaged ingredients and paid their employees a pittance. You can’t expect to put out an admirable product and bring customers back by the hundreds if you don’t put your heart and soul into the endeavor.
With little more than a commercial griddle and a dream, I approached local farmers and butcher shops about the idea of cooking and serving local ingredients. I figured this plan would set me apart from the competition. It proved to be the right choice as word quickly spread throughout the city. Most restaurants lose money in their first year of operation, but I’ve been lucky so far. As long as I continue to exercise my passion for food, I’m confident things will work out.
So You Want to Open a Restaurant?
From renting a building with kitchen space to writing the menu, entrepreneurs have their work cut out for them when they enter the restaurant industry. On the one hand, food service is one of the few industries that isn’t going belly-up thanks to the economic recession. On the other hand, competition can be fierce and running a restaurant isn’t always a fun and glamorous proposition.
After securing a rental space, putting up appropriate decorations and hiring a knowledgeable, competent staff, your first priority should be to install some high-quality food service equipment. While it might be possible to get by using old, secondhand equipment, there’s no guaranteeing how long it will last without going on the fritz. When preparing food is your primary business, there’s no sense taking unnecessary risks.