The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to CloudKitchens® delivery kitchens, which have provided a brand new path for food businesses to venture down. Plenty of restaurants and entrepreneurs have opted to take a leap of faith by adopting this business model as CloudKitchens® delivery kitchens do a lot of the hard work for them, such as providing an already existing customer base and a centrally-located space to launch their eatery from. That being said, the owners still have to roll their sleeves up and do some of the work themselves, especially when it comes to ensuring they have the right commercial kitchen equipment in their CloudKitchens® delivery kitchen.
Getting set up with all the right commercial kitchen equipment can be a lengthy process, especially when considering any specialist apparatus you may need to cook certain types of cuisines or delicacies associated with food from a particular country or region.
Since the process can be a time-consuming one, we at Chef Collective have created an all-you-need-to-know guide to making sure you have the right commercial kitchen equipment in your CloudKitchens® delivery kitchen.
Your commercial kitchen equipment requirements
Before you can even think of serving your delicious food to the people of Australia, it is essential to ponder over how much commercial kitchen equipment you need and whether you require anything specific. For example, restaurants cooking traditional burgers might need a grill, barbeque, skillet or griddle pan, along with a meat grinder and a wide variety of other cooking tools.
Since there are so many questions that need to be asked, let’s break them down into bite-size chunks.
- Are you specialising in any particular cuisine? Depending on what food your business specialises in, you will need to ensure you have all the necessary commercial kitchen equipment to prepare the appetising dishes your eatery will be known for.
- Do you have a lot of customers? If your number of orders per week is high, then you obviously need to purchase more commercial kitchen equipment to satisfy demand.
- How much budget can you allocate? Don’t blindly go on a spending spree! Take a step back and work out the costs before you fall into the common trap of overspending and putting your business on the back foot before it even starts up.
- Do any regulations exist? Keep a sharp eye on this because if certain commercial kitchen equipment cannot be used, don’t get it!
With those key questions sorted, let’s delve right into the commercial kitchen equipment restaurateurs will need to have in their CloudKitchens® delivery kitchen.
#1. Ovens
Virtually all CloudKitchens® delivery kitchens will need at least one oven, but depending on the number of orders you get, you may need more. Bear in mind that commercial ovens are a lot more powerful than conventional home ovens.
Another important factor to keep in mind is the price of commercial ovens as they can vary significantly – from a couple of thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. When getting an oven for your CloudKitchens® delivery kitchen, you should be thinking about the following:
- Is a commercial oven a vital piece of equipment for my business?
- Do I need to get the best model and spend that much money?
- How much space do you have for a commercial oven?
- What type of oven does your business need – commercial, pizza, convection, etc
#2. Stoves
Like ovens, stoves are likely going to be an instrumental piece of commercial kitchen equipment that many food businesses need. That being said, it is highly important that you remember there are two choices when it comes to getting a stove.
- Gas stove – This enables you to have complete control over the temperature you cook your food at, but can be frustrating to clean. Furthermore, there are added health hazards of gas leaks and fires.
- Electric stove – A more energy-efficient option that can be cleaned and maintained a lot easier than their gas counterparts. However, if you are cooking certain types of cuisine that require a particular cooking method, an electric stove may not get the job done.
#3. Fridges and freezers
Let’s take a step back from the heat and look at two crucial pieces of commercial kitchen equipment – fridges and freezers.
According to the Australian Institute of Food Safety, food should be stored at -18 degrees Celsius in freezers and no more than 5 degrees Celsius in refrigerators.
It’s imperative to get high-quality fridges and freezers that suit your restaurant’s needs, so note the following when purchasing them for your CloudKitchens® Delivery Kitchen.
- What size do you need?
- How much can you afford to spend on fridges and freezers?
#4. Ventilation system
Proper ventilation is vital in every kitchen, let alone a CloudKitchens® Delivery Kitchen. The last thing you want is to have an unsafe work environment for your employees and breach regulations that can get your business shut down.
Since adequate airflow is a necessity, keep these factors in mind when purchasing a ventilation system:
- What is the size of your CloudKitchens® Delivery Kitchen?
- Does the ventilation system adhere to local fire safety regulations?
- Is there enough airflow in the kitchen?
#5. Safety equipment
Continuing on the theme of safety, CloudKitchens® Delivery Kitchen suppliers like ChefCollective ensure the necessary safety equipment is already in place. However, if there is something missing and if it is a requirement according to the health and safety regulations, then make sure you have it! Here is some of the fundamental safety equipment you will need:
- Fire extinguishers
- First aid kits
- Security cameras
#6. Speciality equipment
With all the common kitchen appliances food businesses will likely need having been looked at, it’s time to dive into the more specialised side of things. As mentioned earlier, restaurants cooking specific types of cuisine will require specialised commercial kitchen equipment to help them whip up delicious delicacies.
As a result, here’s what certain eateries might need:
- Barbecues
- Deep fryers
- Sushi rolling mats
- Pressure cookers
The list is long and diverse as it really depends on the food your eatery will cook. Simply put, it is important to make sure you have all the speciality equipment needed before you start serving your customers.
Now you’re cooking
Once you have all the necessary commercial kitchen equipment in place, you will be ready to start serving your customers. Remember, some of the tools are provided by CloudKitchens® delivery kitchen suppliers like Chef Collective, so only get what you need.
To make this process shorter and less arduous, we have provided a list of some of the best commercial kitchen equipment suppliers in Australia. With this in hand, you can find everything you need to kickstart your CloudKitchens® delivery kitchen and ensure it is a roaring success.
Still have questions about CloudKitchens® delivery kitchens? Fill out the form below to contact us and we can help answer your enquiries and get you started on your new food business venture.
