Opening a restaurant is a dream for many. But, prior to launching your business, you have a lot to consider. It is essential to know what restaurant supplies you’ll need in the kitchen. Getting the wrong item for your business can be costly, and you may be stuck with items you don’t use, or are inefficient.

That’s why we’ve come up with a list of things to review before you purchase, and open the doors to the public.

1. Type of Cuisine

Having a clear vision of what type of food your menu will cover is, in no doubt, beneficial. This will help to figure out what your kitchen will need to function at high speed. Different cuisine types, have different methods of preparation and eating. For example, if you’re looking to open up a fresh food and organic restaurant, you will need storage for perishable items. This means, investing in plenty of large fridges, shelving, and packaging, to keep these items crisp.

Looking to open a pub-style place? You’ll need fryers to whip up classic pub favourites, and more storage for unperishable items such as cupboards

2. How Large?

This not only has to do with the number of tables you plan on having, but the size of the kitchen. If you have a large area, you’ll be able to have more prep space, and can invest in larger prep tables. The size of your place will also determine how much food you can keep stocked in your inventory.

Not having enough space to store items, means they’ll go bad, and increase costs. A smaller space may mean you’ll need to invest in more multi-purpose items to cut down on space, and smaller gadgets.

3. Where Will You Store it?

Storage is important when dealing with food. You’ll need to label, box or bag, date and itemize everything. If you plan on keeping your items in boxes, determine how much storage space you have. Measure the cabinets first, then the boxes, to determine how much you can realistically fit.

Next, you need to figure out how you will label the food you keep on hand. Knowing what date the food came in, and what it is, will be important in keeping your restaurant clean. Will it be a label gun? Or will you use a dry erase marker or stickers? It’s important to know these small details prior to open.

4. Essentials vs. Novelties

You’ll be excited when you open, but it is important to keep in mind your budget. Take a moment to sit down and mentally head through your restaurant. This will give you an accurate depiction of what you need, and how much you can spend.

If it’s something you can hold off on, see how the restaurant functions without it, before pouring money into an item you might not use. Getting something ‘just because’ you might use it, is a poor business plan that may backfire.

5. Safety

Many people opening a place forget about these essentials. After all, you and your staff, will be using items that can lead to painful and deadly accidents. Being unprepared for slips, falls and burns can lead to deadly consequences. Prevent this, by safeguarding your floors with slip-resistant coatings, and purchasing wet floor and caution signs.

Cleaning supplies such as sanitizing chemicals, proper hand wash dispenses, and sweepers will also need to be purchased. Finally, you should keep a well- stocked first-aid kit on site.