Buying restaurant equipment can be a daunting, even frightening task.  Restaurant equipment is not what you would call inexpensive, so you want to make sure you get the right equipment for your restaurant the first time.  To assist you in this endeavor, we created buyer’s guides on our site which enable you to make the best decision.  However, we thought that we would go a step further and provide you with some tips on buying restaurant equipment.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip One

Make sure you do your research.  When buying restaurant equipment, it is best to go into the shopping mode with a full knowledge of what type of equipment you need, what the average cost is, as well as what features are the most important to you.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Two

One of the most frustrating things that can happen when buying restaurant equipment is getting your new brand new refrigerator or prep table and realizing that you don’t have adequate space for it.  Please measure your space and know the required dimensions of the equipment you are buying.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Three

Confirm if your equipment needs to be gas-powered or electric.  Your new pizza oven wouldn’t do you much good if it was electric and your restaurant was running on gas.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Four

Speaking of electricity – you will want to make sure that your new equipment won’t blow a fuse once you plug it in.  Check your available amps and then make sure that your new icemaker doesn’t require more than you have.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Five

When buying restaurant equipment, whether for a new restaurant or as a replacement, try and not get so excited that you buy more equipment that you actually need or can use.  Do you really need three microwave ovens?

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Six

If you are concerned about your environment, you will want to buy restaurant equipment that is Energy Star rated; which means the steamer or dishwasher you are buying meets the high standards of energy efficiency established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Seven

Just as we mentioned in step one, doing your research is important and knowing the manufacturer of your restaurant equipment is just as important.  Make sure that you are buying restaurant equipment that is manufactured by a respectable company with an impeccable history of quality.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Eight

Know your financial limits when buying restaurant equipment.  Make sure that the brand-new walk-in with all the fun and exciting bells and whistles meets your needs and doesn’t go over your budget.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Nine

Before you go out and buy all the restaurant equipment you could ever want and need, it is best to contact your local health, fire and building code department to ensure your equipment will be code compliant.

Buying Restaurant Equipment: Tip Ten

Finally, you will want to buy your restaurant equipment from a dependable and high quality dealer that stands behind everything they sell.  This is where ShortOrder.com comes in.  At ShortOrder.com you know that you are getting the highest quality restaurant equipment from top manufacturers, such as Vulcan, Hobart, Manitowac, and Beverage-Air.

We hope that these restaurant equipment buying tips were helpful.  However, if you find that you still have some questions; please feel free to give one of our customer service agents a call.  They are more than happy to help.

Restaurant equipment dealers are starting to get a little busier this month, and that could be attributed to the restaurant industry seeing an overall improvement to business compared to the past few months.

Restaurant Equipment Dealers Enjoy Business Increase

According to an article that appeared last week on Forbes.com and on the Associated Press wire, privately-held restaurant chains, single locations and locations that have been open at least one year were down in August in 42 percent of the respondent restaurants.  However, these same restaurants are starting to see an increase in their sales this month, possibly due to the easing up of gas prices. This means that restaurant equipment dealers are seeing a business increase as well.

Restaurant Equipment Dealers See the Light

The article also stated that publicly-held restaurant companies are starting to see nice improvements in their stocks, with some stocks increasing by almost two dollars a share.  This light at the end of the business slump tunnel is great for everyone in the restaurant industry, including restaurant equipment dealers, as each section of the industry depends on the sales in the restaurants.  Though this means people in the restaurant industry are busy, it’s safe to say they’re probably not complaining.

Restaurant Equipment Dealers Have What You Need

With an increase in business in September and with the busy holiday season fast approaching, this might be a great time to check out all of your restaurant equipment and make sure that it is all up to snuff.  ShortOrder has the widest selection of commercial kitchen equipment at great prices.  We carry commercial ranges, ice machines, refrigerators and so much more from companies like Manitowoc, Vulcan, Hobart, Beverage-Air and Frymaster.

If you are finding that some of your equipment is in need of replacing, make sure to contact one of ShortOrder’s restaurant equipment specialists.

Beverage-Air Refrigerator Resource Launched

Beverage-Air refrigerator buyers will now be able to learn more about their refrigerators - and get some great information - just by stopping by ShortOrder.com. Beverage-Air products now have their own informative blog on the restaurant equipment website that will inform restaurant equipment buyers how to enjoy their Beverage-Air refrigerator and get the most out of it for years and years to come. The Beverage-Air refrigerator blog is at beverageair.shortorder.com.

Beverage-Air and ShortOrder Keep Cool Together

Beverage-Air and ShortOrder.com have had a long and wonderful relationship and the blog is a sign of ShortOrder’s commitment to this top restaurant refrigerator manufacturer. ShortOrder.com has been carrying the refrigerator manufacturer’s products for years and considers Beverage-Air to be one of the restaurant equipment buyer’s first choices for efficient, low-maintenance cold food storage.

Beverage-Air Means Quality

Beverage-Air, the largest supplier of commercial refrigeration, was founded in 1944 by Herman Buffington in the small town of Spartanburg, South Carolina. The headquarters still exists in Spartanburg and is where all the state-of-the-art designs created by Beverage-Air are researched and designed.

Beverage-Air is best known for its reach-in merchandiser coolers, freezers, refrigerators and self-contained beer dispensing units. However, Beverage-Air is quickly becoming the leader in pizza and food preparation units, school milk coolers, and deli and floral display units.

Beverage-Air’s vision is “to be the global preferred supplier of quality equipment to the foodservice, beverage and related industries by being pro-active and innovative employees who are measured by our customers’ satisfaction, our company’s reputation and profitability.”

Beverage-Air Refrigerator Blog Just Tip of Iceberg

ShortOrder is very excited to be adding the Beverage-Air refrigerator blog to the information that ShortOrder already provides to restaurant owners and their equipment buyers. From the Buyer’s Guides on everything from steamers to ice machines to the “What’s Cookin’?” newsletter and restaurant equipment blog that keeps you up-to-date on the restaurant industry, ShortOrder.com has got all your bases covered.

Import Safety Summit in Country’s Capital

Import Safety Summit is being held this week in Washington, D.C. and is being co-sponsored by the National Restaurant Association.  U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt, along with other industry leaders will be there to discuss the strengthening of public-private partnerships and how to enhance the safety of imported products used in the restaurant industry.

The panels will be comprised of representatives from Campbell Soup Company, Red Lobster, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Marketing Institute, Kraft Foods and McCormick & Company.

First Ever Import Safety Summit

The first-of-its-kind Import Safety Summit will include keynote speeches and panel discussions on how the private sector and the government can work together to continuously make improvements in the processes that have been put in place that ensure imported product safety.  As a member of the restaurant industry, it is paramount to understand the importance of safe imported food products.

Import Safety Summit and Equipment

At Short Order, we know that serving the highest quality food is important to your business regardless of whether it is imported or not.  That is why we sell only the finest in refrigerators, freezers, warming cabinets and other restaurant equipment.  The lines we carry, such as Manitowac, Beverage-Air, Hobart, Vulcan, and Lakeside; are committed to creating and delivering the best products to safely store and cook your carefully selected food products.  For the environmentally conscience restaurateur, we even carry many products with the prized ENERGY STAR rating.

Import Safety Summit Questions

If you have questions about the newest food importing guidelines, please check in with the National Restaurant Association.  If you have questions regarding restaurant equipment, please refer to one of our many buyers’ guides found on our Website or please feel free to contact our eager and knowledgeable customer service staff.

American Craft Beer Fest Means Summer

American Craft Beer Fest, which is this weekend at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, Massachusetts, marks the official arrival of summer. The largest and most diverse celebration of American Craft Beer on the East Coast; the festival brings over 75 breweries and over 300 craft beers to the city of Boston for all to taste and enjoy.

American Craft Beer This Weekend

The American Craft Beer festivities begin on Friday, June 20th at 6:00 pm and draft beers by brewers from all over the country will be flowing. Attendees will be able to enjoy beers from brewers such as Boston Beer Company, Clipper City Brewing, Flying Dog Brewery, Magic Hat Brewing Company, Michelob Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, and Terrapin Beer Company.

American Craft Beers Are Wonderful Additions

Restaurants that attend the American Craft Beer Fest will be able to learn all about proper beer and food pairings from Chef Dave Lieberman. Lieberman hosts the Food Network series “Good Deal with Dave Lieberman, Eat This and Dave Does.” Lieberman also will focus his talk on the important political and social issues related to food.

Many other knowledgeable people in the world of American craft beer will also be on hand and speaking about how America is becoming the best place in the world to drink beer, as well as how to team up beer with the proper cheeses to make an unforgettable drinking and dining experience.

Share the Taste of American Craft Beer

Once you attend the American Craft Beer Fest, you are probably going to want to share the wonderful tastes of these brewed creations with your customers. We recommend serving them cold from you Beverage-Air Draft Beer Cooler and in a nice frosty mug. Oh and in case you don’t have one, Beverage-Air makes a great glass froster, too.

Just one little reminder from ShortOrder.com before you head out to enjoy all 300 of those American craft beers … please drink responsibly.

The history of Ice Cream

There are many different stories that tell the tale of the origins of ice cream. Some say it began in 400 B.C. with the Persians. Others say that ice cream got its start in 62 A.D. with the Roman Emperor Nero who brought snow down from the mountains and mixed it with nuts and honey. The first documented American appearance of ice cream was in 1700 when Governor Bladen of Maryland served it to his guests. The first ice cream parlor opened its doors in New York City in 1776. Dolly Madison is even rumored to have served ice cream as dessert in the White House for her husband’s second inauguration in 1812.

Ice Cream: How It’s Made

Today, ice cream is made several ways, but most Americans still enjoy the flavor of homemade ice cream made in a hand-cranked freezer. These freezers use ice mixed with salt to keep the temperature of the ice cream ingredients cold and under control. Fortunately, you can also buy ice cream makers that have electronic cranks so you don’t wear yourself out making it. Then again, that is a great way to burn off calories before enjoying the ice cream.

Ice Cream for When It’s Hot Outside

If you happen to be lucky enough to run a restaurant that serves ice cream, than you are sure to see some smiling faces when it is hot outside and it is dessert time. The best way to store all those wonderful flavors is a spot freezer. They allow restaurant staff and chefs to see and locate ingredients, as well as making it easy to serve. Spot freezers easily go under countertops and behind bars, making them very easy to fit into your kitchen space.

Short Order carries True spot freezers and Beverage-Air spot freezers, as well as the rest of your kitchen equipment needs.

The 2008 NRA Show is Coming!! The 2008 NRA Show is Coming!!

That’s right! It’s true! It isn’t a typo! The 2008 NRA Restaurant, Hotel-Motel show is being held in Chicago on May 17th through May 20th; and the 89th year is sure not to disappoint. There are going to be so many exciting things to see and do there. There will be several special events and booths, such as “Ask the Design Experts,” Celebrity Book Signings, Chef Day, the “International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event,” and our personal favorite, the “2008 Kitchen Innovation Awards” Booth.

2008 NRA Show Brings Top Vendors

Strolling down the aisles of the 2008 NRA show, you will be sure to see all the newest equipment from all the top restaurant equipment manufacturers. The manufacturers will be pulling out all the stops to make their equipment stand out in hopes of winning a 2008 Kitchen Innovation Award; or at the very least, in hopes that you will stop by and see what they have that you just got to have in your kitchen.

Some of our favorite vendors will be there, so make sure you stop by their booths and check out their new gadgets and gizmos. Frymaster and Hobart have “Hot New Products” that are debuting at the show. Beverage-Air, Manitowoc, The Montague Company and Vulcan will all be there showing off their wares as well.

Come Join the Fun at the 2008 NRA Show

Now its time to start packing your bags, booking your flights and joining all of us at ShortOrder.com in Chicago for the most fun-filled four days this spring. However, if business is booming and you can’t seem to find the time to leave the restaurant to come join us … Never fear! We promise to keep you updated on all the cool things as they happen.

*photo by the National Restaurant Association