What commercial restaurant equipment is safe to buy used?
Buyers struggle to know which heavy appliances like dishwashers and refrigeration can safely be purchased second-hand versus brand new. Without knowing where to look or how to find items like a stove or oven, first-time owners are left guessing how much inspection and legwork the process requires.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
What commercial restaurant equipment is safe to buy used?
- 1Buying used equipment exclusively from reputable dealers that offer warrantiesDid this help you?
- 2Mastering working at established restaurants before opening oneDid this help you?
- 3Relying on home or professional-range appliances like KitchenAid and Vitamix instead of heavy commercial gearDid this help you?
- 4Searching online via restaurant supply websites like Webstaurant.com or Katom.comDid this help you?
- 5Visiting local restaurant supply stores that carry both new and used equipmentDid this help you?
- 6Waiting for local restaurants to go out of business and buying used equipment with cashDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“How do you buy commercial kitchen equipment?”source ↗
“Would you just google “commercial oven near me” for example?”source ↗
“Or is there a better way?”source ↗
“I'm in Singapore. what appliances can be bought used?”source ↗
“I'm planning to open a small place. My Kitchenaid and vitamix are the professional range.”source ↗
“I more meant like how do you find a stove or oven or something lol. I’m wondering if it’s a hard process?”source ↗
“I’m curious how much work people put into it”source ↗
“May I know what else I can buy used and if dishwasher, refrigeration is a good idea to buy used”source ↗
Where this came up
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