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.
- 1Buying used equipment exclusively from reputable dealers that offer warranties
- 2Mastering working at established restaurants before opening one
- 3Relying on home or professional-range appliances like KitchenAid and Vitamix instead of heavy commercial gear
- 4Searching online via restaurant supply websites like Webstaurant.com or Katom.com
- 5Visiting local restaurant supply stores that carry both new and used equipment
- 6Waiting for local restaurants to go out of business and buying used equipment with cash
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
People with this problem also raised
- 3Why won't supply houses sell to homeowners?
- 2Why can't I rent a house instead of a commercial space?
- 2Why did my brand new part look used?
- 4How to buy a small e-commerce business for under 20k
- 4Why am I getting no sales on my new online store?
- 3How to get a small business loan to buy an existing business