The restaurant holiday season is fast approaching — Thanksgiving, shopping holidays (like Black Friday and Small Business Saturday), and winter celebrations are right around the corner. So, it’s the perfect time for savvy restaurateurs to prepare for their busiest days of the year.
In this guide, we’re breaking down everything today’s back-of-house managers and restaurant owners should consider as they prepare for the holiday season. We’ll offer a quick checklist of restaurant equipment to buy and explore some equipment upgrades that can help you optimize your kitchen’s performance and stay out of the weeds.
Pre-Holiday Checklist for Restaurants
Before the holiday crowds start lining up, restaurant managers should perform some key maintenance items, like:
- Tuning up and cleaning furniture pieces
- Running maintenance cycles on all kitchen equipment
- Confirming holiday ingredient and supply orders
- Deep-cleaning the front-of-house and restrooms
This is also a great time to buy new restaurant equipment that will boost your efficiency, staff safety, and consistency as you contend with holiday crowds.
Equipment for the Restaurant Holiday Season
Buying restaurant equipment to supplement your existing configuration ahead of the holiday season can help you serve more customers and speed up service times. Let’s highlight a few items that could help you optimize your kitchen space during the busy season.
Cutters, Choppers, and Prep Equipment
Investing in prep tools ahead of the holiday season can help boost staff productivity, decrease prep times, and enhance service efficiency before your busiest time of the year. Consider adding prep tools like:
- Cutters and choppers – Cutters and choppers make fruit, vegetable, and starch prep a breeze. Whether you’re pre-cutting potatoes for fresh french fries or slicing tomatoes for burgers, cutters and choppers are key assets in efficiency prep spaces.
- Prep tools – Prep tools streamline your prep process and speed up operations before, during, and after service.
Glass Door Merchandisers
Glass door freezer merchandisers are excellent tools for fast casual restaurants, counter service concepts, and cafes. When customers can grab their own drinks, you can speed up the service process and showcase all of your product options in one place.
You can use merchandiser tools to display more than drinks. Buy this style of restaurant equipment to hold:
- Pre-made sandwiches
- Cold side dishes (like fruit cups and coleslaw)
- Take-home dishes (like pre-made pizzas)
- Baked goods
Refrigerators
Since you’ll likely be increasing your ingredient orders in anticipation of bigger crowds, you might need to boost your cooler space ahead of the holiday season. This is a great time to invest in new commercial refrigeration equipment options, like:
Some refrigeration options (like chef tables) can even double as prep spaces — you’ll get more countertop real estate and increased storage when you invest in new cooler equipment.
Choose the Best of the Best at Brumback Restaurant Equipment and Supply
When it’s time to buy new restaurant equipment before the restaurant holiday season, turn to the pros at Restaurant Equipment and Supply. With decades spent in the family restaurant and commercial restaurant equipment businesses, we know what it takes to boost productivity, increase consistency, and improve customer service during the holiday season — and we know how to help your restaurant get there.
Check out our selection of top-of-the-line industrial kitchen equipment and transform your back-of-house operations today. Learn more expert advice on our restaurant blog, or get started with our restaurant equipment financing program. You can also call 256-353-8847 to talk to our knowledgeable staff or stop by our showroom in Decatur, AL. Don’t forget—most orders come with free shipping!