Restaurant Equipment Auctions: Buying Commercial Kitchen Gear

What comes up at restaurant equipment auctions?

Closing restaurants, cafes, bakeries, bars and food trucks sell everything at once: ranges, fryers, griddles, convection ovens, reach-in and walk-in coolers, prep tables, ice machines, dish machines, exhaust hoods, three-compartment sinks, shelving, dining furniture and boxes of smallwares. Equipment dealers and chains also sell surplus and returned units.

For a new operator, one closing sale can outfit much of a kitchen. For a home cook, it's a place to find sheet pans, hotel pans and stainless tables for less than restaurant supply prices.

What should you check on commercial kitchen equipment?

Read the data plate in the photos, or ask the house for it. It gives the model, serial number, gas type and electrical needs.

• Gas type: natural gas and propane (LP) units use different orifices. Many units can be converted, but it costs money.
• Power: many pieces need 208 or 240 volts, and some need three-phase power. Match the data plate to your building.
• Refrigeration: ask whether it was running and holding temperature before shutdown. The compressor is the expensive part.
• Ice machines: ask about age and whether the house drained and cleaned it. Scale buildup means service calls.
• Sanitation listing: inspectors often look for an NSF mark or a similar listing, so check with your local health department.

Who disconnects and removes restaurant equipment?

This is the question that catches new buyers. In many closing sales, the buyer is responsible for disconnecting gas, water and power, often by licensed tradespeople, and for getting heavy pieces through narrow kitchen doors. Walk-in coolers and hoods have to be taken apart, and a hood's fire suppression system generally needs inspection and certification after a move.

Read the sale's removal terms and the remove-by date before bidding, and get a quote from a plumber, electrician or rigger if needed. That cost belongs in your max bid.

How much does used restaurant equipment sell for at auction?

Used commercial equipment often sells for a fraction of new, because supply is steady and much of it needs removal work. Easy-to-move pieces like stainless tables, reach-in coolers and countertop equipment draw the most bidders, while walk-ins and hoods can sell cheaply because of what it costs to take them out.

Know your total: on a $1,200 reach-in cooler with a 15% buyer's premium and 8.25% sales tax, you pay $1,493.85. A Texas resale certificate generally covers items you'll resell, not equipment you'll use in your own kitchen, so check with the Texas Comptroller.