Most commercial kitchens aren’t exactly what you’d call spacious — and that’s not changing anytime soon. Commercial space is expensive. Availability is often tight. And the ongoing boom in off-premise dining continues to push (both urban and suburban) foodservice establishments toward smaller, more trimmed-down spaces.
Multi-purpose and compact equipment has always been one solution to these tight-space challenges. But, with less and less room to work with, operators are eager to expand their space-saving options with wall-mounted solutions that’ll get their equipment “up and outta the way.” Let’s discuss three such solutions.
Built-in food locker systems
Alright, let’s be honest — sometimes the more equipment you can actually get out of the kitchen, the better. With the popularity of to-go, it’s often best to prep orders in back, and then handle the holding and food handoff at the front of the house. Locker systems that are built into (not just mounted to) the wall are a perfect solution. Yes, they are out of the kitchen (freeing up precious floor space), but they also facilitate a front-of-house pass-thru area that allows staff, customers and delivery drivers to move freely without large, bulky equipment getting in the way. Plus, food lockers are self-service, which means you have less staff and pick-up lines taking up room and creating unnecessary bottlenecks up front.
The salamander
When it comes to equipment, you don’t have to choose between multi-purpose, compact, or wall-mounted solutions. With a salamander, you can have it all. While salamanders are incredibly compact, they are also versatile as all get-out. With just one piece of equipment, you can perform nearly any cooking task and hold or reheat food to temperature. Where you’d usually need multiple equipment types (read: lots of floor space), you only need one. Plus, most salamanders mount to the wall to ensure you have that extra counter space you need. The only negative with most salamanders is that they typically take a while to power up. To bypass this, check out our Electric Salamander — it’s equipped with instant on/off capabilities that eliminate those painful wait times.
Atmospheric water dispenser
If there’s any equipment type that’s really risen in popularity (in part due to the pandemic), it’s hot water dispensers. These foodservice darlings not only provide you with instant and continuous access to sanitizing hot water for cleaning, but they also support quick and easy food prep (hello, instant oatmeal!). Opt for a model with wall-mounting hardware and free up precious floor and prep space, keep counters clean and free of clutter, and check the box on a wall-mounted, compact, multi-purpose space-saver.
Want more space-saving tips?
Wall-mounted equipment is changing the game for foodservice establishments near and far. By simply lifting your equipment up and out of the way, you can free up floor or counter space and open up a whole new world of efficiency. Just remember that solving the tight-space challenges of today has to do with more than wall-mounting hardware or designs — compact and versatile equipment is also a big piece of the puzzle. Want more space-saving tips? Here are three ways to solve that classic “tight space, cold plate” problem with compact and versatile equipment solutions.
