The restaurant industry continues to evolve to cater to a more discerning clientele, and one of its fastest growing areas is the commercial kitchen equipment market, which according to Allied Market Research will be worth $12.9 billion by 2027 with a CAGR of 5.2% from 2021 to 2027. With a more competitive arena, we are seeing huge developments in the food service industry, which also prompted a demand for the best commercial cooking equipment.
Here, we take a closer look at five of the hottest trends in commercial kitchen equipment today:
- Smart Dishwashers
There was a time when washing dishes had to be done manually. But if you’re dealing with hundreds of dirty dishes every night, it’s almost impossible to keep up with the number of plates that need to be washed and you could put yourself at risk for bad reviews if diners need to wait for plates to be cleaned.
This is why commercial dishwashers are now used by many restaurants because they help speed up the process of washing and drying dishes. But things are just about to get better because smart dishwashers will be introduced on the market soon to not only make it more convenient for restaurants to wash dishes but also help them cut down on energy costs.
- Commercial Ovens
No commercial kitchen can survive without commercial ovens because they help heat meals and ingredients quickly to speed up processes in the kitchen. But today, commercial ovens are not only used as a steamer, heater, fryer and dehydrator. Multi-purpose appliances are the trend towards the future because they don’t only help them save kitchen space that they need to work more comfortably.
Some experts even predict that future commercial ovens will be integrated with digital technology, so they give chefs and cooks more flexibility in preparing food.
- IoT-Powered Kitchen Equipment
In a world where almost everything is already digital, it’s not a big surprise that the Internet of Things (IoT) is now also being introduced in the hospitality industry. In fact, you’ll see a lot of modern kitchens using IoT as part of their processes, especially when it comes to their cooking equipment since it helps them to save time and allow them to be more creative with their recipes. This trend is expected to evolve more in the coming years with IoT-powered kitchen equipment offering almost limitless possibilities to chefs and restaurateurs. For instance, modern kitchen equipment can already allow chefs to monitor their food remotely to not only cook it properly but also save time on fuel, time and electricity. These technology-based developments also help to address the growing food wastage problem around the world by allowing chefs to measure ingredients more accurately.
- 3D Printing
Perhaps no one would have ever imagined that food would be printed in the future. But now, it’s actually happening and it’s one of the most out-of-the-box ideas in the hospitality industry. In fact, if perfected, 3D food printing is said to be a game changer for restaurants in the future because it will allow chefs to achieve the exact dish that a customer wants through food printing including its flavours, textures and even its nutritional content.
Speed is also one of the biggest advantages of using 3D food printing technology because instead of waiting for a long time, diners can already enjoy their food within just a few minutes. It also reduces errors in the kitchen and help to cut down food wastage.
- Flexible Cooking Equipment Terms
While you’ll never have a shortage of options when it comes to cooking equipment, there’s also the reality that modern appliances can cost a lot and some restaurants might not be able to afford it. But with many innovations hitting the market, there has also been a realization among suppliers and manufacturers that all restaurants should have access to good quality commercial kitchen equipment without necessarily breaking their budgets. This was made clearer after the COVID-19 pandemic hurt the food service industry pretty bad that a lot of restaurants are still trying to find ways on how to bounce back from the huge losses they incurred.
This is why a lot of cooking equipment manufacturers are now offering more flexible terms for their products with some offering different financing options to those who couldn’t afford to pay in cash. Others have interest-free packages to businesses that need different types of kitchen equipment to furnish their commercial kitchen. You can also find some suppliers that allow leasing of more modern kitchen equipment, so that those businesses that suffered from the effects of the pandemic can still upgrade their appliances without necessarily buying them. This has brought a lot of renewed energy from businesses that are now willing to invest in good quality kitchen equipment that will allow them to serve their customers better.
The Future of the Commercial Kitchen Equipment Market
As the hospitality industry begins to pick up the pace again after almost two years of being hit by the effects of the pandemic, the commercial kitchen equipment market also continues to offer new and better things for businesses to improve the efficiency of their operations, satisfy their customers and increase their profits, so they can eventually grow their business in the future.
With customer expectations and demands changing rapidly, we can look forward to more innovations and technologies that are aimed at reducing labour, saving energy, allowing more space in the kitchen and of course reducing, or completely eliminating food wastage, which has been a huge problem in hospitality for many years now.
So, if you’re looking to start a business in the hospitality industry or you’re trying to upgrade your kitchen for reopening, it’s very important to find the best kitchen equipment that will help make your kitchen more efficient in serving your customers and keeping them satisfied.