Equipment

After a month and a half, we've finally purchased all our equipment.  The equipment list:

60" sandwich prep with 2 door refrigeration
Single door refrigerator
10 feet of prep tables
2 Blendtec blenders
Single door undercounter refrigerator
3 compartment dishwashing sink
2 compartment handsink
1 compartment prep sink
20 feet of shelves
2 cash registers (one with barcode scanner)
1 ice-maker, 400 lb/day, 200lb capacity
1 ice-container
1 freezer

Except for the blenders and the freezer, all equipment are used. 

We purchased most of the used items off craigslist.  We found some good deals but working with sellers on craigslist can be time-consuming.  Consider the following e-mail exchange we had with someone selling an ice-maker:

Andrew: Hi, I'm interested in the ice-maker.  How many pounds of ice does it produce per day and how much ice does it hold? 
Seller: I don't know how much it holds.  But it was enough for my store. 
Andrew: But I'm not running your store.  My store is a smoothie shop and thus, I need at least 300 lbs of ice per day.
Seller: I don't know how much it holds.  I just want it out of storage because I don't want to keep paying storage fees.  And I'm too old to have the stamina to start over again.
Andrew: I understand, but can you at least provide me the make and model information so I can research its capabilities?
Seller: Look, I paid $3500 for this ice-maker.  I'm selling it for $100.  You're getting a good deal. 
Andrew: But I'm not sure if I'm getting a good deal.  I'm not a restaurant equipment broker and my store is 40 miles from you.  I'm not interested in travelling a long distance to purchase something that I can't use and have to resell. 

Most sellers on craigslist understand that different stores have different needs.  But there were enough time-consuming exchanges and costly, useless trips that we've decided that it's most cost-efficient to use a reliable restaurant equipment broker who understands our needs and lives within 25 miles of our store.  We pay more but we save a lot of time and frustration.  And we reduce our risk, as restaurant brokers are more knowledgeable about and can better assess the quality of restaurant equipment than we can.  Best of all, they deliver for free and offer warranties. 

We made the mistake of using a restaurant broker who lives closer to Portland than Seattle.  One of our fridges isn't working properly and he still hasn't fixed it.  So we've been using a broker referred by a diner.  He's based 8 miles from us and has thus far provided good service. 

If we had the budget, we'd purchase a new ice-maker because it's a necessity.   If the ice-maker breaks down, we have to close the store.  We tried to lease (with option to buy) an ice-maker online, but the leasing agent wanted us to purchase a minimum of $10,000 worth of equipment.  So we decided to go with a used ice-maker and purchase a new one once we have the funds.  The current ice-maker would then be used as backup. 

We'll likely (and hopefully) have to purchase more equipment.  We purchased what we considered the minimum because we're not sure what will sell.  We don't want to purchase a big freezer and refrigerator and not use them. 


We're close to opening.  If we pass our plumbing and health inspections next week, we should be open by next weekend.