Think of food service as a theatrical production: the dishes are the actors, the diners are the audience, the dining room is the set, and behind the curtain lies a technical space with staff and equipment.

Kitchens are often considered a secondary aspect. On the contrary, the kitchen and all its equipment are essential elements in delivering a complete experience to the customer.

Before opening a food service business, two steps are essential: planning and designing the spaces, and choosing the professional equipment suited to the type of business. Knowing what you need prevents wasting your budget.

Good planning improves customer service and makes work easier for the entire team: the chef, the kitchen crew and the front-of-house staff. In a restaurant, bar, pastry shop or hotel, everything must be sized to perform at its best, even under pressure.

Regulations on food processing and service are strict and require professional appliances for storing products and sanitizing dishes and utensils.

Every business needs refrigerators, freezers and dishwashers; blast chillers are also in high demand. Hotels also need large cooking ranges and washing systems suited to their volumes.

Some products, such as cured meats and cheeses, cannot be frozen: to preserve them you need vacuum sealers, slicers and knife sharpeners for perfect cuts.

For artisanal sauces you need immersion blenders and food choppers; to garnish dishes and drinks with dried fruit, you need a food dehydrator.