If you are a foodie or have a loved one who is a foodie, you might want to consider shopping at restaurant supply stores.
What most people don’t realize is that most restaurant supply stores are open to the general public, and you don’t have to own a restaurant, bar or catering business to shop there.
Photo: Deposit Photos
Why shop at restaurant supply stores
Restaurant supply stores sell pretty much everything you’d need to set up your kitchen or bar, and they typically offer a good selection at very, very reasonable prices. The quality of most of the items you’ll get at a restaurant supply store is professional-grade, meaning it stands up to everyday use really, really well. A good example of this is a stainless sheet pan I picked up at a restaurant supply store for $10. It’s stood up to years of use, is easy to clean, and it bakes cookies really evenly.
Compared to a similar item I received as a gift from a department store, that sheet pan (which cost $20 at the time) rusted, and it was really, really difficult to clean.
As a cookbook author and cocktail demonstrator, I use my kitchen and bar equipment a lot, but all the items I’ve ever purchased at restaurant supply stores have stood up to frequent use.
Some of the items I’ve purchased are definitely higher grade than what I could get at a Target or Walmart, and some of the items are on par to what I could get at a Williams Sonoma or Crate and Barrel, but a lot of the times, the quality of goods at a restaurant supply store is better than anything I could get at any of those stores.
Here’s a comparison of prices of nearly identical items from a restaurant supply store, a department store and Williams Sonoma.
A sheet pan similar to the one I purchased at a local restaurant supply store costs, even with inflation, only $14.34. At Target, similar pans costs either $25.99 or $30, and at Williams Sonoma, such a pan costs $30 to $55.
Plain, white ramekins cost only 91 cents, but a similar set of four at Target costs $10. At Williams Sonoma, a set of four ramekins costs $50.
A cocktail shaker costs $6 at a restaurant supply store, but a similar one costs around $15 at both Target and Williams Sonoma.
Must-buys at a restaurant supply store
Anything having to do with kitchen safety is generally of a higher quality than what you can find in any department stores, and such equipment is usually reasonably priced.
You can find heavy-duty oven mitts, starting at around $14 for a pair, that withstand heat up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re looking for something that’s not just heat-resistant, but also flame-resistant, you can buy a single such mitt made out of kevlar for $30. Now, these oven mitts don’t come in seasonal patterns or pretty colors, and they’re not meant for decor purposes, but they’re more heavy duty and safer than anything you can find in a regular store.
Restaurant supply stores also typically sell a variety of different kinds of knife sharpeners, that start at around $14, and they also sell professional sharpeners that will automatically sharpen your knives (which you may or may not want to do yourself).
Thermometers are also a good bargain, and a professional, digital meat thermometer costs about $25; at Williams Sonoma, a similar thermometer costs more than $100. Restaurant supply stores also sell refrigeration, dishwasher and oven thermometers, too, and they’re also reasonably priced.
What you might want to comparison price shop
Pots and pans are one area where you might want to compare prices to department stores. If you are looking for a non-stick, 10-inch fry pan, at a restaurant supply store, it will cost about $25, where as a similar fry pan at Target will run anywhere from $22 to $35.
Though just about every pan and pot at a restaurant supply store is of good quality and will withstand heavy cooking loads, sometimes a single pot or can can cost $50 to $150 or more per pot or pan, depending on the size.
If you cook at lot of soups, for example, for a lot of people, you might want to head to a restaurant supply store because they’ll not only have the 16-quart sizes, but they’ll have 60-quarts and 80-quarts capacity pots, which are harder to find in regular stores.
Photo: Deposit Photos
Knives are another area that you’ll want to comparison shop, as some are quite expensive at a restaurant supply store, and some are in sizes and shapes that you might not need.
Cake decorating equipment might also be a good area to shop around. A cake turn-table, for example, costs only $8 at Target, but the only one at a restaurant supply store costs $70. Now, it’s fancier and sturdier, but the price differential may not make it worth the cost if you don’t bake as much as it is meant to withstand.
The selection at a restaurant supply store runs both really high brow – think five-star restaurant quality – and also more low-brow – think hotdog stand. As such, you’ll find some everyday dishes and glasses that are reasonably priced, but other items are more costly.
Sometimes, the items also can only be purchased in such bulk that you might not need — like plastic pastry bags that come in a box of 100 when you only need or have space for a quality of 10.
And sometimes, items only come in basic white. For example, most ramekins at a restaurant supply store are only white or clear glass where as you can get black or sage green or other colors at Target or Williams Sonoma
But mostly, you can find everything you’d ever need to cook, bake or make cocktails at a restaurant supply store, and you’ll find the quality to be at least as good or better than what you can get at a department store. And if you don’t live near one, you can also find such stores online. The online prices are usually pretty similar to shopping in person, but sometimes, you’ll have to buy in bulk, and you might not need a dozen ramekins.
How to find a restaurant supply store in your area
If you live near or in a metropolitan area, there will be at least a few restaurant supply stores. Most of them are open to the general public, and you don’t get charged additional fees for just being a regular shopper instead of a restaurant owner. That said, it’s sometimes a lot cheaper to buy a dozen sheet pans versus just one. A simple online search of “restaurant supply store near me” or “restaurant supply store in X city” will bring up a list of choices.
If you live more rurally, you might need to drive to a big city, or you could shop at an online restaurant supply store like webstaurantstore.com, therestaurantstore.com or equippers.com. Online, some of the supplies might be even less expensive. Sheet pans, for example, start at less than $5. But what they’ll get you on is the shipping. A sheet pan that costs only $4.79 might have $18 in shipping, making the cost almost what it is at Target.
Jeanette Hurt is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books on food and drink, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wine and Food Pairing. The Cheeses of Wisconsin: A Culinary Travel Guide and The Cheeses of California: A Culinary Travel Guide.
