Cost is one of the main determining factors in setting up a business. In the catering business, one of the main cost concerns is buying versus renting commercial catering equipment.
Buying Commercial Catering Equipment can be very expensive. Some common Commercial Catering Equipment include hot food boxes, gas and charcoal grills, buffet warmers, refrigerators, food transport cabinets, and electrical convection ovens. Though initially it might seem cost effective to rent commercial catering equipment, in the long it is cheaper to buy a new one.
For instance, the cost to rent a 28″W x 21″D x 21″H convection oven is an average of $90 per day. Buying it new will cost $975. The cost of renting a 25′ tall, 18’ wide, 25′ deep food transport cabinet is $40 daily. It will cost approximately $700 to buy it new. Last but not least, the cost of renting Commercial Catering Equipment for an 18 tray hot food box is $150 daily as compared to purchasing it new for $3000. For the convection oven, anything over 10 rentals will exceed the cost of purchasing a new one. For the food transport, and the hot food box, anything over 20 rentals will exceed the cost of purchasing a new one.
Another point worth noting is that most commercial equipment rental stores, if not all, either Rent on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The most frequently used, is the daily rental. Unfortunately depending on the menu, the food rental equipment might be required for more than a day, thereby adding on to the cost. This further makes buying a new commercial catering equipment better than renting.
One more important factor is shipping costs. With most commercial catering equipment rental stores you are responsible for the equipment delivery; meaning you are responsible for the cost of shipping and handling, or delivery. On the other hand, if you are purchasing a new commercial catering equipment from a store or online, you are likely to get an offer for free shipping and delivery. Last but not least, not only are you likely to take better care of equipment that you own, but buying and owning yours takes away the worry of the equipment not being in stock when you need it. Overall, it is much better, and more cost effective to buy new Commercial Catering Equipment, than to rent some. If you are looking for the best deals on equipment and are in the market to buy new then the internet can be a great resource to do this. Buying online is a surefire way to save money as you are buying directly from the wholesaler and saving all the overheads that you would be paying when purchasing from a local retailer.