This guide provided to you by One Fat Frog Used Restaurant Equipment will give you a few tips to purchasing used restaurant equipment online and in person.  As dealers of new and used restaurant equipment from our brick and mortar store in Sanford, FL (just north of Orlando and the mouse) we know a thing or two about used restaurant equipment.  If I were a buyer, here is the stuff I would ask:

• Does it work?  Can I send a friend by to look at it working?
• Are you a Dealer?  Do you sell new equipment?  (Restaurant Equipment Manufacturers don’t just let anyone sell equipment)
• Do you have a restaurant equipment store or do you sell from your home or a mini-storage?  Obviously folks selling from their home or a mini-storage have a lot less to lose by making fast deals.  Also refrigeration that has been stored for a while may not work or need a charge.  Here at One Fat Frog we have a refrigeration tech who checks for these things.
• Did the unit belong to you?  Do you know its history?  Do you have other equipment from the same restaurant?  Look at the other equipment from the same restaurant – that will tell you if they kept a clean house or beat up their kitchen equipment.
• Really you can’t go wrong working with a full-service dealer like One Fat Frog Restaurant Equipment.  This is someone who is all about the value-added service.  After all, isn’t your restaurant about the ambiance- the value added service- the server- the manager- the quality of food?  Isn’t the experience about the waiter helping you after they serve the food?  And so it should be when you purchase new or used restaurant equipment.  While pricing is good, it’s also important to have that support after the sale, just as you want support after the meal is prepared.

All in all, buying used restaurant equipment should be an excellent experience for all parties involved.  Look at the terms of sale, be familiar with guarantees,  if any, and get to know your seller.  If you can’t call them before the sale, chances are … well you know what chances are.

And here is one other thing that random equipment sellers don’t offer:  used restaurant equipment financing.  Not all Kitchen Equipment stores offer this either.  One Fat Frog does offer financing, so not only are you getting the backing of a reputable company, one equipment manufacturers recognize, but you can also take advantage of a convenient payment program by sending in their simple and easy credit application.  Come visit one of the two locations or send the form back in.