Checklist of 12 equipment Industrial kitchens are needed in modern restaurant kitchens

Try to imagine a weekend evening, your restaurant is full of customers. The dishes were prepared, the chef was working at full capacity, but… the whole kitchen stopped because there weren’t enough clean dishes left to serve the next table. Cause? The kitchen does not have an industrial dishwasher, so employees have to wash their hands for 15–20 minutes for each batch. Customers started to get impatient, the experience went downhill, 1-star reviews appeared on Google after just a few hours.

That is just one of countless situations that many restaurants encounter when lacking core equipment in industrial kitchens. A modern kitchen is not just a place to cook, but the “heart” that determines service speed, food quality and customer satisfaction.

In this article, Saigon Horeca sends you Checklist of 12 industrial kitchen equipment needed in a modern restaurant kitchen – following the exact journey of a dish: from preserving ingredients → preparing → cooking → serving → cleaning. This is the “map” to help you set up your kitchen neatly, avoid shortages – avoid excesses, and especially optimize your investment budget.

Step 1 – Receive & preserve ingredients

A modern restaurant kitchen starts with preserving ingredients properly. If the food is not fresh from the beginning, all subsequent steps are meaningless. Here are 3 devices you cannot do without:

1. Frozen warehouse & industrial cooler/freezer

• Used to preserve meat, seafood, and vegetables at standard temperatures: 0–5°C for fresh, -18°C for frozen.
• Advantages: large capacity, quick cooling, maintaining the quality of ingredients throughout a long shift.
• Popular brands: Hoshizaki, Berjaya – energy saving, durable, HACCP compliant.

2. Salad cooler table & sushi cooler table

• Both a storage place and a quick preparation table for line bar, salad or sushi.
• Convenient for restaurants with open kitchens (open kitchen), helping the chef operate directly in front of guests while still ensuring coldness.

3. Multi-tier stainless steel shelves & dry storage cabinets

• For dry ingredients: spices, packaging, dried seeds…
• 304 stainless steel material is anti-rust, easy to clean, avoids cross-contamination.
• Proper layout also helps optimize space and movement in the kitchen.

Saigon Horeca currently offers stainless steel 2-door refrigerators, 4-door vertical freezers and industrial cool/freezer tables,… – all designed with high-grade 304 stainless steel, ensuring both aesthetics and easy cleaning, long life. Please refer toindustrial kitchen equipmentprovided by Saigon Horeca

Step 2 – Preliminary processing

The processing area is where speed and hygiene come first — where ingredients begin their journey to becoming dishes. Without suitable equipment, the process can easily get clogged, causing the kitchen to stall right from the start. Below are important and indispensable equipment, with clear origins from Saigon Horeca:

1. Industrial cutting, slicing, grinding machine

• The device operates powerfully, allowing the processing of ingredients (meat, vegetables,…) in large quantities quickly and safely.
• Prominent brands such as Sammic (Spain), with models such as PS-22 Meat Grinder, GCP-300 Meat Slicer — all present in the Saigon Horeca product portfolio.

Benefits: increases productivity, reduces manual operations, limits cutlery risks and unifies the quality of preparation.

2. Stainless steel sink (1 – 3 compartments), sink with side table, pressure nozzle, garbage filter

• Saigon Horeca introduces a variety of sink models: from single sink, double sink, three-compartment sink, to sink with side table, undermount sink, and system high pressure nozzle – suitable for all kitchen sizes and needs

• SUS304/SUS316 stainless steel design helps prevent rust, is easy to clean and maintains aesthetics for a long time.

Advantages: clearly separates the steps of preparation – washing – soaking, continuous operation without interruption, ensuring hygiene according to HACCP standards.

3. Specialized stainless steel table (preparation table)

• Indispensable equipment in every modern kitchen, where every operation such as slicing and marinating requires a sturdy, easy-to-clean countertop.
• Stainless steel tables help standardize, clean and safe processes in a professional F&B environment.

Benefits: increases processing efficiency, maintains hygiene, standardizes operations, and optimizes staff working space.

Expert perspective (Saigon Horeca style – sharing real battles)

In a modern restaurant kitchen, without industrial cutting machines, personnel will take twice as long as manual operations – causing all subsequent steps to lag. If the sink does not have enough compartments, you will easily fall into the vicious circle of “using the same sink, easily cross-contaminated” – violating HACCP standards. A sturdy stainless steel table is where the chef demonstrates professionalism in every step of preparation.

Step 3 – Processing & cooking

At this key stage, the “heart” of the industrial kitchen is clearly shown through the specialized equipment – where the true value of the food is created. Let’s carefully analyze each indispensable kitchen appliance in a modern kitchen, from multi-function European stoves to solutions to ensure safety and operational efficiency.

1. Industrial European kitchen

Features: Saigon Horeca provides many types of industrial European stoves, from gas models to models with integrated ovens, such as 6-burner European stove with oven DRO6-17, 4-burner European stove DRO4-17—all under the brand Berjaya (Malaysia). Designed with large capacity, quick cooking, high efficiency in operation.

Why is it necessary: Suitable for European dishes such as steak, ragoût, sauces, buffets – diversify the menu and save space compared to using many individual appliances.

2. Industrial Deep Fryer

Features: Products such as Double gas fryer GDFE2BFS-17 or single DF11D-17 from Berjaya have large capacity, quick heating, easy-to-use temperature control, integrated safety when overheating.
Why is it needed: This device is ideal for fried dishes such as potatoes, tempura, fried chicken… that need speed, uniform crispiness and effective oil management (with drain hose, oil filter).

3. Industrial Flat Fryer

Features: Flat, non-stick surface, available with gas, electric or infrared versions – optimal for stir-frying, sauteing or dishes such as eggs, meat, fish…

Why is it needed: Helps chefs control the temperature well, is easy to manipulate, quickly prepares dishes that require direct manipulation, very suitable for open kitchen or bar models.

4. Other Grilling Equipment (Oven, artificial charcoal grill)

Features: There are models such as artificial charcoal grill CB3B-17 – Berjaya (Malaysia), as well as electric/gas grills serving a variety of culinary styles.

Why is it necessary: Provides diverse grilling solutions – from BBQ, steak to specific Asian or European style grilling, increasing taste experience.

In-depth perspective – Choosing the right device for each model

Connecting the kitchen operation journey – From preservation to processing

If the steps Receiving & preserving ingredients (Step 1) and Preparing (Step 2) ensure you have a source of clean and safely processed ingredients, then step 3 is when the kitchen operates smoothly, quickly and accurately. Good equipment helps ensure consistent quality, increases productivity, and importantly: creates a consistent experience for diners.

Step 4 – Serve & display

After the dish is completely prepared, the serving and display stage is the “final bridge” between the kitchen and diners. This is not only the preparation of dishes, but also the art of conveying the culinary value and brand of the restaurant. 

For this process to go smoothly, the coordination between the kitchen and service areas needs to be standardized right from the design stage. Some key factors:

• Distribution area: Is the transfer position between the kitchen and the service staff. Saigon Horeca often advises on the design of specialized stainless steel tables combined with heat lamps to keep warm, ensuring dishes maintain the standard temperature when they reach the table.
• Serving carts & mobile hot-keeping cabinets: For restaurants with large spaces or buffets, this is an important device to help keep dishes hot, while also supporting staff to move easily and serve quickly.
• Display equipment & buffet counters: For buffet or event models, induction cookers, warming cabinets or salad bar coolers are all equipment provided by Saigon Horeca to ensure both aesthetic factors and food safety.

From a professional perspective, display not only affects the customer experience but also helps optimize the service process: food comes out faster, at the right temperature, beautifully presented..

No matter how delicious a dish is, if it is poorly presented or served slowly, it is difficult to create a complete impression. Therefore, Saigon Horeca’s display and service equipment are always designed with the philosophy: simplify operations for employees – enhance customer experience.

Step 5 – Clean & complete the process

A modern restaurant kitchen process cannot be completed without cleaning and maintenance. This is the decisive stage for food hygiene and safety, operational efficiency and equipment longevity.

Industrial dishwashers are considered “effective assistants” in the finishing process:

• Specialized design for restaurants and hotels with the ability to quickly wash large quantities of cups, plates, cups.
• The system 82–90°C hot water helps disinfect and kill microorganisms, ensuring international food hygiene and safety standards (HACCP).
• Integrates many smart washing modes: from pre-rinsing, strong washing, to drying, helping tools dry, shiny and clean, no need to wipe again.
• Outstanding advantages: saving labor, shortening table rotation time, helping the service team have more time to focus on customer experience. Instead of needing 2–3 employees to wash dishes continuously, only 1 person needs to operate the machine.

In addition, the combination of stainless steel washing and drying equipment, garbage disposal and wastewater treatment system will help keep the kitchen clean, odorless, minimize the risk of unsanitary conditions and create a comfortable working environment for employees.