How to Make the Right Decision When Choosing Between New or Used Restaurant Equipment

Common sense tells us that used restaurant equipment is usually cheaper than new gear. At least in the short run.

In the long run, however, plenty can go wrong. (And you are in this business for the long run, right?)

Used gear can be a good deal; however, knowing which used pieces that you can purchase new with confidence, and which to avoid, is critical.

This article intends to help you know which is which.

A Throw of the Dice

"Purchasing used equipment is always a throw of the dice," says Tim Agosti, FCSI, the principal of Arctic Food Service Design LLC in Anchorage, Alaska. "The purchaser does not know how old the piece is and what kind of environment it operated in before it ended up for sale on either a used-equipment dealer's floor or on the Internet. Most used-equipment dealers will do as little as possible to make the item saleable and maximize profit."

For Professor H.G. Parsa of the Daniels College of Business in Denver, the question is not so much whether a piece is used, but how old it is. "It is just like buying a car," Parsa says. "A used car under 20,000 miles is as good as new. But a car with 150,000 miles may not be worth much. So we should look at the age and condition of the equipment."