A Restaurant Oven Is the Most Vital
Piece of Restaurant Equipment

Restaurant Oven Basics

The restaurant oven is the heart and sole of most restaurant operations. The style of oven you choose is dependent of the type of food that you do, but every operation and kitchen is usually designed around one or more of these pieces of equipment.

There are four primary types of commercial ovens: convection ovens, conveyor ovens, cook and hold ovens, and pizza ovens. Choosing the right piece of restaurant equipment to fill this task is no easy matter, but we will run through the basics for you here then break down the different types separately. Given the cost and the importance of this piece of restaurant equipment be prepared to spend ample time to make sure you get the right piece for your operation. You want to first consider things like space and power options, but then you should consider the intangibles like what your kitchen is like? How well your staff is trained? The volume you are doing? And what are your menu objectives? All of these things need to be firm in your mind before buying such a high-ticket restaurant oven.

General Considerations

Once you have a good idea of your space and power constraints (gas, or electric) you then need to focus on the temperature ranges you will need as they do vary from unit to unit. Also take into account how many racks you will need, the rack positioning and if you need a double oven configuration. The next thing to consider would the ease of use, cleaning process, and since it is a high end purchase the warranty. As ovens do not have many working parts name brand units like Vulcan are well built and rarely break down, but covering yourself with a strong warranty is a good plus.