Commercial kitchen equipment checklist for new restaurants in UAE

For a new restaurant in the UAE, your commercial back-of-house setup should cover the full flow of food production: receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, plating, service, and cleaning. At a minimum, this means cold rooms or refrigerators, freezers, prep tables, cutting and processing equipment, cooking ranges, ovens, grills or fryers, hot holding units, pass counters, dishwashers, and dedicated hand-wash stations.

Trust Kitchens Equipment Trading starts every project with a detailed checklist based on your menu, expected covers, and space. Our specialists review your concept and building drawings, identify must-have items versus nice-to-have upgrades, and then specify brands and models that balance performance, durability, and budget. We also make sure the kitchen equipment you select aligns with local authority requirements and practical day-to-day operation.

The result is a clear, structured list of appliances, stainless fabrication, and utilities that you can use for planning, approvals, and cost control before you invest.

Trust Kitchens Equipment Trading supports both independent outlets and multi-branch brands across all major emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. For each project, our team can assist from the concept stage all the way to handover. This includes site visits, kitchen layout drawings, MEP coordination, and accurate equipment schedules that you can share with landlords, consultants, and authorities.

Once the design is frozen, we supply the specified equipment, fabricate stainless-steel counters, sinks, shelves, and hoods, and coordinate delivery and installation with your fit-out contractor. Our technicians also help with commissioning, test runs, and basic staff orientation so your team knows how to operate and maintain each unit safely.

Whether you are opening a small café or a high-volume production kitchen, you get a single point of contact to manage timelines, communicate with other vendors, and keep your checklist on track until the restaurant is ready for inspection and opening.

Many new restaurants budget carefully for heavy-duty appliances but overlook the day-to-day items that keep a professional kitchen running smoothly. These include GN pans, storage containers, utensils, chopping boards with colour coding, thermometers, portioning tools, baking trays, gastronorm trolleys, and spare racks for dishwashers.

Trust Kitchens Equipment Trading can extend your checklist beyond heavy equipment to cover the operational details. We help you map every station – hot kitchen, cold prep, bakery, pass counter, dishwash, and bar – and then list the smallwares required for each. This avoids last-minute rush orders, improves workflow from day one, and supports consistent food safety practices.

By planning these items early, you can also standardise sizes and brands, making it easier to reorder and control costs across multiple outlets in the future.

The best starting point is your menu and service style. Quick-service, fine dining, bakery, cloud kitchen, and central production units all have very different capacity and workflow needs. Rather than starting with a generic list, Trust Kitchens Equipment Trading reviews your menu, peak cover estimates, and available space to determine the mix and capacity you require.

We then prioritise essential items that directly impact food safety and speed of service, followed by specialised or high-output units that can be added later as the business grows. This staged approach keeps your initial investment under control while still protecting product quality and consistency.

Our team can also show you different equipment options within the same category, explaining pros, cons, and running costs so you can make an informed decision instead of guessing.

In a professional foodservice environment, equipment is running for long hours under heavy load. Cheaper units may look attractive at the beginning, but they often consume more energy, break down more frequently, and struggle to maintain consistent temperatures. This can lead to food safety issues, lost product, and downtime during peak service.

Trust Kitchens Equipment Trading focuses on reliable brands and models that are proven in UAE conditions and supported with readily available spare parts and service. Choosing the best commercial equipment for your critical stations usually means lower lifetime costs, better consistency, and fewer disruptions for your team and guests.

Our consultants will always balance quality with budget, explaining where it makes sense to invest more and where you can safely select a more economical option without compromising performance.

Yes. Layout and compliance are at the core of every project we handle. Our team prepares professional kitchen drawings that respect local municipality and food safety guidelines, such as clear separation of raw and ready-to-eat zones, adequate hand-wash points, proper ventilation, and defined flows for staff, ingredients, and waste.

We work alongside your architect, interior designer, and MEP consultant to coordinate power, gas, water, drainage, and extraction requirements for each piece of equipment. This reduces clashes on site and helps you avoid costly redesigns or rejected inspections.

With experience across different emirates and project types – from mall food courts to standalone villas and towers – we can anticipate common issues early and design a layout that is both inspection-ready and comfortable for your chefs to work in.

Trust Kitchens Equipment Trading offers end-to-end project support, including delivery, positioning, installation, and commissioning of all supplied units. Our technicians coordinate closely with your fit-out and MEP teams to connect utilities, level and secure equipment, and carry out test runs before handover.

After opening, we remain your service partner. Depending on your needs, we can arrange preventive maintenance visits, respond to breakdown calls, and assist with staff refresh training on proper cleaning and operation. This approach extends equipment life, reduces unexpected failures, and helps protect your investment.

For growing brands, we can also standardise specifications across multiple sites so that spare parts, consumables, and service procedures stay consistent as you expand throughout the UAE.