How to Upgrade Your Restaurant Kitchen and Save Money | Upgrading your kitchen is one of the most effective ways to add value to your home or commercial kitchen. It’s the heart and soul of your establishment, so it’s important to keep it up to date and implement any necessary upgrades every now and then. Your restaurant or cafe kitchen is where the magic happens, which is why regular remodelling is of the essence.
With technology and culinary arts in a constant state of change, the costs of modifications rise along with the tide. If you’re looking for the most idyllic method to enhance your kitchen while maximizing the value of your budget, this comprehensive list has you covered! Gone are the days when you had to break the bank just to revamp your kitchen.
Are you ready to upgrade your kitchen and save money at the same time?
Let’s get cooking!
Kitchen Upgrade Tip #1: Shop For Reliable Kitchen Appliances
If you’re looking to upgrade kitchen tools and appliances, make it a point to research on products from reputable brands and restaurant suppliers.
It’s true that some brands are more expensive than others, but that’s for a good reason, as they’re usually engineered with more advanced technology and premier materials that are specially designed to function seamlessly while being durable at the same time.
When you invest in high-quality ovens, stovetops, pressure cookers, coffee brewers, and refrigerators, you spend your budget on tools that will save you money down the road. Because when you deck your commercial kitchen with top-tier equipment, you reduce the risks of costly repairs and replacements.
Kitchen Upgrade Tip #2: Keep The Same Kitchen Layout
Upgrading your kitchen doesn’t have to be expensive, especially if you remodel it without changing its layout.
Drastically changing up the kitchen’s layout is one sure-fire way to go overboard on your budget, as this usually requires intricate processes, such as relocating the plumbing for the sink and dishwashers. Additionally, you’ll need to rewire everything for the electric appliances. These tasks involve hiring plumbers and electricians who’ll have to reconstruct the kitchen’s infrastructure by means of costly material and labour fees.
However, maintaining your kitchen’s framework similar to its original design while updating the necessary aspects gives you an incredibly cost-effective experience. You can still render a whole new aesthetic for your kitchen by revamping the flooring, repainting or replacing the cabinets, rearranging the appliances, installing new equipment, renovating the lighting, and adding new features like a kitchen island.
Kitchen Upgrade Tip #3: DIY!
Although DIY is easier said than done, there are actually a bunch of renovation tasks that you can easily do by yourself. By rolling up your sleeves and unleashing your inner handyman expertise, you can cut down on labour costs.
Safe and Easy DIY Renovation Tasks
- Flooring installation
- Tiling
- Interior painting
- Hanging drywall
- Installing baseboards and other types of trim
In case you aren’t well-versed yet in these kinds of kitchen renovation DIY tasks, you can always take a quick how-to class or watch a demonstration at local hardware stores. If the job doesn’t require any intricate expertise that only a professional can handle, you can simply seek advice from hardware store employees or learn from experienced individuals’ how-to videos online.
Kitchen Upgrade Tip #4: Refresh Rather Than Replace
Before you go all out on renovating your kitchen, take a moment to re-evaluate which items really need to be replaced and which ones are just in need of refurbishment. Who knows? Maybe a fresh coat of paint is all it needs to be good as new!
Generally, replacement is always more expensive than refurbishment. One common example is your fleet of kitchen cabinets. Purchasing an entirely new collection of cabinets can drive your budget up, especially if you opt to have custom-made pieces created. If this isn’t entirely necessary, you can enjoy the benefits of reconditioning them instead of tearing them out for replacement.
Aside from being budget-friendly, refurbishment is also environmentally friendly. Mother Nature will thank you for not sending your cabinetry off to sit in a landfill.
Ways To Refresh Your Kitchen Cabinets
- A fresh coat of paint. Breaking out the sandpaper, cans of paint, and brushes is a classic method of updating kitchen cabinets. Sure, sanding, priming, painting, and drying can be tedious and time-consuming, but it’s a simple task that will contribute to saving on expenditures. Plus, anyone can pick up a brush and paint a few cabinets; no Picasso skills are required!
- Refacing. This is slightly more pricey than repainting, as refacing adds a new veneer to the exterior of the cabinet boxes and entirely restores the doors and drawer fronts.
To rescue the kitchen cabinets, you’ll need the help of professionals, but the good news is that it’s much cheaper than actually replacing the entire cabinets. Moreover, it’ll still provide a whole new look for your cooking space without exceeding your budget.
- Shelves. Before you go ahead and purchase new cabinets or restore the old ones, you may want to consider installing a couple of open shelves. They’re inexpensive, sturdy, accessible, and will blend in with any type of kitchen style. Furthermore, integrating some shelving will provide a spacious feel for a more airy and refreshing environment for your team of chefs.
- Hardware. Appraise your cabinets’ knobs and handles. Perhaps the finish and paint of your cabinets are still in good condition, and all you need is to replace the hardware. Modern handles and knobs can work wonders for your kitchen renovation!
Kitchen Upgrade Tip #5: Never Settle For Less
With the tips above, there’s no doubt that your kitchen will look refreshed and revamped in no time! The most important factor to keep in mind is quality over quantity because this will be the ultimate money-saver in the long run.
Happy kitchen upgrading!
