Have you gone to any of the Pizza Shows yet? If not, plan to attend one in the near future…What are you doing later this week? Orlando, Florida.
At the shows you can also latch on to some very good deals, as well as becoming familiar with the various pieces of equipment and manufacturers. You can pick up some great deals on small tools and equipment at the shows too.
Watch restaurant sales. Not too long ago I got a call from a friend of mine while at a restaurant equipment auction. There was a brand new, like in never used, 80-quart planetary mixer getting ready to go on the block. Bidding was slow to say the least, seems the mixer was a Thunderbird, and no one had any experience with one, so they wouldn’t belly up to the bidding bar. I encouraged my friend to stay with the bidding, right up to a staggering $2,500.00 where she bought it at. What a steal! Mixer, SS bowl, and attachments. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a Thunderbird mixer if you know what you’re buying. A number of years ago I bought a box, about the size of a washing machine, full of deep-dish pizza pans for $25.00, and a dough sheeter/roller, with a little rust on the rolls for $50.00. I pulled the rollers off and had them turned and polished on a lathe at a local machine shop at very little cost so I ended up with a perfectly good bench top sheeter. I have to admit, all those pans did take some cleaning before I could sell them. So, know your equipment, get a good idea of it’s value, and go for it. As for the oven…my own personal advice would be to wait until you’re closer to opening for getting an oven. I think George Mills will agree with me when I say that the one thing ovens do not take well to is storage, a years storage time for even the best used oven is a risky gamble, at best, and by waiting to buy a rebuilt/reconditioned oven, you will have a better chance of having whatever warranty that comes with the oven still be in affect when you fire it up.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
glad it worked out for ya.