Are you curious to see what restaurants, bars, coffee shops, convenience stores, pizzerias, food-processing facilities, catering companies, or other food service facilities buy? Are you planning a startup or securing your position in the foodservice business? If so, it might be helpful to learn what others prefer and why. Chef’s Deal filtered out the top 10 best-selling commercial restaurant equipment in 2021 for you. The list below can also signal what items you should have on your menu to draw more foot traffic.
1. American Eagle AE-TS12 Countertop Electric Meat Tenderizer, #12 Hub, 1 HP
Meat tenderizers shape tough meat cuts into salable pieces ready for cooking. They are preferred by professionals in restaurants, catering companies, and butchers. The compact American Eagle AE-TS12 Countertop Electric Meat Tenderizer is also popular with residential enthusiasts who relish cooking deliciously well-done meat. You can process skirt steaks, boneless chucks, tough game meat, fajita meat, or chicken breasts in this American Eagle’s patented meat tenderizer.
American Eagle AE-TS12 Countertop Electric Meat Tenderizer is at the top of the best-selling commercial restaurant equipment list because it addresses one common issue: meat getting jammed in knives. The unique Dual Comb design in this meat tenderizer prevents this problem. It features two stainless steel shafts holding more than 60 heavy-duty razor-sharp knives to perfect the tenderizing task. These knives rotate in two directions, piercing fibrous meat and opening knits on both sides of the meat. The powerful 1 HP motor runs the blades to thicken meat cuts up to 1 inch. Its large chute of 7 inch-length by 1.1-inch width can accommodate even extra-large cuts of meat.
All stainless steel body with no sharp corners ensures durability and safety. The unit’s parts are easily disassembled with an attachment head, making cleaning and maintenance easy. Hassle-free maintenance makes it the favorite meat tenderizer of home cooks, too. The only non-metal component is the rubber feet that prevent slipping during operation. Marinade your meat for a beautiful texture before stir-frying, roasting, or barbequing with an American Eagle AE-TS12 Countertop Electric Meat Tenderizer.
2. Excellence GDR-5HC 20” One Section Merchandiser Refrigerator with Glass Door
Merchandiser refrigerators are used in convenience stores, cafeterias, delis, fast food restaurants, or gas stations to keep beverages and prepackaged food at safe temperatures. Besides cooling products, they can also showcase canned or bottled drinks, sandwiches, salads, and other cold snacks. Excellence GDR-5HC 20” is a reach-in refrigerated merchandiser with one section and one right-hinged glass door. The self-closing door with lock & key feature ensures that the cooler can retain 32-36 °F internal temperature range all the time for safe and code-compliant storage.
What makes Excellence GDR-5HC one section merchandising refrigerator one of the best-selling commercial restaurant equipment is its compact construction. The unit is 20-inch wide, 20.5-inch deep, and 50.38-inch high, occupying a small footprint. You can store products up to 5 cubic feet in this space saver. Namely, it can hold around 175 pounds. The black exterior and the LED-lighted white interior combine with the illuminated door sign to create an eye-catching look. This enticing display can boost your impulse sales, keeping your perishables chilled.
Excellence GDR-5HC 20” One Section Merchandiser Refrigerator with Glass Door houses a self-contained refrigeration system. That means its compressor and condenser are recessed inside the unit. A merchandising refrigerator with a self-contained system is more convenient to buy and more accessible to service than remote systems. This unit’s refrigeration box is on the bottom rather than on the top. Ambient temperatures are much cooler near the floor, so Excellence GDR-5HC pulls in less heat, increasing energy efficiency. The refrigerant used in the system is R600a, an environmentally-friendly hydrocarbon refrigerant.
3. Adcraft BDCF-19-CG 71” Black Diamond Glass Door Chest Freezer, 19.2 cu. ft.
Next on the top 10 best-selling commercial restaurant equipment list is a chest freezer dashing and priceless as a black diamond. Chest freezers are attractive storage units for large quantities of ice cream, bagged vegetables, and other frozen meals. The manufacturer of this freezer, Black Diamond, is a trusted brand operating under Adcraft (Admiral Craft Equipment Corp.), which takes pride in offering the most extensive product line in commercial food service equipment. No wonder this glass door chest freezer has scored with many restaurants, bars, ice cream parlors, convenience stores, and pizzerias.
Adcraft BDCF-19-CG chest freezer is remarkably sturdy with stainless steel construction. Its exterior is finished with rust-free white powder coating to enrich its sleek appearance, and the white aluminum interior is insulated with high-density polyurethane. This thick wall insulation and well-sealed sliding glass door help retain the internal temperature range of -4 to-10 °F. The glass door makes this chest freezer preferable over solid-door models for displaying ice cream, packaged food, meat, or ice bags. The brilliant LED lighting inside the cabinet increases the visibility of the products.
Adcraft BDCF-19-CG reflects Black Diamond’s durable design and the market’s need for a spacious chest freezer. The 19.2 cubic feet capacity can store and showcase over 650 pounds of frozen ingredients. Operators benefit from this massive storage in only 71.26 inch-length by 33.5 inch-width floor space. Your top-selling frozen treats invite more customers in 6 wire-coated baskets inside the cabinet. While baskets provide well-organized storage, manual temperature controls and indicator lights help you easily track the unit’s status. Therefore, Adcraft BDCF-19-CG 71” Black Diamond Glass Door Chest Freezer brings together maximum capacity in minimum footprint with a cost-friendly financing plan.
4. Tortilla Masters TM105 Ventura Flex Countertop Corn Tortilla Machine
Any best-selling commercial restaurant equipment list would be incomplete without a tortilla machine. The reason is simple; tortillas are becoming more and more popular. Americans consume around 120 million tortillas each year, the second after white bread of all the baked products. The rich fiber and folic acid content of corn tortillas make it a healthier substitute for white bread without the risk of weight gain. These health benefits brought an almost 4% increase in the tortilla production market in the USA. Naturally, many foodservice facilities purchased tortilla machines to pace up this growth, making Tortilla Masters TM105 Ventura Flex Countertop Corn Tortilla Machine a best-seller.
Tortilla Masters Equipment has a well-established and recognized place in the tortilla machines market. The company quickly noticed a niche in the tortilla industry and manufactured the first tortilla machine, Ventura Flex, to meet the NSF standards. Ventura Flex Countertop Corn Tortilla Machine is unrivaled, minimizing human labor and footprint. Covering only a 24-inch horizontal space, Tortilla Masters TM 105 can produce as many as 840 corn tortillas an hour in different sizes and thicknesses. Plus, you don’t need to be a tortilla master to achieve this productivity and flexibility. A start/stop push button and manual controls enable automatic production.
Ventura Flex’s robust body constructed from stainless steel guarantees durability. The highest-grade stainless steel components make it extra dependable. Thanks to its compact design, you can carry and use it anywhere you wish. There is no need for a specific base or location. On top of all these is the ease of operation. You have a tortilla machine that can mass-produce tortillas anytime and anywhere with minimum staffing, expertise, and energy. The machine’s automatic overload protection removes the need for extra user attention. Customization of production speed is also possible with a user-friendly gear-driven transmission.
5. Pro-Cut KG-22-W Bench Model Electric Meat Grinder, #22 Hub, 110 Volt, 1 HP
Another top 10 best-selling commercial restaurant equipment in 2021 is an electric meat grinder by
Pro-Cut. The brand is renowned worldwide for its high-quality food preparation equipment distributed to more than 40 countries. When it comes to cutting, Pro-Cut machines are unmatched. Pro-Cut KG-22-W Bench Model Electric Meat Grinder is one of the top favorite meat processing equipment because it meets the daily demands of busy butchers, supermarkets, and other small commercial operations. Its oil-bathed 1 HP gear transmission can process 1720 pounds of meat per hour with as little noise as possible.
Butchers know what problems meat particles in a dirty meat grinder can cause. Therefore, their hot priority in choosing a grinder is the ease of cleaning. Sanitation is hassle-free thanks to its food-grade stainless steel body and easily removable parts. The whole grinding system can be readily disassembled using a release lever. All its food-contact components are accessible for a more effortless sterilization process. You can thus clean the tin-plated cast iron grinding parts easily at the end of the working day. Therefore, they remain both sanitary and robust.
Pro-Cut KG-22-W Bench Model Electric Meat Grinder comes with every accessory you might need. Besides an affixed guard for safer operation, a meat pusher, and a cast iron headstock, it has an extra-large stainless steel feed tray. Cleaning and loading are a breeze. All you need is to remove the tray from the headstock, clean it, and reattach it without needing an extra tool. The size of the feed tray also increases the work efficiency by reducing the number of meat transfers. You can purchase different grinding plates and use your meat grinder as a food processor to prepare purees, jellies, salsas, or dips.
6. Frosty Factory 217A Cylinder Type Non-Carbonated Frozen Drink Machine
Granitas, margaritas, daiquiris, and slushies… Are you craving a frozen beverage? Do you want to serve the best frosty drinks to your patrons so you can gain more repeat customers? You need a high-quality frozen drink machine with a powerful blender. A frozen beverage machine delivers refreshing and flavorful drinks blending minimal ingredients. Aware of its potential to surge profits, many convenience stores, restaurants, malls, or theaters have outfitted their facilities with a Frosty Factory 217A Cylinder Type Non-Carbonated Frozen Drink Machine.
Frosty Factory 217A is the smallest twin-flavor margarita machine available on the market. It houses two 8-quart hoppers for product feed. Despite its compact design fitting easily on any countertop, it can dispense 64 ten-ounce drinks from each cylinder. That makes 128 frozen treats per hour. The 4-inch clearance under the machine lets airflow, preventing extra heating and using less energy. The lighted flavor signs on both sides attract and let more customers flow into your facility. You can keep the blended drinks inside the machine overnight at 40 degrees using the standby switch. You can thus prevent waste and decrease machine startup time.
The frozen beverage market is rising, with customers demanding variety in taste and texture. Frosty Factory 217A High Volume Frozen Beverage Machine meets these demands, delivering various flavors with a crunchy texture, appealing to different mouthfeels. It can create slushies by freezing non-carbonated drinks. The dual bowl design increases taste customizability. This Frost Factory frozen drink machine is versatile enough to prepare frozen cocktails, lemonade, fruit juices, or granita lattes. Therefore, you can expand your menu, cater to people with distinct tastes, increase foot traffic, and grow your profit margin.
7. Pro-Cut KMV-25 Electric Vacuum Tumbler, 55 lb. capacity, 17.5” dia, 110 volt
Pro-Cut produces professional solutions in meat cutting and processing tasks. The company’s electric meat grinder was already one of the best-selling commercial restaurant equipment in 2021. The brand appears again on the list with an electric vacuum tumbler, specialty equipment used for meat marinating. Raw meat and marinade are fed into the unit. The machine vacuums out the air through tumbling action, attracting more moisture and seasoning deeper into the meat. The result is tender and juicy meat rich in flavor.
Pro-Cut KMV-25 Electric Vacuum Tumbler features its long-lasting construction. Food-grade stainless steel body makes it durable and suitable for heavy-duty use. That’s why a significant number of busy butchers and meat processing factories preferred it. Pro-Cut KMV-25 can marinate up to 50 pounds of meat, poultry, seafood, and even vegetables in record times, around 20 minutes, with its 1/6 HP powerful motor. As the drum rotates, the products inside the cabinet are seasoned evenly.
KMV-25 Electric Vacuum Tumbler reflects Pro-Cut equipment’s ease of operation and maintenance benefits. The process starts with the vacuum released into the tumbler with the operation of a valve. Programming is facilitated through a digital timer. The vacuum indicator helps users control the vacuum inside the tumbler. Managing time and speed, you can standardize your marinating operations. The mixing paddles can easily be dismounted from the unit for cleaning and servicing. Pro-Cut KMV-25 Electric Vacuum Tumbler has everything to provide products with moister more delicious flavor and a more dashing appearance.
8. Somerset SMS-60 Countertop Manual Meat Shredder
It seems foodservice operators were dedicated to satisfying carnivores in 2021. That’s not surprising considering the wide selection of meat products on menus: beef, bacon, steaks, burgers, and more. On average, Americans consume 274 pounds of meat each year. The amount of beef produced only in 2021 was 27.95 million pounds. This desire for meat has increased the demand for meat processing equipment. That explains why the Somerset SMS-60 Countertop Manual Meat Shredder, after a grinder and tumbler, is also on the best-selling commercial restaurant equipment list.
A meat shredder is a commercial manual food cutter used for pulling apart pork shoulders, chicken breasts, or other large meat pieces. Somerset SMS-60 is a countertop meat shredder operated manually with a crank. Its stainless steel construction can withstand heavy use in restaurants or food processing facilities, with an hourly capacity of 400 pounds of meat, chicken, beef, or pork an hour. The cooked products go into the shredder and come out as pulled meats, perfect for sandwiches, salads, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and pizza toppings.
Somerset SMS-60 Countertop Manual Meat Shredder is simple and safe to operate and clean. You drop the meat into its chamber so your hands always remain far from the claws inside the machine. The suction cup feet firmly fix the unit on a countertop. As you turn the manual crank, the products fall into the bucket underneath. This simple design also prevents mess and waste during operation. Besides, you can dismount the parts in seconds for washing and servicing.
9. Somerset SPM-45 Manual Pastry and Turnover Machine
Somerset Industries is a leader in dough processing equipment. Since 1946, the company has developed dough sheeters, rounders, and rollers that have won the favor of millions of users. Somerset SPM-45 Manual Pastry and Turnover Machine is up for becoming the brand’s flagship product. Now that the machine is on the best-selling commercial restaurant equipment list, it would be fair to say Somerset SPM-45 deserves this candidacy.
Somerset SPM-45 Manual Pastry and Turnover Machine is an all-in-one unit that can fold, crimp, trim, and seal dough products. It has an unparalleled production capacity with up to 800 pieces per hour. The finished products consistently have a perfect seal, removing the need for egg wash, oil, or other sealants. This compact and versatile machine is ideal for facilities serving empanadas, lahmajoons, fried pies, patty cakes, pastries, Texas meat pies, turnovers, and more.
Somerset SPM-45 Manual Pastry and Turnover Machine’s sturdy stainless steel construction promises a one-time life-long investment. Its hassle-free operation with a manual crank guarantees savings on time, human labor, and craft. Any person can learn the process in seconds. You simply place your dough on the die, add your customer’s choice filling on it, and rotate the handle. The perfectly sealed product will drop on the tray. The unit comes with custom-designed dies in various shapes and sizes.
10. Kelvinator KCCF210WH 70” Solid Door Chest Freezer, 21 cu. ft.
Here’s the second chest freezer on 2021’s best-selling commercial restaurant equipment list. While the former, from Adcraft, has a glass door, Kelvinator KCCF210WH has a solid door. Kelvinator is a brand name specializing in cooling solutions operating under the corporate umbrella of Electrolux. Its products are preferred for their highest-grade stainless steel construction with an extended lifespan requiring minimum maintenance costs. Before reaching end users, all the products go through a strict multi-step quality control process. Kelvinator KCCF210WH 70” Solid Door Chest Freezer is no exception, of course.
Solid door chest freezers may not be as attractive as glass door chest freezers, but their primary purpose is not to showcase but to store frozen products in bulk. The solid doors also increase temperature retention inside the cabinet. Kelvinator KCCF210WH 70” Chest Freezer has a sealed cabinet interior and foamed lift-up lid with a lock to keep the stored product at safe temperatures all the time. This thick insulation and sturdy construction reduce the energy consumption needed to cool down the unit. The freezer’s self-contained refrigeration circulates eco-friendly R290 hydrocarbon refrigerant to cool the unit within its temperature range of -15 to +10 degrees F.
Kelvinator KCCF210WH 70” Solid Door Chest Freezer is two jumps ahead of its competitors with its spacious storage capacity. You can stock up to 21 cubic feet of frozen food – that means a whole cow – only in a 70-inch horizontal footprint. The wire storage basket inside the cabinet helps organize the unit’s contents. This Kelvinator chest freezer has four heavy-duty casters, two with locks, for portability and fixing where needed. You can easily prevent excess water pileup using the defrost drain on the bottom. Finally, the freezer can create a modern look in your facility with its all-white interior and exterior finish.
The Bottom Line
Customer demands may change in the foodservice business depending on food and beverage consumption trends, and seasonal variations play a significant role, too. This top 10 best-selling commercial restaurant equipment list also implies that meat, frozen products, slushies, turnovers, and tortillas were trendy in 2021. Operators purchased chest freezers, pastry machines, meat-processing units, frozen beverage machines, and corn tortilla machines to meet increasing customer demands and boost profits. Chef’s Deal is cordially thankful to all the shoppers and manufacturers as your high-quality commercial restaurant equipment supplier. We are committed to providing you with whatever you need to run your business.
“Running a kitchen is your job; keeping it running is ours.”
