Independent restaurants
A single hood, one cooking line and a short, well-chosen equipment list keep the opening budget under control.
Restaurant and café kitchens · Equipment by zone
Restaurant Kitchen Equipment in Dubai
Restaurant kitchen equipment falls into six zones: cold storage, preparation, the cooking line, the pass, wash-up and front-of-house service. A small café needs far less than a mid-size restaurant, and your menu decides most of the list. FIAMMA supplies cooking, prep, chilling, washing and pantry equipment, plus custom SUS304 stainless counters, shelves and hoods made to your drawing.
Most restaurant owners start an equipment list from a catalogue and end up with a kitchen that has too many fryers and no room to put down a tray. The better way is to start from the menu, then follow the food through the building: in at the back door, into the cold store, onto the prep table, over the cooking line, across the pass, and then the dirty plates back to the wash-up.
This page walks through that route zone by zone, shows a worked equipment list for a small café and a mid-size restaurant, explains how cuisine changes the list, and covers the decisions (gas or electric, power, ventilation, drainage) that are cheap to settle before ordering and expensive to fix afterwards. If you already have a menu and a floor plan, go straight to the quote request. For the wider range across every kitchen type, see our commercial kitchen equipment hub.
What equipment does a restaurant kitchen need, zone by zone?
Think of the kitchen as six zones that food passes through in order. Every appliance belongs to one of them, and the zone you have not thought about is usually the one that causes trouble in the first month of trading.
| Zone | What it has to do | Typical equipment | FIAMMA items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving and cold storage | Take in deliveries and hold chilled and frozen food at a safe temperature | Upright or walk-in chillers and freezers, dry-store shelving, a receiving table | Meat chiller, upright freezer, wall-mounted shelves |
| Preparation | Wash, cut, portion and mix ingredients | Prep tables with sinks, food processor, vegetable cutter, slicer, dough mixer | Food processor, vegetable cutter, precision meat slicer, infill table |
| Cooking line | Boil, fry, grill, roast and bake under one extraction hood | Range, fryers, griddle or grill, combi oven, bratt pan, shawarma machine | Gas cooking range, double-well fryer, combi oven, extraction hood |
| Pass and plating | Hold plates, check them and hand them to service | Pass counter, heated shelf or lamps, plating tables | Pickup counter, sliding-door wall cabinet |
| Wash-up | Clear dirty ware, pre-rinse, wash, dry and return it clean | Pre-rinse spray, sink unit, dishwasher, clean-ware shelving, grease trap | Pre-rinse spray unit, hood-type dishwasher, grease trap |
| Front-of-house service | Coffee, juice, desserts and display | Espresso machine, juicer, blender, display chiller, service counter | Espresso machine, citrus juicer, pastry display chiller |
What does a worked equipment list look like for a café and a restaurant?
The two lists below are illustrative, not a specification. They show how the equipment grows with the menu. The café column assumes a compact room of roughly 30 to 40 seats with a short menu. The restaurant column assumes roughly 80 to 100 seats with a full hot kitchen. Your menu, volumes and the space you are given will change both.
| Zone | Small café (about 30 to 40 seats) | Mid-size restaurant (about 80 to 100 seats) |
|---|---|---|
| Cold storage | One upright chiller, one upright freezer, an undercounter fridge at the coffee station | Walk-in chiller and freezer (or two to three upright units of each), a meat chiller, undercounter fridges along the line |
| Preparation | One stainless prep table with sink, a food processor, a slicer if you serve sandwiches | Two to three prep tables, a separate vegetable sink, food processor, vegetable cutter, slicer, and a dough mixer if you bake bread or pizza |
| Cooking line | Two to four burners or induction tops, a tabletop fryer, a small combi oven, about 1.2 to 2.4 m of hood | Six-burner range plus griddle, double-well fryer, combi oven, a bratt pan for sauces and stews, about 3 to 6 m of hood |
| Pass and plating | A single pickup counter with a shelf above | Pickup counter with heated shelf, plating tables, an order rail, wall cabinets for plates |
| Wash-up | Pre-rinse spray, double sink, undercounter or small hood-type dishwasher | Pre-rinse spray, sink unit, hood-type dishwasher, clean-ware shelving, grease trap under the sinks |
| Front-of-house service | Espresso machine, blender, pastry display chiller | Espresso machine, juicer, blender, display chiller, stainless service counter |
How does your cuisine change the equipment list?
Two restaurants with the same number of seats can need very different kitchens. The concept decides which part of the line gets heavy, which in turn decides the hood, the gas supply and the cold storage.
| Concept | What gets heavier | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Grill-heavy (steaks, burgers, mixed grill) | Grill or griddle, meat storage, slicing and portioning | A heavier hood duty class, a gas cooking range with room for a grill, and plenty of meat chiller space |
| Fry-heavy (fried chicken, fish, snacks) | Several fryers, a fries warmer, oil handling | Double-well fryers and a french fries warmer; about 300 mm of hood overhang over the fryers; a place to store and collect used oil |
| Arabic and shawarma | Shawarma machine, grills, ovens for bread, a lot of meat and vegetable prep | A shawarma machine on the line, a large prep zone and chilled meat storage; confirm the gas arrangement and hood coverage for open-flame cooking |
| Bakery-café | Oven capacity, dough work, display | A bakery deck oven, a spiral dough mixer and a pastry display chiller; more in our bakery equipment guide |
| Pizza | Oven, dough mixer, topping station | A pizza and salad prep table, a stone-hearth oven (check the temperature your dough style needs) and space for dough proving |
How much equipment do you need for your number of covers?
Seat count alone is a poor sizing number. Peak covers per hour, the size of the menu and how often you take deliveries matter more. Treat the points below as indicative starting positions for a conversation with your consultant, not as design rules.
- Kitchen area. In a full-service restaurant the kitchen, including storage and wash-up, commonly takes around 30 to 40 percent of the total floor area. A café with a short menu can go lower.
- Peak covers. An 80-seat room that fills during a busy hour might send roughly 50 to 70 covers an hour to the kitchen. Size each station for that peak, not for the daily average.
- Cooking line. A short café menu is often served from about 1.2 to 2.4 m of line. A full restaurant menu commonly runs to 3 to 6 m. The hood length follows the line, so settle this early; see our kitchen hoods page.
- Dishwashing. A hood-type dishwasher commonly handles in the region of 40 to 60 racks an hour. One machine is often enough up to roughly a hundred seats if ware is pre-rinsed and racks are loaded quickly. Busier rooms add a second machine.
- Cold storage. Size it by delivery frequency: daily deliveries need less volume than two a week, and a short menu needs less than a long one. Chilled food is normally held at or below about 5 °C and frozen food at about -18 °C.
- Room to grow. Leave a gap in the line for one more appliance. It costs a few hundred millimetres of stainless and saves a refit later.
How should the kitchen layout and workflow run?
A good layout lets a cook work a full service without crossing another cook's path. The details differ by room, but the sequence below holds for most restaurants.
- Draw the flow before you place a single appliance. Food should move one way: receiving, cold store, prep, cooking, pass. Dirty ware returns by a separate route.
- Keep raw and ready-to-eat food apart. Raw meat and vegetable prep should sit away from the pass and from cold dishes, with separate boards and sinks. Food-safety authorities commonly expect this separation.
- Put the cooking line in one straight run under one hood. Fryers and grills sit towards the ends, away from doors and drafts that disturb capture. Check the hood sizing guide before you fix the line length.
- Place the pass between kitchen and service. The cook should see the floor, and the waiter should never need to walk into the cooking line. About 1 m between facing work lines is a common minimum aisle.
- Route dirty ware to the wash-up without crossing the clean line. Put the pre-rinse, sink and dishwasher in one sequence, with clean-ware shelving at the end nearest to where plates are used.
- Check clearances on the drawing. Door swings, service access behind refrigeration, the hood duct collar, floor drains and the delivery route into the kitchen. Fixing these on paper costs nothing.
What should you settle before ordering equipment?
These four decisions change which model you buy, so make them before you order, not after the equipment arrives.
- Gas or electric. Gas suits ranges, fryers and open-flame cooking, and many chefs prefer it. Electric is simpler where gas cannot be run. Our gas cooking range is supplied for LPG as standard, with natural gas jetting available. Tell your landlord and consultant early which fuel you need, as the building decides what is possible.
- Power load. Add up the electrical load of everything on the list, including fridges, dishwasher, combi oven and coffee machine. Commercial supply in the UAE is commonly 400 V three-phase at 50 Hz, but what your unit actually receives depends on the building. Send your MEP contractor the list.
- Ventilation. The cooking line sets how much air the hood must extract, and the kitchen needs make-up air to replace it. A medium-duty line of ranges and fryers is often planned at roughly 1,700 m³/h per metre of hood. Your consultant confirms the final figure.
- Drainage. Floor drains, sinks and the dishwasher all need a route to the sewer, and grease-bearing drains normally need a grease trap. Mark every drain on the plan before the slab is poured or the floor tiled.
Custom stainless steel, and what to send for a restaurant quote
Many restaurants end up with an awkward corner, a wall that is not square or a pass that has to fit a specific opening. That is where custom stainless pays for itself. FIAMMA's custom-fabricated range covers prep and infill tables, pickup counters, wall shelves, sliding-door wall cabinets and extraction hoods, all in SUS304 stainless made to your drawing. For fitted storage, see commercial kitchen cabinets, and for material questions see stainless steel kitchen equipment.
To get an accurate quotation, send as much of the following as you have:
- Your menu or concept description, and number of seats.
- The floor plan, as a PDF or CAD drawing, or a dimensioned sketch.
- Which fuel and power are available, and the MEP drawings if they exist.
- Any comments from your consultant, landlord or authority.
- Your target opening date, so we can sequence the order.
Where it is used
Cafés and coffee shops
Compact prep, a display chiller, an espresso station and a small hot line, laid out to fit a tight unit.
Quick-service and fast-casual outlets
Fryer-led lines with a fries warmer and a simple pass, designed for speed and repeatability.
Shawarma and grill restaurants
Open-flame cooking, heavy meat prep and chilled meat storage planned together with the hood.
Bakery-cafés and pizzerias
Deck oven, dough mixer and display chiller sized to the trays you plan to bake each day.
Cloud and dark kitchens
A tight cooking line, strong cold storage and a pass built around packing and dispatch.
Benefits
A list built from your menu
Equipment is chosen to match what you cook, so you do not pay for machines the menu will never use.
Custom stainless to your drawing
Counters, shelves, cabinets and hoods are cut to the room, so there are no dead gaps or awkward fits.
One SUS304 finish across the kitchen
Matching stainless on tables, shelving and hoods makes the kitchen easier to clean and to inspect.
Early answers on gas, power, ventilation and drainage
The questions that affect your MEP drawings are raised at the equipment stage, when changes are cheap.
Supply across all seven emirates
One supplier for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates, with a single point of contact.
Related products
Equipment from the FIAMMA range that goes with this page.
Commercial Gas Cooking Range
Heavy-duty open-burner gas cooking range built on a fully welded SUS304 stainless steel frame for continuous high-volume service. Cast-iron pan supports, independent burner valves, and an optional oven base combine high-heat output with the durability commercial kitchens demand day after day.
Cooking EquipmentView details →
Double Well Deep Fryer
Professional heavy-duty double well electric deep fryer designed for high-capacity commercial kitchens. Manufactured from premium grade SUS304 stainless steel to ensure longevity, hygiene, and resistance to corrosion. Features independent thermostatic control for each well, allowing you to cook different menu items at optimal temperatures simultaneously. Equipped with safety thermostats, cool-zone technology to prolong oil life, and heavy-duty wire mesh baskets.
Cooking EquipmentView details →
Commercial Combi Oven
High-performance smart combi oven combining convection heating and steam injection for versatile cooking, roasting, baking, and steaming. Features an advanced touch-screen control panel, automated washing cycle, precise humidity control, and multi-point core temperature probe. Ideal for high-end restaurants, hotels, and catering centers demanding consistency and speed.
Cooking EquipmentView details →
Heavy-Duty Shawarma Machine
Commercial-grade vertical broiler shawarma machine with high-efficiency infrared burners. Features dynamic adjustable spits, a robust electric motor located at the bottom to protect it from heat, and a sliding heat reflector system for precise cooking. Complete with a grease collection tray and stainless steel meat shovel.
Cooking EquipmentView details →
Stainless Steel Kitchen Extraction Hood with Water Mist Suppression
Heavy-duty SUS304 stainless steel extraction canopy engineered for high-heat commercial cooking lines. Integrated baffle grease filters, welded drip channels, and an optional built-in water mist fire suppression manifold contain grease-laden vapor and suppress flare-ups at the source, keeping kitchens compliant with UAE Civil Defence fire-safety codes.
Custom Fabricated EquipmentView details →
Stainless Steel Pick-up Counter
Custom-made pass-through pickup counter for food presentation and plating. Engineered with a smooth satin-finish top, heavy-duty structural frame, and integrated overhead pass shelf options. Easily integrates hot cupboards, neutral storage, or drawer units below.
Custom Fabricated EquipmentView details →
Commercial Food Processor
Heavy-duty commercial food processor and vegetable prep machine. Features a wide hopper for large ingredients, continuous feed chute, and safety micro-switches to prevent operation when open. Comes with interchangeable disc blades for slicing, dicing, grating, shredding, and julienning.
Preparation EquipmentView details →
Commercial Upright Freezer
Single-door commercial upright freezer with forced-air ventilated cooling. Built with thick cyclopenthane insulation, self-closing magnetic door gaskets, digital control panel, and adjustable heavy-duty shelves. Designed to operate efficiently in hot kitchen environments up to 43°C ambient temperature.
Cooling and Display EquipmentView details →
Industrial Hood Type Dishwasher
Heavy-duty commercial pass-through hood type dishwasher designed for inline installations with entry and exit tables. Features a high-pressure wash pump, automated dosing pump for rinse aid and detergent, 3 wash programs (60, 90, 120 seconds), and built-in booster heater for 85°C sanitizing final rinse.
Washing Equipment and Sink UnitView details →
Frequently asked questions
What equipment do I need to open a restaurant kitchen in Dubai?
At minimum: cold storage, prep tables and sinks, a cooking line under an extraction hood, a pass, a wash-up with a dishwasher and grease trap, and any front-of-house coffee or display equipment. The exact list depends on your menu, which is why the table above is split by zone and concept.
How much does restaurant kitchen equipment cost?
It depends on the menu, the size of the kitchen and the finish. We do not publish prices on this page. Send your menu and plan, and ask for an itemised quotation so you can see each item. Our cost guide explains what drives the total.
Should I choose gas or electric equipment?
Gas is common for ranges, fryers and open-flame cooking, and electric is common for ovens, dishwashers and refrigeration. The deciding factor is often what the building can supply. Check with your landlord and consultant first.
Do I need a hood over every appliance?
Cooking equipment that produces heat, smoke or grease usually does. Dishwashers and some ovens may need a steam or condensate arrangement instead. Your consultant decides this for the layout. See our page on kitchen hoods for how hoods are sized.
How many fryers do I need?
It depends on how much of the menu is fried and how fast it has to be served. A café often needs one tabletop fryer. A fry-heavy restaurant may need several double-well units so that one oil type is never shared between fish, chicken and fries.
Can you make custom stainless counters and tables to my drawing?
Yes. Prep tables, infill tables, pickup counters, wall shelves, wall cabinets and extraction hoods are custom-fabricated to your drawing in SUS304 stainless steel.
What approvals does a restaurant kitchen need?
Restaurant fit-outs commonly go through food-safety review, fire and life-safety review and utility approvals. The requirements depend on the emirate, the building and the type of cooking. Confirm the route with your consultant and the authority rather than assume it.
Can I buy only some of the equipment from you?
Yes. You can order the pieces that suit your list, such as the hood and the stainless fabrication, and buy the rest elsewhere. What matters is that dimensions, utilities and clearances are agreed across all suppliers.
What should I send to get a quotation?
Your menu or concept, seat count, the floor plan, the available fuel and power, and any consultant or authority comments. You can send them through the contact page or on WhatsApp.
Do you supply restaurants outside Dubai?
Yes. We supply across the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain.
Related guides and solutions
Planning a restaurant or café kitchen?
Send your menu and floor plan. We will go through the list zone by zone and come back with an itemised quotation.
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