How much should a small commercial kitchen fit-out cost in Australia?

It varies enormously with menu, site condition and whether you need mechanical services. The more useful budgeting exercise is to price your equipment list plus 25–40% for freight, trades and installation, and to get a fabrication quote for benches, sinks and shelving rather than assuming standard sizes will fit.

Should I buy used commercial kitchen equipment?

Used can make sense for simple stainless items such as benches, shelving and trolleys. It is a much riskier proposition for refrigeration, ovens and anything with electronics, where a single failure often exceeds the saving.

What equipment needs three-phase power?

Larger spiral and planetary mixers, many deck and rack ovens, and larger refrigeration and dishwashing plant commonly require three phase. Always confirm your site supply before ordering, as retrofitting three phase is expensive.

Commercial Kitchen Equipment Buying Guide for Australian Operators

A practical, vendor-neutral framework for specifying and buying commercial kitchen equipment in Australia, from first budget to installation day.

9 min read · Updated August 2026

Start with the menu, not the catalogue

Every good kitchen specification starts from the menu and the covers you intend to serve at peak, then works backwards to equipment. Buying from a catalogue first almost always produces a kitchen with an expensive appliance nobody uses and a bottleneck at the one station that matters.

Write out your peak-hour service: what leaves the pass, in what order, from which station. The equipment list falls out of that document, and so does the honest answer to whether you need a combi oven or another two metres of bench.

Budget the whole cost, not the purchase price

The purchase price is typically 60–75% of what a piece of equipment actually costs you in its first year. The rest is freight, installation, electrical or gas work, any building modification, staff training and consumables.

Freight — bulky items travel on pallet freight and cost more than most operators budget
Installation and trades — electrical, gas fitting, plumbing, exhaust
Site access — measure every doorway, lift and corner on the delivery path
Power supply — larger equipment often requires three-phase
Running cost — energy, water and consumables over the asset's life

The five specification mistakes we see most

First, undersized refrigeration: operators size to an average day rather than a delivery day and then run out of cold storage every Tuesday. Second, ignoring ambient temperature — a fridge rated for a 32 °C ambient placed beside a cook line in an Australian summer will run continuously and fail early.

Third, no landing space. A benchtop appliance with nowhere to put the pan going in or coming out creates a permanent traffic jam. Fourth, mismatched tray and rack sizes, which quietly wastes labour on every single bake. Fifth, buying to today's volume rather than the volume you are actively planning for in two years.

New, used or fabricated to measure

New equipment carries a warranty and predictable lead time. Used gear can be a genuine saving on simple mechanical items, but it is a poor bet on refrigeration and anything with a control board.

Fabrication is the underused option. Benches, sinks, shelving and stands built to your exact dimensions cost less than most operators assume and remove the compromise of forcing standard sizes into a non-standard room. If a wall run is 2,340 mm, a 2,340 mm bench uses it all.

Plan the installation day before you order

Confirm delivery access, the trades you need on site, and who is present to accept and inspect the delivery. Inspect for freight damage before signing. Photograph anything questionable immediately — a claim is far easier with evidence taken at the tailgate than a week later.

Frequently asked questions

How much should a small commercial kitchen fit-out cost in Australia?: It varies enormously with menu, site condition and whether you need mechanical services. The more useful budgeting exercise is to price your equipment list plus 25–40% for freight, trades and installation, and to get a fabrication quote for benches, sinks and shelving rather than assuming standard sizes will fit.
Should I buy used commercial kitchen equipment?: Used can make sense for simple stainless items such as benches, shelving and trolleys. It is a much riskier proposition for refrigeration, ovens and anything with electronics, where a single failure often exceeds the saving.
What equipment needs three-phase power?: Larger spiral and planetary mixers, many deck and rack ovens, and larger refrigeration and dishwashing plant commonly require three phase. Always confirm your site supply before ordering, as retrofitting three phase is expensive.