Learn how to set up a Commercial Kitchen in Melbourne. Use this checklist from MRCE, covering refrigeration, cooking, dishwashing, benching…etc to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

How to Set Up a Commercial Kitchen in Melbourne

Opening a restaurant, café, or food business in Melbourne is one of the most exciting and logistically complex things you can do. Between council approvals, lease negotiations, fit-out costs, staff recruitment, and menu development, the equipment side of the equation can easily become an afterthought. That’s when expensive mistakes get made.

The wrong commercial kitchen setup costs you in ways that compound. Bottlenecks in the workflow slow down service. Undersized refrigeration means food safety compromises or constant re-ordering. Choosing the wrong dishwasher means your kitchen can’t turn over crockery quick enough at peak. And buying cheap equipment that breaks down within 18 months means paying for the same purchase twice.

This guide is the definitive equipment checklist for anyone setting up a commercial kitchen in Melbourne. It covers every major category: refrigeration, cooking, dishwashing, benching and shelving, food preparation, and countertop equipment, with direct links to each category in our online store so you can start building your list today.

We’ve structured it as a working checklist you can move through section by section. Print it out, adapt it to your concept, and use it as your shopping framework.

About Melbourne Refrigeration and Catering Equipment: We’ve been supplying commercial kitchens across Melbourne and Victoria since 1984. From single pieces of equipment to full kitchen fit-outs, our team at 15 Station Street, Dandenong, offers obligation-free advice, product recommendations, and onsite consultations. Call us on (03) 9794 8627 or email sales@melbournerefrigeration.com.au.

Before You Buy: The Golden Rule of Commercial Kitchen Planning

Before we get into the checklist, here is a principle that will save you thousands: design your kitchen workflow first, then choose equipment to match it, not the other way around.

The workflow in a commercial kitchen moves in one direction: food in → prep → cook → plate → service → clean. Every piece of equipment you choose should support the smooth, uninterrupted movement of food and people along that line. Equipment positioned against the workflow, a prep fridge on the wrong side of the kitchen, a fryer too close to the pass, a dishwasher that creates a bottleneck, costs you time and money every single service.

Map out your floor plan. Mark the delivery entry point, the cool room or main refrigeration, the prep area, the cook line, the pass, and the wash-up area. Then build your equipment list around that map.

With that principle in mind, here is your complete equipment checklist.

The Complete Equipment Checklist for New Restaurants

Category 1: Commercial Refrigeration

Refrigeration is the foundation of food safety in any commercial kitchen. Getting it right means understanding that you likely need multiple types, each serving a distinct purpose. Browse our full commercial refrigeration range or use the checklist below.

Upright storage fridge: Your main cold storage for bulk ingredients, meats, dairy, vegetables, and prepped products. Choose a solid door for energy efficiency; size up by at least 20% to avoid overcrowding.

Upright display fridge: front-of-house glass-door fridges for drinks, grab-and-go food, or displayed product. LED lighting and adjustable shelving are essential features.

Underbench refrigeration: For every prep station. One of the highest-impact workflow decisions you’ll make, cold ingredients exactly where your team needs them, no wasted steps.

Sandwich / pizza prep fridge:  If your concept involves any form of fresh assembly, sandwiches, wraps, pizza, or salads, a refrigerated prep counter with an ingredient well on top is non-negotiable.

Upright storage freezer or chest freezer:  For bulk frozen storage. Chest freezers are more energy efficient for long-term storage; uprights suit operations that need frequent, organised access.

Blast chiller:  If you’re cooking in batches for storage and service across multiple days, a blast chiller is a food safety and efficiency essential, not a luxury. See our full guide on blast chillers vs freezers for more details.

Bar fridge (if applicable): For bars, function rooms, or beverage service areas, low-profile undercounter units that keep stock cold and accessible behind the bar.

Ice machine: Most service kitchens need a dedicated ice supply. Size to your peak demand, bars need significantly more ice than a café.

Explore: Upright Storage Fridges  |  Underbench Refrigeration  |  Blast Chillers  |  Sandwich Prep Fridges  |  Ice Machines

Category 2: Commercial Cooking Equipment

Your cooking lineup defines your menu capability. Choose equipment that matches your concept, not a wishlist of everything that looks good in a catalogue. Every unnecessary piece of equipment is floor space consumed and capital tied up. Browse our full commercial cooking equipment range.

Oven range (gas or electric):  The centrepiece of most commercial cook lines. 4-burner or 6-burner, depending on volume. Gas remains the preferred choice for most professional kitchens for control and cost; induction is gaining ground in energy-conscious operations.

Combi oven / convection oven:  A combi oven is arguably the most versatile piece of cooking equipment available, steam, convection, or combination. Essential for volume cooking, roasting, reheating, and baking. If your budget allows one premium item, this is often it.

Deep fryer: Required for any kitchen serving fried food. Size to your peak demand, undersized fryers during a dinner rush are a common bottleneck. Consider twin-pan configurations for diverse menus.

Chargrill or griddle plate: For kitchens with a grill focus, burgers, steak, chicken, breakfast. Chargrills deliver flavour; griddle plates offer versatility and easier cleaning.

Salamander / overhead grill: For finishing, glazing, toasting, and browning, a salamander is a small investment that gives your cook line significant added capability without taking up much space.

Canopy / range hood  Non-negotiable under Australian building and food safety codes. Size your extraction hood correctly for the cooking equipment below it — undersized canopies are a compliance fail and a health risk.

Explore: Oven Ranges  |  Combi Ovens  |  Deep Fryers  |  Chargrills  |  Salamanders  |  Canopy Range Hoods

Category 3: Countertop Equipment

Countertop equipment fills the gaps, the specialised tools that sit on benches and service stations, handling the tasks your main equipment can’t. Don’t underestimate this category. A missing bain marie or a broken coffee machine during service can be as catastrophic as a broken oven. Browse our full countertop equipment range.

Discover Our Countertop Equipment Range

✔  Bain marie for keeping cooked food at safe serving temperatures. Essential for buffet operations, cafeteria-style service, and any kitchen holding food across extended service periods.

✔  Pie warmer / heated display  For cafés, service stations, and food retail environments. A quality heated display case keeps pastries, pies, and hot snacks at the right temperature while presenting them attractively.

✔  Coffee machine (if applicable)  For cafés and restaurants with a serious coffee program. Choose a commercial machine, not a domestic or prosumer unit, with the group head count matched to your expected volume.

✔  Microwave: A commercial-grade microwave for rapid reheating, defrosting, and backup tasks on the line. More useful than many operators expect, commercial units are significantly more powerful and durable than domestic versions.

✔  Toaster / grill station  For cafés and breakfast venues, a commercial conveyor or contact toaster handles volume that a domestic toaster simply cannot.

Explore: Bain Maries  |  Pie Warmers  |  Coffee Machines  |  All Countertop Equipment

Category 4: Benching and Shelving

Stainless steel benching is the skeleton of your kitchen. Everything else is built around it. Getting your bench configuration wrong, wrong heights, wrong depths, not enough surface area, creates ergonomic problems and workflow inefficiencies that compound over every service. Browse our full benching and shelving range.

Discover Our Benching and Shelving Options

Stainless steel prep benches:  The primary work surface for every section of your kitchen. Standard commercial height is 900mm. Choose benches with upturned edges to contain spills, and adjustable feet for uneven floors, extremely common in older Melbourne commercial buildings.

Sink bench (single or double bowl): You need a dedicated sink in the prep area, separate from the dishwash area. A double-bowl sink bench with splashback is the standard configuration, one bowl for washing produce, one for thawing. Verify your council health requirements for sink placement.

Shelving:  Wall-mounted or freestanding shelving for dry storage, smallwares, and frequently accessed stock. Chrome wire shelving is the standard for food environments, easy to clean, and doesn’t trap moisture.

Kitchen trolleys: for moving products between sections efficiently, from the cool room to the prep bench, from dishwash to the storage. Often overlooked in initial planning, genuinely missed once service starts.

Explore: Benching Options  |  Sinks  |  Shelving  |  Kitchen Trolleys

Category 5: Dishwashing Equipment

The wash-up area is the most underinvested section in most new restaurant fit-outs, and the one that causes the most pain once you’re operational. A dishwasher that can’t keep up with your crockery and glass throughput at peak service will bring your entire kitchen to a standstill. Get this right. Browse our full dishwashing range.

Discover Our Dishwashing Equipment Range

The rule of thumb: size your dishwasher for your busiest service, not your average service. A machine that can barely keep up on a quiet Tuesday will completely fail you on a busy Friday night. Underinvesting in dishwashing is one of the most common, and most expensive, mistakes new operators make.

Undercounter dishwasher: The standard choice for small to medium restaurants and cafés. Fits under a bench, handles 30–40 racks per hour, depending on the model. Fast cycle times are essential — look for sub-2-minute wash cycles.

Passthrough dishwasher: for higher-volume operations. A rack slides in one side, washed crockery comes out the other, continuous throughput rather than batch washing. Essential for busy restaurants, hotels, and event venues.

Glasswasher:  If you’re running a bar, a dedicated glasswasher is a worthwhile investment — gentler wash cycles protect glassware, and a dedicated machine keeps your glass throughput separate from the kitchen dishwash workflow.

Pre-rinse spray arm:  A high-pressure pre-rinse unit at the dishwash station dramatically reduces the load on your dishwasher and speeds up the whole process. Small cost, significant impact.

Inlet and outlet bench:  Your dishwasher needs a wet bench on the inlet side (for stacking dirty crockery) and a dry bench on the outlet side (for stacking clean crockery). These are often missed in initial fit-out planning and retrofitted at cost.

Explore: Undercounter Dishwashers  |  Passthrough Dishwashers  |  Glasswashers

Category 6: Food Preparation Equipment

Food prep equipment is where menu-specific requirements diverge most significantly. A bakery needs completely different prep equipment than a steakhouse. Use this section as a starting point and adapt it to your concept. Browse our full food preparation equipment range.

Commercial food processor or cutter: for volume vegetable prep, sauces, and blended preparations. A commercial processor is dramatically faster and more consistent than hand prep, critical when you’re preparing for covers.

Commercial mixer: Essential for bakeries and any kitchen producing dough, batters, or whipped preparations at volume. Planetary mixers handle most tasks; spiral mixers are better for heavy bread and pizza doughs.

Commercial slicer:  If your menu includes charcuterie, deli meats, or any product requiring consistently sliced portions, a commercial slicer pays for itself quickly in labour and consistency.

Cutting boards (colour-coded set):  Australian food safety standards require colour-coded cutting boards to prevent cross-contamination — red for raw meat, yellow for poultry, green for vegetables, blue for seafood, white for bakery/dairy. Non-negotiable.

Scales: Portion control is the difference between consistent food cost and profit margin erosion. Commercial digital scales at every prep station keep portioning accurate and food cost predictable.

Explore: Food Processors and Cutters  |  Commercial Mixers  |  Slicers and Mincers  |  All Food Prep Equipment

Common Mistakes New Operators Make (And How to Avoid Them)

After 40 years of helping Melbourne kitchens set up and scale, we’ve seen the same mistakes made repeatedly. Here are the most costly ones and how to sidestep them:

Buying equipment before finalising the floor plan. Equipment that doesn’t fit, can’t be serviced, or disrupts workflow costs you far more than the sticker price. Plan first, buy second.

Undersizing refrigeration. Operators consistently underestimate how much cold storage they need once they’re in full operation. Overcommitting on fridge capacity costs very little extra; undercommitting costs food safety and service speed.

Skipping the blast chiller. If you’re cooking in batches, and most kitchens do eventually, starting without a blast chiller creates food safety exposure from day one and forces inefficient workflow.

Ignoring the dishwasher area. An underpowered dishwasher is one of the most common causes of service breakdown. It’s the last thing operators want to spend money on and the first thing they regret skimping on.

Choosing domestic equipment to save money. Domestic appliances are not built for commercial use. They break down faster, their warranties are voided in commercial environments, and they create compliance issues with food safety inspectors.

Not planning for maintenance access. Every piece of equipment needs a service technician to access the back, sides, or internals at some point. Equipment jammed tight against walls with no clearance becomes a service nightmare.

Finance Options: You Don’t Have to Buy Everything Upfront

A complete commercial kitchen fit-out is a significant capital investment. But it doesn’t have to be all upfront. MRCE offers finance options that allow you to acquire the equipment your operation needs, from a single underbench fridge to a full kitchen fit-out, and spread the cost over time. It’s a conversation worth having before you start making compromises on the equipment list to fit a cash budget.

We also stock a curated range of quality refurbished equipment, fully serviced, tested, and backed by our team, which offers significant savings for back-of-house equipment where brand-new aesthetics aren’t a priority. Ask us about what’s currently available when you contact our team.

Talk to the MRCE Team, Obligation Free!

Setting up a commercial kitchen is one of the most significant investments you’ll make in your hospitality business. Getting the equipment right the first time, the right types, the right sizes, the right layout, is the difference between a kitchen that performs and one that constantly fights you.

Our team at Melbourne Refrigeration and Catering Equipment has been helping Melbourne operators get it right since 1984. We know commercial kitchens because we’ve been supplying them, advising on them, and servicing them for four decades. We offer obligation-free advice, product recommendations, and onsite consultations, whether you’re fitting out one section or a complete kitchen.

Visit our showroom or reach out today, our team is ready to assist with professional advice, product recommendations, and onsite consultations, obligation-free.

Phone : (03) 9794 8627

Fax : (03) 9794 7258

Email : sales@melbournerefrigeration.com.au

Address : 15 Station Street, Dandenong, Victoria 3175

Ready to start? Browse our full range of commercial kitchen equipment online or come in and talk to us at our Dandenong showroom. We’ll help you build the right list for your concept, your budget, and your workflow, and make sure nothing critical gets left off.