Melbourne runs on coffee, and the cafés that serve it run on gear that has to work every single morning. Choosing commercial kitchen equipment for Melbourne cafés is less about buying the fanciest machine and more about picking the right size, the right power supply, and a supplier who will still answer the phone when something stops working. This guide walks through what a café kitchen really needs, what it tends to cost, and the questions worth asking before you sign anything.

What a Melbourne café kitchen actually needs

Most café menus are built on toasted sandwiches, eggs, cakes and a solid coffee program, so the equipment list is shorter than a full restaurant fitout but works much harder per square metre.

The core list usually looks like this. An espresso machine and grinder. An underbench fridge near the coffee station for milk. An upright or display fridge for cabinet food. A small freezer for backup stock. A grill plate or panini press. A compact oven or combi. A dishwasher with a fast cycle. Plus benches, sinks and a handwash basin to keep your council inspection painless.

Where cafés get caught out is the gear nobody puts on the opening list: a milk fridge close enough to the barista that they are not walking three steps every order, or a second underbench unit so the morning rush does not empty your only fridge by ten. Our essential café equipment checklist goes through this room by room, and the guide to essential equipment for starting a new café is worth reading if you are still at the lease stage.

Choosing Commercial Kitchen Equipment for Melbourne Cafés: what to look for

Four things decide whether a piece of gear earns its spot.

Size: Measure the doorway, the corridor and the gap between benches, not just the space where the unit will sit. A fridge that will not fit through a Brunswick shopfront door is an expensive lesson.

Power: Plenty of older shops in Fitzroy, Richmond and along the Dandenong line only have single phase. Some ovens and dishwashers need three phase, and adding it is an electrician job, not a delivery-day surprise.

Duty rating: Domestic-style equipment will handle a quiet Tuesday and then die in December. Commercial rated units are built for constant door openings and long hours.

Service backup: Ask who fixes it and how fast. A cheap machine with no local parts supply becomes a very expensive doorstop.

Forty years of hospitality expertise, since 1984

Since 1984 we have supplied the hospitality industry with professional advice, reliable equipment and excellent customer service. We have a wealth of experience in all types of projects ranging from international hotels to large and small pubs through to suburban restaurants and takeaway outlets. All our staff are equipped with the knowledge, expertise and creativity to add value to your project.

In practice that means when someone walks into our Dandenong showroom and says they are opening a 60-seat café with a two-group machine and a cabinet, we already know which fridge combination fits behind that bench and which one will trip the power. Forty years on Station Street means the trade calls us first. You can read more about our team and history, or browse the full range in our online shop.

New, used, or funded: what it costs

A modest café fitout with mostly new equipment tends to land somewhere between $25,000 and $60,000, depending on how much refrigeration and cooking gear you need and whether the site already has services in place. Reconditioned stock can pull that down meaningfully.

Used equipment saves real money, though warranty windows are shorter and the range is whatever we have on the floor that week. It suits a second fridge, a spare freezer or a backup unit better than it suits the one machine your whole menu depends on.

Two things move the price more than anything else. The first is refrigeration, because a display cabinet with glass doors and lighting costs several times what a plain underbench unit does. The second is cooking gear, especially anything with a flue or extraction requirement.

If your budget is tight, most café owners are better off spending well on the fridges and the coffee setup, then buying sensibly on everything else and upgrading later once trade settles. If the total number is the problem rather than the equipment itself, equipment finance lets you own the gear from day one and claim the GST upfront instead of renting forever.

Mistakes we see most often

Buying too big: An oversized fridge costs more to run every day and eats floor space you needed for a bench.

Ignoring running costs: A cheaper unit with a poor energy rating can cost more over three years than the better one you skipped.

Leaving install to the last week: Power, water, waste and ventilation all need lead time. Book it early.

No service plan: Refrigeration fails at the worst possible moment. Know who you are calling before you need to call them.

Picking on price alone: Our guide on how to choose a commercial kitchen equipment supplier covers what else to weigh up. Food Standards Australia New Zealand also sets clear temperature control requirements your refrigeration has to meet, and there are separate rules for displaying food that affect which cabinet you choose. Worth reading both before you buy.

From inception to completion

From inception to design, throughout installation to completion, let our expert staff oversee your project. No matter how large or small, we work closely with architects and consultants on your commercial kitchen and bar requirements. We arrange qualified service technicians for equipment problems whenever they crop up, because a kitchen that is down is a kitchen losing money.

That approach is why we still hear from operators we first fitted out twenty years ago, usually when they are opening their second or third site.

Why Melbourne cafés keep coming back?

We are a genuine showroom, not a warehouse with a website. You can walk in, open the doors, compare two fridges side by side and take advice from someone who has sold to cafés since 1984. We stock over ten major brands, ship Australia-wide, back everything with 24/7 customer support, and process payments through a fully secure system. Contact us for shipping prices to your area.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)