Flooring and stock pot questions for a start-up,

As these are pro questions, I'm moving this to the pro forums where you'll get more attention and answers.

Im going to go into this conversation saying buy the best materials and equiptment you can without breaking your budget.  I dont know how many seats your going to have or how big your kitchen is so i will just lay out the basics.  

1.So to answer your first question- Invest in the stainless stock pots they will last longer (forever).  Keep in mind they are very heavy and if you can get some without the spout on the bottom it would be best with a nice thick bottom,. dont get the stamped steel pots you have thin bottoms and are imfamous for burning. Spun are the best. ( they never work right and get cloged) Stock pots are a vital part of your work horse cookware, next to your saute pans. 

2.Do you Just need a burner for your stock pot. I suggest a 4 top or 6 top range with oven that will allow you to do mutiple stocks at once( mushroom,chick, shrimp...etc.) and you could use it during service for your stirfrys or soups. I don't know what the used market is like where you live, but you should be able to pick up a decent 6 top range for 1k (us) with non-convection.  Non-convection ovens are best for the hot line and they are easier to maintain.  If you need a convection get a stand alone or two tier.  Hobart and Wolf are good choices.    I'm a big fan of Wolf ranges and Jades..these are usually expensive ranges, however if you could get one for a good price used go for it and they are easier to clean on a daily basis and they just work all the time.  On the lower end there is Imperial and Montaque I have opened restuarants with these and they are still there 10 years later.   Also consider getting a planchard grill too aka flat top. Again i dont know what volume you are are wanting to do or how many stocks you are making at one time, so this is a basic set up I could see being used for a ramin/ stirfry place. At the least get a 4 top with oven so that you do have room to expand if needed.

3.  Flooring is always a diffult choice.  One of the first palces I worked at had concrete flooring with some kind of texture paint that held up well for years  till it started peeling.  As with anything that is worth doing though do it right, i would go for the tile if it is in your budget. They make a tile for kitchens that have some kind of metal in it so that they are not slick when wet. Remeber to allow time to seal the tile( at least a day )  I made that mistake once and the grout started to come out.    Anything that is high trafic in the kithcen at least go with tile you can go stained concrete in the dinning room with no problem. Make sure they recess the floor sink into the tile when they do the floors.

4. As far as insta-hots ive used them only in the restrooms and not entirely for my kitchens. I've always stuck with the old style.  The comercial insta hots are very expensive. While the older tank water heaters are not.  And i dont knkow how reliable they would be in a busy restaurant.  This is also an area you could save money and use it towards flooring or a range.

I hope that this helps.

Buena Suerte...Z 

.

If you are going to buy a stockpot, and use it only for stocks, I would go with heavy guage aluminum WITH a spigot & strainer assembly and WELDED handles (not spot welded, but toothpaste-blob welding)  Reasons are as follows:

If it is cheaper than stainless than buy, but it must have a spigot.  Aluminum warps badly, but since you are only using this as a stockpot you won't be subjecting it to high temps like sauteing meats, which is one of the main reasons alum. warps so badly.  Also you won't be cooking with wine or any acidic ingredients in a dedicated stockpot. .  It is also significantly lighter than S/s.  say you have a 20 qt (liter) capacity and the pot itself weighs 5 kg, add in 15-18 liters liquid with 1 kg=1 liter, youu have some heavy weight when you move the pot around.

If you are going to use this pot for other cooking, then get a s/s one with a sandwich bottom, but make sure the handles are very well secured--no spot welds!.

Floors.

Look into heavy commercial kitchen vinyl flooring with welded seams.  Don't get suckered in with heavy anti-slip gritty surfaces, these will only eat your mops, shoes, and garbage cans.  The vinyl holds up very well and provides SOME comfort for standing long periods of time--in any case better than plain cement or quarrystone tile.

Hope this helps

This is your answer on floors.  You want them installed in as one piece and then seam welded.  I have worked in 2 units with this type flooring and they are the best as far as cleanup, performance, anti-slip and speed of install.

You will also want SS stock pots.  You can pay for them one time (SS) or pay for new ones every couple of years (aluminum).

Good Luck

Remember, with ALL floor coverings you WILL need to have a 4"-6" splash guard on all walls, with vinyl, it is a simple cove.
 

I despise aluminum cookware;  The andodization wears off in a year, they warp and bend in a year or less, they dent and pit too easily, they react with foods horribly (try making a sabayon or creme anglais in an aluminum pot - even if it still has a flat bottom), and stocks cooked in aluminum taste funny.  Spending a bit more for aluminum sandwiched in stainless gives better product out of pots that will last years longer - worth it.  Also remember that teff pans are good for about a year even if all you touch them with is wood and they don't get scratched; heat alone will break down the teff, you can tell when it starts to turn a shade brown. Also, even the smallest scratch in a teff pan will ruin it.
 

i'm just a cook, for now.... however, we have a big steam kettle we use for stocks, sits in one location. spigot on the bottom, we drain it into tubs, sits high up, easy. No lifting. A good spigot makes life easier.

My winter job, has no spigot. Stock man lifts this pot bigger than him to the edge of our range, and starts scooping vast amounts of liquid into 4, 22qt Lexans, has to move the colanders around, has to throw out the goods that get caught in the colanders, then mops up what doesn't make it into the Lexan.

They (pots with spigots) are available, but no one stocks them because no one knows they exist. They do exist on websites and catalouges, but mainly they are a special order item.

Things to consider.....

A Spigot is only good if it isn't plugged full of crud.

Therefore a pot should have a built in strainer over the spigot hole.  This is usually done with two guides welded into the pot wall and an open "box" of s/s mesh slid into it.

But it's pretty easy to drill a hole into a pot and install a spigot as well, which is what most kitchens usually end up doing.

But, I'l be hearing you cuss and swear from here when the spigot gets plugged up with crud, or a single peppercorn.....

Nope, you drill a hole and use a compression gasket and assembly.