Southern Restaurant Equipment & Supplies
Fryers for fried chicken and catfish, convection ovens and mixers for biscuits, holding cabinets and tea dispensers, at wholesale prices. Call 206-419-5801.
Southern Restaurant Equipment and Supplies
Southern cooking is built on a few big stations: a fryer that turns out fried chicken, catfish, hush puppies and okra all day; an oven full of biscuits and cornbread; a range simmering greens, beans, grits and gravy; and hot holding that keeps it all ready for the line. Whether you run a fried chicken and wing shop, a meat-and-three, a soul food kitchen, a barbecue joint or a biscuit-and-breakfast spot, this guide from Southern Restaurant Equipment, a site from The Restaurant Warehouse, walks through what to buy for each station and how to size it.
Call 206-419-5801 or email info@therestaurantwarehouse.com with your menu, and we will help you put the equipment list together.
Fryers for Fried Chicken, Catfish and Hush Puppies
The fryer is the most important piece of equipment in most Southern kitchens. Our Atosa floor deep fryers are open fryers in natural gas or propane:
ATFS-35ES: 35 lb of oil, ENERGY STAR, 60,000 BTU. Good for sides like okra, fries and hush puppies.
ATFS-40: 40 lb, 102,000 BTU on natural gas.
ATFS-50: 50 lb, 136,000 BTU on natural gas, a common choice for wings and tenders.
ATFS-75: 75 lb, 170,000 BTU on natural gas, for bone-in chicken and high-volume catfish.
Electric countertop fryers such as the ACEF-16 and the two-tank ACEF-32 suit small counters, concession stands and trucks.
Choosing a Fryer for Fried Chicken and Wings
People often ask what the best commercial fryer for fried chicken is. The honest answer depends on volume and menu.
Open Fryers and Pressure Fryers
Some chicken chains use pressure fryers, which cook bone-in chicken under a sealed lid. The fryers we sell are open fryers, which is what most independent fried chicken, wing and seafood restaurants use. Open fryers handle bone-in chicken, tenders, wings, catfish and sides, they are simpler to clean and maintain, and cooks can watch the product as it fries.
Size for Recovery, Not Just Capacity
Bone-in chicken drops a lot of cold, wet product into the oil, and the oil temperature falls. A fryer with more oil and more BTU recovers faster, so the next basket cooks properly. For a busy fried chicken menu, look at the 50 lb ATFS-50 or the 75 lb ATFS-75 rather than the smallest model, and add fryers as your volume grows rather than overloading one.
Separate Your Oil
Fish and seafood flavor the oil. Many Southern restaurants keep one fryer for catfish and shrimp, one for chicken and one for fries and sides. A portable fryer filter such as the FPOF-50 or FPOF-80 extends oil life and keeps fried chicken tasting clean.
Plan the Breading Station
Fried chicken is only as fast as the breading station. Put a refrigerated prep table next to the fryers for raw chicken, buttermilk and dredge, and keep hand sinks within reach of the station.
Biscuits, Cornbread and Baking
Fresh biscuits, cornbread and yeast rolls set a Southern restaurant apart, and they need an oven, a mixer and somewhere to proof and hold.
Ovens: Dukers gas convection ovens, the single-deck DCCOG1 (54,000 BTU) and double-deck DCCOG2 (108,000 BTU), bake sheet pans of biscuits and cornbread evenly. Browse more in our oven collection.
Mixers: Winco planetary mixers include the EMP-10 (10 qt), EMP-20 (20 qt, 1.5 HP) and EMP-30 (30 qt, 2 HP) for biscuit dough, cornbread batter and mashed potatoes.
Proofing and holding: BK Resources heater proofer cabinets, the insulated full-size HPC1I, the full-size HPC1N and the half-size HPC2N, proof yeast rolls and hold baked goods warm.
Ranges and Griddles for Grits, Gravy, Greens and Breakfast
Collard greens, red beans, black-eyed peas, gumbo, grits and sausage gravy all simmer on the range. Atosa gas ranges such as the 36-inch six-burner AGR-6B with oven (219,000 BTU) cover most kitchens, with eight and ten-burner models for larger menus. Breakfast spots add a griddle for eggs, pancakes, bacon and country ham; the 36-inch ATMG-36 (90,000 BTU) and 48-inch ATMG-48 (120,000 BTU) are common sizes.
Catfish, Shrimp and Southern Seafood
Fried catfish, shrimp baskets, oysters and fish fries are Southern staples, and seafood puts different demands on the kitchen than chicken. Fish fries quickly in a lighter cornmeal crust, so a fryer with good recovery and clean oil matters more than raw size. Give seafood its own fryer so it does not flavor the chicken, and filter that oil daily. Seafood also needs the coldest, most consistent storage in the building: keep it in a walk-in cooler or dedicated reach-in rather than in a prep table that is opened all service. If you serve boiled shrimp or crawfish, plan range space and large stock pots for boils, and size your ice machine for packing seafood on ice as well as for drinks.
Barbecue and Smokehouse Support Equipment
Barbecue is cooked on a pit, but the restaurant around the pit still needs equipment. Brisket, pulled pork, ribs and sausage need to be held hot and sliced to order, sides need hot holding, and meat needs serious cold storage before it hits the smoker. Food holding equipment, meat slicers and a walk-in cooler are the core pieces.
Holding Fried Chicken and Sides
A meat-and-three or soul food line serves fried chicken, smothered pork chops, mac and cheese, candied yams, greens and cornbread from the same counter, so holding equipment matters as much as cooking equipment. Food holding and warming equipment keeps pans of sides at serving temperature, and a heated cabinet such as the BK Resources HPC1I holds trays of fried chicken and biscuits between rushes. Hold fried foods uncovered or vented where you can so the crust stays crisp.
Refrigeration for a Southern Kitchen
Raw poultry, buttermilk, seafood and produce all need dependable cold storage.
Reach-in refrigerators and freezers near the fryers and range.
Refrigerated prep tables for slaw, pickles, tomatoes and sandwich builds.
A walk-in cooler for cases of chicken, catfish and produce. Atosa walk-ins come in 8' x 8', 8' x 10' and 10' x 10' sizes.
Freezers for frozen seafood, fries and backup product.
Sweet Tea and Drinks
Sweet tea is not optional. Atosa tea dispensers come in 3 and 5-gallon sizes, such as the TD-3T-DT and TD-5T-DT with drip trays. Add beverage dispensers for lemonade and an ice machine sized for drinks, from the 140 lb Atosa YRU0140A undercounter unit to 350 and 450 lb modular machines.
Food Trucks, Concessions and Fish Fries
Fried chicken, wings and fish are popular on food trucks and at concession stands, where space and power are tight. Our food truck equipment includes compact countertop fryers, small griddles and worktop refrigeration. Most trucks run on propane, so order the LP version of each gas fryer, and confirm your generator can handle refrigeration and any electric equipment. For outdoor fish fries and events, countertop electric fryers like the Atosa ACEF-16 run on 208-240V electric power where gas is not available, so confirm the voltage your site provides before you order.
Sample Equipment Lists
Fried Chicken and Wing Shop
Two or three floor fryers (50 and 75 lb) plus a fryer filter
Refrigerated prep table for the breading station
Heated holding cabinet and food holding equipment
Reach-in refrigerator, freezer and walk-in cooler
Tea dispenser and ice machine
Meat-and-Three or Soul Food Restaurant
Six or ten-burner range for greens, beans and gravy
Convection oven and mixer for cornbread, biscuits and mac and cheese
Two fryers for chicken and fish
Food holding equipment for the serving line
Reach-ins, prep table and walk-in cooler
Biscuit and Breakfast Restaurant
Convection oven, planetary mixer and heater proofer cabinet
36 or 48-inch griddle and a range for gravy and grits
Fryer for chicken biscuits
Prep table, reach-ins and a tea dispenser
Sinks and Dishwashing
Breading pans, sheet pans, stock pots and fryer baskets all need fast washing. Our commercial sinks include wall-mount hand sinks and one, two and three-compartment sinks, and our commercial dishwashers include Fagor high-temperature undercounter and hood-type machines.
Planning a New Southern Restaurant Kitchen
Start with your best sellers and how many orders of each go out in your busiest hour; that sets how many fryers, how much oven capacity and how many range burners you need. Fit the fryers, range and griddle under your exhaust hood, and have a licensed contractor confirm the gas supply, because fryers and ranges add up to a lot of BTU. Order long-lead items such as walk-in coolers and hood systems first, then the cooking line, refrigeration and ice machine a few weeks before inspections. Run every piece of equipment before your soft opening, and check with your local health department early about what they need to see before you open.
Why Buy From The Restaurant Warehouse
The Restaurant Warehouse sells commercial kitchen equipment at wholesale pricing. Atosa equipment is run for 24 hours at the factory before it ships, and it carries ETL Sanitation and cETLus listings. Atosa refrigeration is covered by a 3-year parts and labor warranty plus a 5-year compressor warranty, and Atosa gas cooking equipment, including the fryers, carries a 1-year warranty. Most in-stock Atosa units ship within one business day with free freight to the lower 48; see each product page for details.
Southern Restaurant Equipment FAQ
What is the best commercial fryer for fried chicken?
For a busy fried chicken menu, a 50 or 75 lb open floor fryer such as the Atosa ATFS-50 or ATFS-75 recovers temperature quickly after each drop. Many restaurants run two or more fryers and keep fish in its own fryer.
Do you sell pressure fryers?
No. We sell open fryers, which most independent fried chicken, wing and seafood restaurants use.
What do I need to bake biscuits in a restaurant?
A convection oven, a planetary mixer sized to your batch and a proofer or heated cabinet for rolls and holding.
Do the fryers come in propane?
Yes. Atosa floor fryers are offered in natural gas and propane versions.
How do I keep fried chicken crisp while holding it?
Hold it hot in a heated cabinet or holding equipment, and vent or uncover it where you can so steam does not soften the crust.
Can you help me plan a full Southern restaurant kitchen?
Yes. Send your menu, seat count and floor plan to info@therestaurantwarehouse.com, or call 206-419-5801, and we will put together a quote.
Shop all commercial restaurant equipment at The Restaurant Warehouse.
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