Should You Buy or Hire Your Catering Equipment?

11 Proven Reasons to Hire

When you’re setting up a catering business there are many questions you will ask yourself (aside from, “why did I decide to do this?!”). Seriously though, from set-up costs, to brand, website, investment, and the type of events you’ll do, there will be some big questions to ask and many problems to solve.

Published : 4th April 2019
Updated: 15th February 2022

When you’re setting up a catering business there are many questions you will ask yourself (aside from, “why did I decide to do this?!”). Seriously though, from set-up costs, to brand, website, investment, and the type of events you’ll do, there will be some big questions to ask and many problems to solve.

One of the big questions you’ll ask yourself will be about all that equipment you’ll need. You’ll need everything from plates, cutlery, ovens, table clothes, hot cupboards, fridges, glasses and even salt and pepper shakers. 

Should I hire catering equipment or should I buy it?

Well, we’re going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you hire catering equipment for every event and give yourself a really flexible and up-to-date catering business. Hiring nearly all your equipment from plates and cutlery right up to the big stuff like ovens and fridges makes the whole business more versatile. By hiring catering equipment, you’ll also ensure you’re able to take on larger events as well as small events, which will help you to ride the tides of busy and quiet periods of trade.

Here’s our case for hiring – 11 great reasons to hire catering equipment rather than buy…

1. Avoid large upfront costs

The big reason – which is why many people opt to hire their catering equipment to start with – is the cost. When you’re looking at catering, even if it’s only for a small party, the equipment you need is all going to add up. Add to that the fact that not all your events will be the same, and you’ll quickly find that if you buy your equipment, you’ll need to buy enough to accommodate the biggest events too.

Whereas, if you hire your catering kit, then you’ll have more scope to scale (and shrink) as the season changes, the events roll in, and your business grows. So, one of the reasons you should hire your catering equipment is because it gives you some much-needed flexibility.

2. No need to hold stock

When you buy all those tablecloths, glasses, cutlery and a couple of ovens, where are you going to store them? Whether you’re catering for weddings or just starting out with small parties, the sheer amount you’ll need to hold will soon add up. The square footage needed to store all your kit will push up your rent or cost you more when you buy a unit.

Decide to hire it all, and you’ll never have to see it at your business premises. Everything you need for your event will simply get delivered to site.

3. No need to transport everything

If you purchase your catering equipment, then moving it around will become a problem for you too. Suddenly you can’t have a small catering van – you need a 3.5T or larger tail lift van instead, just for the equipment. Looking at refrigerated van costs is one thing, but you can’t put your glasses and tablecloths in those vehicles… so you’ll need to get two types of van, which requires double the drivers and twice the parking costs!

Hire your equipment and you’ll have a load (literally) taken off your mind and delivered to site instead. This will minimise the hassle by offering a simple and convenient solution to transportation for all your events.

4. No worries about repairing the damage

When you own catering equipment, you have to be responsible for fixing it. Over time, your equipment will become tired and used. Even the most robust catering equipment that doesn’t need to look ‘as new’, like the ovens and refrigerators, will still need some repairs and fixing. Owning means you’ll have to replace tablecloths after a certain number of uses, and things like electrical items will need regular checks, maintenance, and more care than you might have imagined.

Hire catering equipment and you’ll always have nearly new, fully functional equipment, without the stress of being responsible for its upkeep. You’ll also receive a quality-assured catering kit.

5. No tired or worn-out equipment

It won’t take long for your tablecloths, napkins, plates, chair covers and more to get that used look. When you use a catering hire company, you’ll benefit from a larger buying power and have higher quality products that last longer. You can rest assured that all items are replaced well before they risk becoming shabby.

When you hire catering equipment for your event, you therefore know you’ll get catering equipment with a better overall look and more professional service. So, you can concentrate on making sure the catering itself goes well.

6. Get your washing-up done elsewhere

This is often the big Monday morning job! It’s a role you either hire an odd-job or part-time cleaner for or give to one of your team instead. And it’s a big one. Either way, this will be a cost and a business process you need to factor in. You’ll also need to ensure you have the necessary machines to wash and dry everything properly.

Add to this that your glasses and cutlery will all need polishing and you can soon start to see that this is quite a big job.

When you hire catering equipment, we hand polish all our glasses and cutlery for you. So, by hiring your plates, glasses, cutlery, linen, and more you’ll never need to wash-up again! (Well, not for work anyway!)

7. Peace of mind with PAT testing covered

All electrical equipment needs to be PAT tested and when it comes to your event, you’ll need to make sure you’re not only able to PAT test your electricals but registered to do so as well.

Electrical catering equipment you hire in should be PAT tested and companies like ours even make sure that all electricals are tested each time they go out.

When you hire your equipment from a SafeHire certified provider like us, you’ll be getting not only PAT tested equipment, but also equipment that’s cleaned, checked and prepared to a high standard for your event. So, you can hire your electrical equipment and cover yourself legally, whilst also protecting yourself from any issues on site at your events.

8. Save money on labour

Not washing up, PAT testing, loading vans, washing sheets, ironing napkins, cleaning cutlery or managing a warehouse full of kit gives you a huge saving for your business in terms of labour cost. Hiring your catering equipment might look more expensive from the outset, but when you factor in the labour saving on its own you could well build a good financial case for hiring rather than buying.

So, when you hire all your catering equipment, you save on labour whilst also streamlining your workforce. Again, this frees up more time for you to focus on the day-to-day running of the business and the food preparation.

9. Don’t get to an event and find you are 6 plates short

You’ve got enough to think about. When you hire all your equipment in, you’ll be asked about your event and what it is you think you need. The hirer will then hopefully (if they’re good) ask you probing questions and make sure you’re not underestimating anything you’d need for the event.

A hire company specialises, like we do, so they know exactly what you do thanks to hundreds of events a year. This experience means that when you hire catering equipment, someone who understands the industry well is in charge of asking just the right questions to determine what needs to be hired.

So, if you hire catering equipment from an experienced, specialised company you’re less likely to find out you’re missing items you need to fulfil the event. This is especially helpful when you’re first starting out, as you have someone with more knowledge of the industry to assist you in working out what you need in terms of equipment. This will help you avoid mishaps early on.

10. No two events are the same – hire for each event

Simply put: hiring means you’ll be ready for any event. You can’t possibly buy now for events in the future and even if you’re very well-organised, you’ll no doubt need the odd addition or repair before then. Hiring means you can take on more business – and bigger events – and still have all the equipment you need to do the job properly. You just factor the cost of hire into your quote and make it a part of your service that you deal with the hire company for the client. You’re adding value!

When you hire your catering equipment you can take on all events of all sizes. So, you don’t have to limit who you can work for, which makes your business more flexible.

11. Hire when you need it; don’t store it until you do

Flexibility, cost, expertise, storage, transport, and future-proofing your business are just some of the BIG reasons shared above to hire, rather than buy your catering equipment.

Because of the way a business like ours is structured, we can offer you the best equipment at great prices.

We store, deliver, collect and clean everything you need for a far more efficient cost than you could manage on your own.

If you hire catering equipment, you ensure that all of your kit is clean, tested, and in perfect working order. Everything you need, including plates, cutlery, glasses, linen and more, will be present and correct. At the end of the day, we cover a large part of the planning, so you can concentrate on serving up the best food, drink, and service that you can.

Together we make a great team!

Have you got any questions about our equipment hire service? Visit our FAQs or contact us today so a member of our team can help with your enquiry.