The demand for commercial kitchen appliances has shot up significantly, with rising number of restaurants and banquets, traders have said.

“The demand for commercial kitchen equipment has been increasing by 10-15 percent annually,” said Ramesh Thapa, executive chairman of Kitchen Mart. “Most demand comes from restaurants and party palaces in the Kathmandu valley, besides other major cities.”

He said changing consumer preference for systematic and well-designed kitchen has also helped the market grow. “Restaurant goers seek different kinds of cuisines, so restaurant operators have to be ready to serve what consumers demand,” he said. “It is must they have proper kitchen appliances which ensure swift service delivery. 

Typical commercial kitchen equipment include refrigerator, commercial fryers, coking ranges, ovens, toasters, salamanders, tea and coffee dispensers, kitchen racks, ice cream makers, dish washers and food warming equipment among others.

“When we started kitchen business around 14 years ago, many restaurants used to buy separate kitchen items,” said Thapa. “But people have started moving towards unified kitchen following the global trend.” Thapa claimed the domestic commercial kitchen equipment market is worth around Rs 1 billion. “There are around 20-25 commercial kitchen equipment traders in the valley,” he said, adding the prices start from Rs 150,000 to Rs 2.5 million.

Ambika Thapa, proprietor of Bishal Kitchen Store, also attributed the growing demand for commercial kitchen equipment towards the rising number restaurants. “We can see there are numerous tea and coffee shops in the valley and they are using tea and coffee dispensers.”

She said the main advantage of commercial kitchen equipment is they are transferable. “They are made up of stainless steel, so it won’t be difficult like marble-made kitchen equipment,” she said, adding the demand from canteens of schools, colleges and hospitals among others, is also growing.