Wanted to buy some used restaurant equipment any place local

I have recently started a small catering company with my partner. We're looking for quality used restaurant equipment of all types and have had trouble finding listings on the web for local companies. Does anyone know of a good place or two to start our search? Thanks!

Look in the business section of the Chicago Tribune in the Auction Marketplace. Seldom a week passes without a few restaurant/ grocery auctions.

Hi,

Last weekend I was on Kedzie south of Lawrence and CTA tracks. On the east side of the street was a storefront with a notice of used restaurant kitchen appliances for sale.

It was a few store fronts away from Semiramis, who might just give you the phone number or know of the situation.

Semiramis
4639-41 N Kedzie
Chicago, IL 60625
773-279-8900
11am - 10pm
Closed Sunday

Around the corner from my apartment, there's a tiny storefront with no sign, hours, phone number, or anything else posted, but every single window (and inside, every available space save enough room to sit down) is stacked with restaurant equipment. It's right on the SE corner of Hollywood & Wayne, right next to the brand-new convenience store (an indie, not a chain). Perhaps your business card with a note through the mailbox might get a response. I've never seen anyone in there, but I have noticed turnover in their stock (mmmm... turnovers), and given my commuting hours I could easily just be missing their operation hours.

(And honestly, I've seen a few things in there I'd enjoy owning, nothing major, but if you check it out and would like to return the favor, I'd love to know if they sell to the public and if so what those hours are...)

Have you tried this place?

Thanks, everyone. This is exactly what we're looking for.

The place across from Semiramis that Cathy mentions is, I believe, the Markellos Bakery III. There are other Markellos still in business, so you may be able to get info by calling one of them. Also, the bakery across from Harvest Time (sp?) on Lawrence, Tom's Bakery perhaps, also has some relation to the Markellos bakeries.

In any event, yes, they have been offering equipment for sale for some time now.

Cheers,

Aaron

Around 1100 W. Madison St. there are many stores that sell restaurant equipment and supplies - small, large, new and used. Gold bros. have a large store, but there are many others there, within walking distance.

http://www.thecityofchicago.com/restaurant-supply

Eurobake took over the space vacated by Tom's Bakery after it closed and auctioned off all the equipment. Eurobake appears to be defunct. We did not think much of their quality; apparently others shared that view.

I don't know of any connection between Tom's and Markellos except that they were both Greek, hired some Guatemalan bakers and Markellos started out in the space Tom's vacated when they moved into their new building quite some years ago. Neither is in the hands of the original owner, so it is possible that there is a connection between current owners of Markellos and Eurobake. Markellos has a wholesale operation with a different name but using the Markellos label. IIRC it is somewhere around Armitage and Oak Park Avenue, but I could easily be off by a mile or so in either direction.

That's right, it was the owners of Eurobake that told me of the connection with Markellos. I don't believe Tom's had any connection.

Even the Eurobake connection was somewhat tenuous...an uncle-in-law, or some such. I didn't realize the place had closed. When I was in there several months back, I didn't think too much of the quality either. They were looking for a baker at the time. They seemed like nice folks.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Last weekend I was on Kedzie south of Lawrence and CTA tracks. On the east side of the street was a storefront with a notice of used restaurant kitchen appliances for sale.

It was a few store fronts away from Semiramis, who might just give you the phone number or know of the situation.

Update: the former site of Markellos II is now completely empty. No equipment, no sign, no nothing. Antonius and I went over there this afternoon to peek in: we are thinking of getting a baker's table for our kitchen and we thought "defunct bakery... equipment for sale... maybe a table...?" But there's nothing there now.

Hi,
We are going to start a little catering food vendor biz So we're looking for some info on were's a good place to buy some equipment. Looking for a meat slicer,food cart,hotdog cart or something like one. We googled a few but don't know how they truely are??
thanks Bronco
bbqbronco@yahoo.com

March Equipment is excellent.

930 West Fullerton Avenue
Addison, IL 60101-3306
Phone: (630) 627-3031

Check out Craigslist.org to find good used equipment. Only 1 out of every 4 restaurants makes it to 5 years, the other have fire sales. If you want good new equipment and are going to be buying in bulk, I suggest you call
Sysco, US Foodservice or Gordons Foodservice and have a salesman quote you. And if you just want a few things here and there new go to Herzog at 1034 W. Madison St. The sales people are nice and they hold a amount of inventory. Good Luck.

Another option is to check out the Sunday Chicago Tribune business section for auctions. There is hardly a week in this area where there is not the sale of a restaurant, grocery, or the like. I have purchased equipment like this several times over the years and usually paid 20-30 cents on the dollar.

Personally, I can't see buying any new equipment until you get your operation going and see what cash flow is like.

I only have a home kitchen, but I've been intrigued by some of the lower cost stuff at Pierce.

Pierce Chef's Mart
9685 West 55th Street
Countryside, Illinois 60525

You might want to consider using Food Service Equipment Liquidators, Inc. They have the ability to search across the US to find anything you need and they search for Free. They have a website you can visit http://www.fseliquidators.com.

Its difficult to find used restaurant equip. in chicago .................... any one have any sources for finding about auctions & used retailers in the area. thanks john

Badger Auctions is up in Wisconsin but they conduct several restaurant auctions in Chicago (and nationally) each year. They also send out cards for upcoming auctions w equipment lists (get on their mailing list). They'll turn right up in a google search.

We bought a good amount of equipment at one of their auctions when my wife opened her business and paid about 30 cents on the dollar or less for all types of high quality equipment.

Super nice people. The sort that if you're looking for something special and tell them, they'
ll keep it in mind and notify if its coming up in one of their auctions.

we have some unusual great resturant equipment cheap we bought it for a movie and now we want to sell it http://www.californiacitystudios.com/props.html

I can ship or deliver locally

russell
213-820-2477
760-373-4966
russell@californiacitystudios.com

mojaveman wrote:we have some unusual great resturant equipment cheap we bought it for a movie and now we want to sell it http://www.californiacitystudios.com/props.html

I can ship or deliver locally

russell
213-820-2477
760-373-4966
russell@californiacitystudios.com

You consider an ANVIL as restaurant equipment?!?

tortminder wrote: You consider an ANVIL as restaurant equipment?!?

Is it an ACME anvil? Becasue if it is, I've got this Wylie Coyote around my house and I could really use it.