Opening your own takeaway is one of the fastest-growing areas of UK food business. Over 28,000 new food-to-go businesses registered with Companies House in the last three years, and every single one of them needed commercial takeaway equipment before they could serve a customer. This guide covers everything you’ll need, whether you’re setting up a chip shop, kebab takeaway, pizza delivery operation or multi-cuisine kitchen. We’ll walk through commercial fryers, pizza ovens, bain maries, refrigeration, stainless steel fabrication and extraction. Each section includes the key buying decisions (gas vs electric, freestanding vs countertop) plus full takeaway equipment lists with budget ranges so nothing gets missed.
Cooking Equipment
Commercial Fryers: The Heart of Any Takeaway Kitchen
For chip shops, fried chicken outlets and most mixed-menu takeaways, the fryer is the single most important piece of equipment you’ll buy. It sets the pace for your whole service. Get it wrong and you’ll be fighting bottlenecks every Friday night.
Gas vs Electric Commercial Fryers
Gas fryers heat up faster and recover temperature more quickly between batches, which matters during peak service. Running costs tend to be lower for high-volume operations, but you’ll need a mains gas supply (or LPG connection) and a Gas Safe registered engineer for installation.
Electric fryers are simpler to install. They don’t need a gas supply, they maintain a more consistent oil temperature, and they’re well suited to smaller kitchens or sites where gas isn’t available.
LPG fryers are the answer for premises without mains gas. They’re popular with mobile caterers and takeaways in older buildings where running a gas line would be expensive or impractical.
Browse all commercial fryers →
Freestanding vs Table Top Fryers
Freestanding fryers are the default for any serious takeaway operation. They offer higher oil capacity, faster heat recovery and a built-in drain tap for oil changes. If your takeaway relies on fried food as its core output, go freestanding.
Table top fryers work well for lower-volume takeaways or as a second fryer alongside a freestanding unit. They take up less floor space, but they won’t keep pace with a busy Friday night chip shop.
Twin tank fryers let you fry different items at the same time, keeping flavours separate. Fish in one tank, chips in the other. For a chip shop, twin tank is close to a non-negotiable.
Commercial Chip Fryers: What to Look For
- Tank capacity (litres): Match this to your expected output. A busy chip shop needs 20-25 litres per tank at minimum.
- Heat recovery time: How fast the oil gets back to temperature after you drop a load of chips in. Faster recovery means shorter wait times during rush periods.
- Thermostatic controls and safety features: Look for adjustable thermostats, high-temperature cut-outs and cool zones below the heating element to extend oil life.
- Brands to look for: Infernus, Lincat, Buffalo
- Typical budget: £300-£1,500 depending on size and fuel type
Commercial Pizza Ovens: Choosing the Right Type for Your Takeaway
If pizza is your main product, the oven is where you’ll spend the most money and the most thought. The type of oven you choose depends on your throughput and the style of pizza you want to serve.
Deck Ovens vs Conveyor Ovens
Deck ovens give you traditional stone-baked quality. They come as single or double deck and are best for dine-in pizza operations or takeaways where quality matters more than speed. You control the bake manually, which means the results depend on the operator.
Conveyor ovens are built for consistency and volume. Pizzas go in one end and come out cooked the other. They’re the standard for delivery-focused takeaways because every pizza comes out the same, regardless of who’s running the kitchen.
Browse commercial pizza ovens →
Gas vs Electric Pizza Ovens
Gas pizza ovens preheat faster and cost less to run at scale. They suit high-volume operations where the oven stays on all day.
Electric pizza ovens offer more precise temperature control and are easier to install (no gas certificate required). For a takeaway doing 50-80 pizzas a night, electric deck ovens are a solid choice.
Pizza Prep Equipment
The oven gets all the attention, but you won’t get far without the right prep kit:
- Pizza prep fridges: These sit right on your prep line with refrigerated topping wells built into the top and cold storage underneath. They keep toppings fresh and within arm’s reach.
- Dough mixers: For any takeaway making its own dough, a spiral or planetary mixer is a daily workhorse.
- Dough rollers: Optional, but they speed up production if you’re doing volume.
Typical budget: £800-£4,000+ depending on type and capacity
Doner Kebab Machines: Gas, Electric and Sizing
The kebab machine is the centrepiece of any kebab shop. Choosing the right one comes down to three things: fuel type, size and ventilation.
Gas kebab machines are the industry standard. They produce a more traditional flavour profile and cook faster. Most busy kebab shops run gas machines.
Electric kebab machines are the alternative when ventilation is limited or when there’s no gas supply. They produce slightly different results but they’re easier to install.
Sizing matters. A 3-burner machine suits a small kebab takeaway. A 4-burner covers most medium operations. For high-volume shops doing 60kg+ of meat per day, go for a 5-burner.
Don’t forget the cutting equipment. A good kebab cutter or kebab slicer (Easycut is the go-to brand) gives you consistent shaves and saves time during service. Position your machine close to the serving area to keep the workflow tight.
Typical budget: £400-£1,200 for the machine, plus £150-£400 for a quality cutter
Griddles, Grills and Chargrills
Most takeaways need at least one of these, even if frying or oven-baking is the main cooking method.
- Commercial griddles: Flat or ribbed surface. Flat griddles are the go-to for smash burgers, breakfast items and eggs. Ribbed griddles give you char lines for chicken fillets and steaks. Available in both electric and gas.
- Chargrills: Open-flame cooking for kebabs, chicken, steaks and anything that benefits from a grilled flavour. Popular in kebab shops and mixed-grill takeaways.
- Salamander grills: Overhead grills used for finishing dishes, toasting naans, melting cheese on wraps or browning toppings. Compact and fast.
- Panini grills and contact grills: If you’re offering toasted sandwiches, wraps or paninis, a commercial contact grill earns its counter space quickly.
Typical budget: £200-£1,000 depending on type and size
Food Holding and Warming
Bain Maries: Keeping Food Hot and Ready to Serve
Every takeaway that serves pre-cooked food needs a bain marie. Curry sauce, mushy peas, rice, chilli, gravy: if it needs to stay hot and ready to portion, it goes in a bain marie. The choice comes down to wet or dry, freestanding or table top, and fuel type.
Wet vs Dry Bain Maries
Wet bain maries use a water bath to heat gastronorm pans gently and evenly. They’re best for sauces, curries, gravies and anything liquid or semi-liquid. The water acts as a buffer, preventing hotspots and burning.
Dry bain maries use a direct heat element under the pans. They’re lower maintenance (no water to fill or drain), and they work well for solid foods in containers. But they can be less forgiving with delicate sauces.
Freestanding vs Table Top Bain Maries
Freestanding bain maries integrate into your serving counter or front-of-house display. They look professional to customers and hold more pans.
Table top bain maries sit on your existing counter. They’re flexible, cheaper and work well for smaller operations or as a secondary holding unit.
Gas and LPG Bain Maries
Gas bain maries are cost-efficient for high-volume warming. LPG bain maries are the choice for outdoor events, mobile catering or premises without mains gas.
Typical budget: £150-£800 depending on size and fuel
Hot Holding Equipment: Gantries, Cabinets and Heated Displays
Beyond bain maries, most takeaways need additional hot holding equipment. The type depends on what you’re serving and how your kitchen-to-counter flow works.
- Heated gantries: Sit above your pass or serving counter. Heat lamps keep plated or boxed food warm between cooking and handover. Standard in most takeaways.
- Hot cupboards: Enclosed cabinets that store plates, trays or pre-cooked food at serving temperature. Good for warming plates or holding bulk items.
- Heated display cabinets: Front-of-house units for pre-prepared items like samosas, spring rolls, pies and pasties. They display the food to customers while keeping it hot.
- Chip scuttles: Purpose-built for keeping chips warm and crispy after frying. A chip shop without a chip scuttle is a chip shop that serves cold chips. From about £200.
- Warming lamps and carvery units: Specialist operations only, but worth considering if you have a carvery-style service.
Typical budget: £150-£1,500 depending on type
Refrigeration
Takeaway Refrigeration: Fridges, Freezers and Prep Stations
Every takeaway needs commercial refrigeration. The question is how much, and which types. Here’s the breakdown:
- Upright commercial fridges: Your main ingredient storage. Look for units with adjustable shelving and forced-air cooling for even temperature distribution.
- Prep fridges and saladettes: These sit on your cooking line with a refrigerated well on top and cold storage underneath. They keep ingredients within arm’s reach during service. Saladette fridges →
- Pizza prep fridges: A specific type of prep fridge with topping wells designed for pizza assembly. If you’re doing pizza, these are worth every penny.
- Display fridges: For bottled drinks and grab-and-go items. A glass-fronted display fridge near the till drives impulse sales.
- Chest freezers: For bulk storage of frozen stock. A 300-400 litre chest freezer handles most small-to-medium takeaway operations.
- Upright freezers: Easier to organise than chest freezers. A good choice when you need regular access to frozen items during service.
Typical budget: £300-£1,500 per unit, depending on size and type
Kitchen Infrastructure
Stainless Steel Fabrication: Tables, Sinks and Shelving
This is the stuff that holds your kitchen together. It’s not glamorous, but try running a service without a prep table or a working sink.
- Stainless steel work tables: The backbone of your kitchen layout. You need at least one prep table per cook, plus additional space for plating and assembly. Go for tables with lower shelves to double your storage.
- Commercial sinks: You’ll need a hand wash sink (legal requirement), a potwash sink (minimum single bowl, ideally double bowl) and enough space for a dishwasher run if you’re using reusable containers. Hand wash sinks → | Double bowl sinks →
- Stainless steel shelving: Wall-mounted shelves free up floor space. Freestanding shelving racks work for dry stores and back-of-house storage.
- Equipment stands: Don’t put a heavy pizza oven or fryer on a table that wasn’t designed for it. Purpose-built stainless steel stands keep heavy equipment secure at the right working height.
Typical budget: £100-£500 per piece
Extraction and Ventilation
This isn’t optional. If your takeaway kitchen produces heat, steam, grease vapour or cooking fumes, you need a commercial extraction canopy. It’s a legal requirement under UK building and environmental health regulations.
Key points:
- Your canopy must cover all cooking equipment, extending beyond the front edge by at least 150mm on each side.
- It needs grease filters (usually baffle-type), an extraction fan and ductwork leading to an external outlet.
- You may need planning permission for the external ducting, especially in residential areas.
- Building regulations (Part F) and your local environmental health team will both have a say in the specification.
Budget varies widely depending on kitchen size and complexity. A simple canopy with fan for a small takeaway might be £800-£2,000. Larger kitchens requiring bespoke fabrication and make-up air systems can run to £5,000+.
Equipment by Takeaway Type
Fish and Chip Shop Equipment List
The traditional British chippy has a specific equipment set. Here’s what you’ll need:
☐ Commercial gas or LPG fryer, twin tank recommended (2 x 20-25 litre) — browse fryers
☐ Chip scuttle for keeping chips warm and crispy
☐ Wet bain marie for mushy peas, curry sauce, gravy
☐ Heated gantry or heated display for pies and pre-battered items
☐ Potato chipper for uniform chip cutting
☐ Prep fridge for batter ingredients and fresh fish
☐ Chest freezer for frozen fish and other bulk stock
☐ Stainless steel tables for prep and battering stations
☐ Commercial sinks (hand wash + potwash minimum)
☐ Extraction canopy covering all fryers and cooking equipment
☐ Fish batter station or breading table
Budget guide: £8,000-£15,000 for core equipment
Kebab Shop Equipment List
Kebab shops need specialist cooking equipment alongside the standard takeaway setup:
☐ Doner kebab machine, gas, 4-5 burner recommended
☐ Kebab cutter or kebab slicer for consistent shaving
☐ Commercial griddle for wraps, burgers and flatbreads
☐ Chargrill for chicken, kofte and mixed grills
☐ Bain marie for rice, sauces and salads
☐ Commercial pizza oven if offering pizza (many kebab shops do)
☐ Prep fridge or saladette for salad items and sauces
☐ Upright fridge and upright freezer for daily stock
☐ Stainless steel tables, sinks and shelving
☐ Extraction canopy covering all cooking equipment
Budget guide: £6,000-£12,000 for core equipment
Pizza Takeaway Equipment List
A pizza-focused takeaway centres around the oven and prep line:
☐ Commercial pizza oven — conveyor for delivery volume, deck for quality focus
☐ Pizza prep fridge with refrigerated topping wells
☐ Dough mixer — spiral mixer for daily dough production
☐ Dough roller (optional, but saves time at high volume)
☐ Bain marie for warm toppings and sides
☐ Display fridge for bottled drinks
☐ Upright fridge and chest freezer for ingredients and frozen stock
☐ Stainless steel tables for dough prep and pizza assembly
☐ Commercial sinks (hand wash + potwash)
Budget guide: £7,000-£18,000 for core equipment
General Takeaway / Multi-Cuisine Equipment List
Chinese, Indian and mixed-menu takeaways need versatile cooking setups. The exact list varies by cuisine, but here’s a common baseline:
Chinese takeaway equipment typically includes a wok burner range (gas, high BTU), commercial fryer for spring rolls and prawn crackers, rice cooker, and bain maries for pre-cooked dishes.
Indian takeaway equipment centres around gas hobs or ranges for curry preparation, tandoor-style ovens (or a commercial oven as an alternative), bain maries for holding curries and rice, and a griddle for naans.
For any multi-cuisine takeaway, you’ll generally need:
☐ Commercial fryer (single or twin tank)
☐ Gas hobs or commercial range for stovetop cooking
☐ Commercial griddle for mixed-grill items
☐ Two or more bain maries for holding multiple dishes
☐ Upright commercial fridge and freezer
☐ Prep fridge or saladette
☐ Stainless steel tables, sinks and shelving
☐ Extraction canopy
Budget guide: £8,000-£20,000 for core equipment
Buying Guidance
Gas vs Electric: Which Should You Choose?
This is the single biggest decision that cuts across almost every equipment category. There’s no universally right answer, so here’s how to think about it.
Choose gas if:
- You’re doing high-volume cooking (chip shop, busy kebab or pizza takeaway)
- Running costs are a priority (gas is typically cheaper per kWh than electricity)
- Heat recovery speed matters (gas equipment bounces back faster between batches)
- Your premises has a mains gas supply or you’re willing to install LPG
Choose electric if:
- Your premises doesn’t have mains gas and LPG isn’t practical
- You want simpler installation with no gas safety certificate
- Precise, consistent temperature control is more important than raw speed
- You’re running a smaller operation where energy costs per unit are less of a concern
LPG fills the gap for premises without mains gas. Most commercial fryers, griddles and bain maries are available in LPG versions. Just factor in the cost of LPG cylinder supply and storage.
New vs Second-Hand Takeaway Equipment
Tight budgets are a reality when you’re setting up. Second-hand equipment can look like a smart saving, but weigh the risks:
Buying new gives you:
- Full manufacturer’s warranty (typically 1-2 years)
- Equipment built to current safety and efficiency standards
- Finance options to spread the cost (we offer 0% interest over 3 months, up to £30,000)
- Peace of mind that nothing’s been bodged, patched or run into the ground
Second-hand risks include:
- No warranty or very limited cover
- Unknown service history, worn parts, hidden faults
- May not meet current regulations (especially gas equipment)
- Older models tend to be less energy-efficient
If budget is the main concern, there’s a middle ground. We stock clearance and B-grade equipment at reduced prices, giving you the benefit of new (or nearly new) equipment with warranty, at a fraction of the full price tag.
Frequently Asked Questions
What equipment do I need to open a takeaway?
At minimum, you’ll need: cooking equipment suited to your menu (fryer, oven, grill or a combination), a bain marie or hot holding unit, commercial refrigeration (fridge and freezer), stainless steel prep tables, at least one commercial sink with hot and cold running water, and an extraction canopy. Your exact list depends on your cuisine type. See the equipment checklists above for specific breakdowns by takeaway type.
How much does it cost to equip a takeaway kitchen?
Budget between £5,000 and £20,000+ depending on your cuisine type, the volume of food you plan to produce and whether you buy new or B-grade. A basic chip shop setup starts around £8,000. A fully kitted pizza delivery kitchen with conveyor oven and pizza prep fridges could run to £18,000. See the individual equipment lists above for type-specific estimates.
Do I need an extraction canopy for a takeaway?
Yes. It’s a legal requirement for any commercial kitchen that produces heat, steam or cooking fumes. Your local environmental health officer will check this as part of the premises inspection, and you won’t get sign-off without proper extraction in place. You may also need planning permission for the external ducting.
What size fryer do I need for a chip shop?
For a busy chip shop, a twin tank freestanding fryer is the standard. Each tank should hold 20-25 litres of oil. This setup lets you fry fish in one tank and chips in the other, keeping flavours separate. For a smaller or lower-volume operation, a single tank fryer (15-20 litres) will work, with the option to add a second fryer later as trade grows.
What’s the difference between a wet and dry bain marie?
A wet bain marie uses a water bath to gently and evenly heat the gastronorm pans sitting in it. It’s better for sauces, gravies, curries and anything liquid. The water bath prevents burning and hot spots. A dry bain marie heats the pans directly using a heat element underneath. It’s lower maintenance because there’s no water to manage, and it works well for solid foods in containers.
Next Steps: Setting Up Your Takeaway Kitchen
You’ve got the equipment knowledge. Now it’s about putting the order together.
H2 Products stocks everything covered in this guide, from commercial fryers and pizza ovens to bain maries, commercial fridges, stainless steel tables and extraction canopies.
We deliver across the UK. For large orders or full kitchen setups, call our team on 01278 423823 to discuss your requirements, check stock and get the best deal. We can also help with kitchen layout advice if you’re starting from a blank unit.
0% interest finance is available over 3 months on orders up to £30,000, making it easier to spread the cost of a full takeaway kitchen fit-out.
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Browse refrigeration equipment →
H2 Products is a UK-based supplier of commercial catering equipment. All prices and advice in this guide are based on UK specifications, regulations and market conditions.
