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Commercial & B2B equipment

Commercial Equipment ROI Calculator
Judged on payback, not spec sheets.

Case studies and ROI tools for buyers who care about downtime and total cost of ownership. We run the math so the purchase order is a decision, not a guess.

Latest case studies ROI calculator
Commercial espresso machine on a cafe counterWarehouse pallet racking
ROIPayback-first analysis
100%Independent, no sponsors
TCOFull cost of ownership
0Pay-to-play rankings
ROI & payback calculator
Annual Profit Impact$19,550
Payback Period2.6 months
ROI (3 Years)1264%
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Popular guides to begin with

All case studies
Interior of a full-service restaurant before opening, with chairs set around bare tables and a stainless service pass behind, in warm amber light
Step-by-step walkthrough

How to Open a Restaurant (8-Step Guide)

This rundown walks how to open a restaurant in 8 steps: validate the concept, plan the budget, fund it, sign a lease, pass permits, equip it, and soft-open.

Read the case study
The wooden counter of a coffee shop being set up before opening, with a commercial espresso machine, a grinder, stacked cups and empty wall shelves in warm light
Startup how-to

How to Start a Coffee Shop (8-Step Guide)

A rundown of how to start a coffee shop or cafe in 8 steps, from concept and funding to the lease, permits, equipment, hiring and an illustrative budget.

Read the case study
A gourmet food truck being set up and prepped at an outdoor street food event in warm golden hour light with string lights and a few people gathering
Startup how-to

How to Start a Food Truck (8-Step Guide)

This rundown walks you through how to start a food truck in eight steps, from concept and permits to the build and daily operations, so you fund the runway first.

Read the case study
Heavy commercial equipment and a forklift inside a modern warehouse
ROI case study

Lease vs Buy Equipment: The Payback Math

This case study runs a lease vs buy equipment analysis in full: utilization, ROI, payback, and total cost of ownership, so the call is a number, not a hunch.

Read the case study
A complete commercial kitchen equipment package staged along a wall: a stainless range, a reach-in refrigerator, a prep table, and shelving
ROI case study

Restaurant Equipment Financing: A Case Study

A restaurant equipment financing case study: the five funding routes, then an illustrative $80,000 kitchen priced, financed, and run loan vs lease vs cash.

Read the case study
Interior of a newly opened full-service restaurant with set dining tables and an open kitchen in warm amber light
Startup cost case study

How Much Does It Cost to Open a Restaurant?

This rundown prices opening a restaurant by type and size: lease, buildout, kitchen equipment, licenses, and the working capital runway first-timers underfund.

Read the case study
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Step-by-step walkthrough17 guidesEquipment cost case study10 guidesROI case study7 guidesStartup how-to4 guidesStartup cost case study4 guidesMoney explainer2 guidesEquipment reference2 guidesBuyer's rundown2 guidesEquipment ownership case study1 guideOperating cost case study1 guideRevenue and profit case study1 guide
Fresh analysis

Latest case studies

All case studies
A wooden service counter in a small food business with a dark point-of-sale screen on a stand, an empty glass display case, a lidded jar and stacked takeaway cups, with an espresso machine on the back barLatest
Step-by-step walkthrough

How to Buy an Existing Restaurant (8 Steps)

This walkthrough covers how to buy a restaurant in 8 steps: screening sellers, valuing the cash flow, asset versus entity, due diligence, and the handover.

·40 min readRead the case study
Two men shaking hands across a wooden table in a sunlit room, one in an apron and one in a dark suit, with a blank sheet of paper and a pen on the table between them
Step-by-step walkthrough

How to Negotiate a Restaurant Lease (7 Steps)

This walkthrough covers how to negotiate a restaurant lease in 7 steps: triple net versus gross, the TI allowance, percentage rent, guarantees and the exit.

·42 min read
Four cooks working a kitchen line under a row of domed hanging lamps, one of them plating at a stainless pass holding three white plates while a pan flames behind him
Step-by-step walkthrough

How to Pass a Health Inspection (7 Steps)

This walkthrough covers how to pass a health inspection in 7 steps: the inspector's route, the self-audit to run first, violation classes and re-inspection.

·40 min read
A technician in a cap and dark work jacket kneeling with a wrench at the bolted flange of a large dark industrial machine under dim warm light
Equipment ownership case study

Restaurant Equipment Maintenance Schedule

Restaurant equipment maintenance schedule by class and interval: what staff own daily, what a technician owns, and what deferred upkeep costs in downtime.

·37 min read
A polished wooden bar top with a brass draft tower carrying four tap handles, backed by tall shelves of unlabeled bottles beside a bright window
Step-by-step walkthrough

How to Open a Bar (8 Steps and Real Costs)

This walkthrough covers how to open a bar in 8 steps: concept and license, premises, build-out, opening stock, pour cost, staffing, and a worked budget.

·41 min read
A deep fryer with two wire frying baskets hooked over the rim of its vat, standing beside a stainless gas range with cast iron burner grates and a row of control knobs, lit warmly from one side in a dark kitchen
Equipment cost case study

Commercial Fryer Cost by Type and Size

This case study prices commercial fryers by type: open pot, tube, flat bottom, and pressure, plus gas versus electric, the hood, fire suppression, and oil.

·35 min read
A person in a dark jacket and glasses sitting at a window counter with an open notebook and a pen, looking out across an empty street toward storefronts with awnings and a few blurred pedestrians on the far sidewalk
Step-by-step walkthrough

How to Choose a Restaurant Location

This walkthrough turns choosing a restaurant location into eight steps: daypart traffic, the technical screen that kills sites, and the lease math.

·51 min read
A cold storage room with wire shelving holding cardboard boxes and lidded containers, a ceiling-mounted cooling unit with three round fans, and an insulated door standing open onto a warmly lit space
Step-by-step walkthrough

How to Do Restaurant Inventory (7 Steps)

This walkthrough covers how to do restaurant inventory in seven steps: build the count sheet, standardize units, freeze the period, then read the variance.

·48 min read
Two people sitting side by side at a wooden table inside a warehouse, one holding up a printed page above a clipboard of stapled documents while the other rests a hand beside an open laptop, with steel racking and a parked yellow machine behind them
Operating cost case study

Restaurant Insurance Cost by Coverage

This coverage brief prices restaurant insurance line by line: general liability, property, business interruption, equipment breakdown, liquor, workers comp.

·39 min read
Start with the decision

Every purchase is one of these

Buy vs leaseA cash-flow and utilization call, quantified over the full term.Read the case study Used vs newThe depreciation cliff and the cost-per-working-year that decides it.Read the case study Finance the gearRates, terms, and what a financed machine really costs all in.Read the case study
Judged on paybackNot marketing spec sheets.
Downtime priced inThe cost nobody spreadsheets.
Total cost of ownershipUpkeep and financing counted.
Worked examplesEvery case study runs the math.
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Reviews with a payback line

B2B buyers answer to a budget. We give them the number it needs.

How we test

We evaluate on uptime, serviceability, and total cost of ownership, and talk to operators who run the gear daily.

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