Equipment

There's a pretty big difference between most commercial and household restaurant equipment. Once you use a commercial blender, it's pretty hard to go home and listen to your blender swish and gurgle and struggle to blend a smoothie. Your commercial blender will complete the task masterfully and within about 20 seconds. Your home blender will not.

The cost of an average commercial smoothie blender is about $400. Your home blender about $40.

Knives are the same, a good commercial knife is worth its weight in gold. You will use it all day, every day. A lousy knife will cost you time and efficiency and patience. All chefs have their favourite knife/knives and I personally, get all frustrated and distracted when I can't find mine.

There really isn't a huge gap in price or quality of commercial and household knives anymore. There are a lot of really great ones on the market and can be found at most any household retailer, though they will typically cost you a little less through a restaurant supply store.

My point is this... the tools of your trade are critical. If you are writing a business plan to open a restaurant/cafe/coffee shop etc, do the research and get in touch with both new and used equipment retailers. It's a significant start up cost and if you buy junk or get the wrong equipment it will end up costing you so much more. Lost efficiency, lost sales and potential injuries are not worth the few dollars you will "save" upfront buying inferior equipment.