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Toronto’s Annual Exhibition packed with crowds and concession stand options

Essential Concession Stand Equipment & Supplies Checklist

Concession stands face the challenge of a small workspace—that’s why maximizing every inch takes top priority. Make short work of this with the essential concession machines and supplies, which we’ll cover in this comprehensive checklist! 

Get all your needs at s.t.o.p. Restaurant Supply, your one-stop shop for concession equipment! From popcorn machines that pop delicious kernels into satisfying snacks to refrigerators that keep drinks refreshingly cold, we’ve got all you need for a well-equipped stand that can handle crowds in your movie theatre, amusement park, fair or festival, sports or event stadium.

We'll break all you need into key categories, each with a detailed list of equipment and supplies for your concession stand. 

Essential Concession Equipment and Supplies Checklist

  1. Food Preparation Equipment
  2. Food Warmers and Displays
  3. Food Containers
  4. General Concession Stand Supplies
  5. Personal Protective Equipment
  6. Cleaning Essentials
A popcorn stand full of seasoned popcorn next to cups and a scoop

Image source: Shutterstock

Concession Equipment for Preparing Food 

This is where the magic happens, transforming raw ingredients into delicious treats that will tantalize your customers' taste buds. Here's a rundown of essential concession machines to consider, all available at s.t.o.p. Restaurant Supply:

☑️ Commercial Popcorn Machine: The irresistible aroma of freshly popped popcorn is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Choose from classic kettle models or commercial popcorn machines to create fluffy, delicious popcorn for your customers.

☑️ Hot Beverage or Topping Dispenser: Perfect for nacho cheese sauce, butter topping for popcorn, hot gravy for poutine, hot cider and hot chocolate, these dispensers keep beverages and sauce at the ideal temperature for serving, ensuring a popular snack is always ready.

☑️ Deep Fryers: Deep fryers are essential for concession classics like french fries, onion rings, and fried chicken. Select a fryer with the right size and features for your menu volume, considering basket size and temperature controls for safe operation.

☑️ Countertop Griddle: Versatile griddles are perfect for cooking a variety of foods, including burgers, sausages, and other grilled items.

☑️ Countertop Pizza Oven: A countertop pizza oven offers a versatile option for cooking personal pizzas or slices. These ovens heat up quickly and handle a high volume, ensuring you can keep up with demand.

☑️ Hot Dog Steamer and Hot Dog Roller Grill: Commercial hot dog equipment is essential for serving everyone's favourite ballpark snack: hot dogs! Hot dog steamers gently cook sausages and links to perfection, while roller grills keep them warm and ready to serve. Explore steamer capacity and roller grill size options to suit your needs.

☑️ Cotton Candy Maker: Amusement parks and local fairs can add a touch of magic to their concession stand with cotton candy machines that create fluffy clouds of candy floss, a delightful treat for all ages.

☑️ Ice Machine: Keep drinks icy cold and refreshing with a reliable ice machine. Choose a countertop model for smaller spaces or a high-capacity unit for larger crowds.

☑️ Fountain Drink Machine: A must-have for concession stands, a fountain drink machine dispenses carbonated beverages in a variety of flavours. Pick a dispenser with enough dispensing valves to hold all of your preferred drinks.

☑️ Slushy Machine: Beat the heat with refreshing frozen beverages! Slushy machines dispense flavourful, icy slushies in a variety of popular options. 

☑️ Snow Cone Machine: Create delightful customizable treats with a snow cone machine! This machine shaves ice into a fluffy base, perfect for drizzling with syrups and creating personalized snow cones.

☑️ Soft Serve Ice Cream Machine: This crowd-pleasing machine dispenses delicious soft-serve ice cream. Make sure the machine's hopper capacity and dispensing options are suitable for your requirements.

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Close-up of pump dispensers

Source: Shutterstock

Food Warmers, Displays & Storage 

Food warmers and displays are essential for showcasing your delicious offerings and keeping them at optimal serving temperatures to maintain speedy service. This entices customers and ensures your food stays fresh and inviting throughout the day!

☑️ Syrup & Condiment Pump Dispensers: This dedicated dispenser ensures your hot fudge, caramel, or other pourable condiments stay warm and dispense smoothly, adding that perfect finishing touch to desserts or snacks. It can also double as a nacho cheese dispenser.

☑️ Food Warmer with Lids & Ladles: Ideal for chilli, nacho cheese, or other hot, hearty offerings, these warmers feature lids to retain heat and ladles for easy serving. 

☑️ Rectangular Food Warmer: A versatile option for keeping crowd-pleasers like chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, or other finger foods warm and crispy.

☑️ Pizza Warmer: Keep pizzas fresh and inviting with a warmer that ensures even heat distribution. This allows you to display a variety of pizzas and grab customer attention.

☑️ Tortilla Chip Warmer: A dedicated warmer for tortilla chips ensures they stay toasty and crispy, ready for dipping into your signature salsas or queso. 

☑️ Popcorn Pedestal Base: This space-saving option doubles as a base for your popcorn machine and a storage compartment for popcorn supplies.

☑️ Refrigerated Merchandiser: A visually appealing way to showcase cold beverages or other chilled items. Choose a model with convenient shelving for optimal product visibility.

☑️ Ice Cream Freezer: An essential for keeping ice cream supplies frozen and ready to scoop. Consider features like chest or display freezers depending on your needs and space limitations.

☑️ Stainless Steel Work Tables: Organize supplies, ingredients, and equipment efficiently with work tables custom-fit for your establishment. They also provide a clean and spacious area for preparing food items!

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A family eating popcorn and cotton candy at a fair

Image source: Shutterstock

Serving Containers 

Containers for serving food and drinks are essential concession supplies. They hold your delicious treats and keep them fresh and appealing to customers.

☑️ Popcorn Bags and Popcorn Boxes: These handy serving containers provide portion control and add a fun touch to the popcorn experience. Choose from a variety of designs and sizes to suit your needs.

☑️ Cotton Candy Bags: These colourful cotton candy supplies are the perfect way to present and contain each sugary cloud, keeping them light and airy for mess-free enjoyment. 

☑️ Snow Cone Cups: Durable and colourful snow cone cups are essential on the checklist of snow cone supplies. Choose from a variety of sizes and colours to complement your snow cone flavours and create an enticing display.

☑️ Boat Trays: A versatile option for holding a variety of menu items, from french fries to poutine, corn dogs, sausages, and more.

☑️ Nacho Trays: Nacho trays are sturdy, multi-compartment containers designed to hold nachos and toppings, ensuring easy handling and minimal mess for customers.

☑️ Hot Dog Paper Bags: Keep hot dogs warm and easy to handle with paper bags. This classic and convenient option allows customers to grab and go without the mess, ensuring a smooth service flow at your stand.

☑️ Combo Serving Trays: Encourage impulse sales and larger purchases with combo trays that hold both food and drink items. These handy trays provide a convenient way to bundle popular pairings, like chips and a drink, increasing your sales and offering added value to your customers.

☑️ Sauce Cups: Provide dipping sauces for wings, tortilla chips, fries, or other menu items with small, portion-controlled sauce cups.

☑️ Plastic Cups with Lids: Essential for serving cold drinks, choose cups in various sizes to accommodate different beverage options. Look for the right lids to prevent spills and unwanted messes, especially for customers on the move.

☑️ Hot Cups with Lids: Bulk disposable coffee cups are perfect for outdoor venues like your local sports stadium, hotels, hospitals, or anywhere that serves piping hot beverages.

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A customer dispenses ketchup from a self-serve pump into a ramekin

Image source: Shutterstock

General Concession Stand Supplies 

This selection of general concession supplies will ensure both customer satisfaction and efficient business practices within your stand.

☑️ Popping Oil: The foundation for fluffy, delicious popcorn. Choose an oil with a high smoke point such as canola oil to prevent burning at high temperatures and for best results.

☑️ Churro Makers: A churro maker is a fantastic addition for stands looking to offer this popular, crispy treat.

☑️ Caramel Corn Glaze: Transform your popcorn into a decadent treat! A drizzle of caramel corn glaze adds a touch of sweetness and a delightful flavour twist.

☑️ Dredge/Shaker: A dredge or shaker is your secret weapon for adding delicious flavourings to your popcorn or other snacks. This easy-to-use tool allows you to effortlessly sprinkle salt, cheese powder, or other seasonings, creating bursts of flavour with every bite.

☑️ Straws and Dispenser: A straw dispenser keeps straws organized and readily accessible for customers.

☑️ Napkins and Napkin Dispenser: Provide ample napkins for customer convenience. A dispenser keeps them neat and easy to grab.

☑️ Snow Cone Paper Cup Dispenser: Ensure a smooth service flow for snow cones with a dedicated dispenser that keeps cups organized and readily accessible.

☑️ Cutlery Kit: Offer plastic cutlery kits containing forks, spoons, and knives for added convenience, especially for menu items that require utensils like nachos or fries with toppings.

☑️ Condiment Container: A must-have for self-serve condiments like minced onion, pickles, tomatoes, sauerkraut, and more. Choose containers with easy-to-use lids or pumps for dispensing, minimizing waste and mess.

☑️ Organizer Bin: Keep condiment packets like ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper neatly organized and readily accessible with a dedicated organizer. This eliminates clutter and ensures a frustration-free experience for your customers.

☑️ Squeeze Bottle: Ideal for dispensing sauces like mustard or ketchup, squeeze bottles offer easy portion control, reduce waste and keep your service area clean.

☑️ Spoon Straws: Spoon straws combine a spoon for scooping snow cone ice and a straw for sipping the flavoured syrups. Customers won’t need to use separate utensils, allowing them to enjoy their snow cones or slushies with ease.

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Person prepping wings with black latex gloves on

Image source: Shutterstock

Personal Protective Equipment 

While customer satisfaction reigns supreme, prioritizing the safety and well-being of your staff and patrons is paramount. Outfitting your concession stand with the following personal protective equipment (PPE) will ensure a hygienic environment and safeguard everyone involved:

☑️ Powderless Gloves: These disposable gloves are essential for maintaining hand hygiene during food preparation and handling. Opt for powderless varieties to minimize the risk of contamination from cornstarch or other additives.

☑️ Aprons: Provide washable or disposable aprons for your staff to wear. Aprons act as a barrier, protecting clothing from spills and splashes, minimizing the risk of foodborne illness and promoting a clean and professional appearance.

☑️ Hairnets: Hairnets are a must-have for any food service operation. They prevent loose hairs from falling into food, ensuring a sanitary serving environment.

☑️ First-Aid Kit: Be prepared for minor accidents and injuries with a well-stocked first-aid kit. This kit should contain essential supplies like bandages, antiseptic wipes, and pain relievers to address minor cuts, scrapes, or burns that may occur during service.

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People cleaning concession stand

Source: Shutterstock

Cleaning Essentials 

A well-maintained concession stand ensures a pleasant customer experience andpromotes food safety and hygiene. Here's a breakdown of essential cleaning supplies to keep your stand sparkling:

☑️ Popcorn Kettle Cleaner Kit: Specially formulated for tackling tough residue and buildup, a popcorn kettle cleaner kit will ensure your popcorn equipment stays in top condition.

☑️ Microfibre Cloths: These versatile cloths are ideal for cleaning surfaces without scratching. Use them for wiping down counters, appliances, and glass displays, leaving a streak-free shine.

☑️ Mop and Mop Bucket: A mop and bucket are essential for cleaning floors and ensuring a sanitary environment. Choose a mop suitable for your floor type and a cleaning solution that effectively removes spills and dirt.

☑️ Trash Bins: Strategically placed trash bins are key for maintaining cleanliness. Opt for bins with lids to prevent unpleasant odours and overflowing messes.

☑️ Scrub Brushes: For tougher cleaning jobs, like scrubbing hot dog grills or removing stuck-on grime, a variety of scrub brushes come in handy. Choose different bristle stiffnesses to tackle various cleaning tasks.

☑️ Spray Bottles: Reusable spray bottles are ideal for dispensing cleaning solutions and disinfectants. Fill them with your chosen cleaning solution for convenient sanitizing of surfaces and equipment.

☑️ Cleaning Solutions: Select a food-safe cleaning solution formulated for concession stand environments. Look for options that effectively clean and disinfect without leaving harmful residues.

☑️ Cleaning Bucket and Pail: A dedicated bucket or pail is essential for mixing cleaning solutions and storing cleaning supplies. Choose a sturdy and easy-to-clean container for this purpose.

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Increase Impulse Sales at Your Concession Stand with Quality Equipment & Supplies 

A well-equipped concession stand is key to keeping customers happy and your business running smoothly. That's why we offer all the essential concession supplies and equipment you’ll need under one roof—from hot dog equipment to popcorn supplies, beverage service essentials and cleaning and sanitation products. 

We source top-quality products from reputable brands, so you can rest assured your concession equipment is reliable and durable enough to withstand the demands of a busy stand. Plus, our competitive pricing ensures you get the most bang for your buck.

Don't let a lack of supplies slow you down. Shop at s.t.o.p. Restaurant Supply for all your commercial concession stand needs today.

Need assistance with orders? Give us a call and we’ll help you out! 

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