Restaurant Liquidation Auctions

[paulraphael]

Business is bad. I want a piece of it.

Is there any kind of online information clearinghouse for restaurant auctions?

[cbread]

www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/articles/auction.aspx has info - not very encouraging though.

C

[jvalentino]

www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/articles/auction.aspx has info - not very encouraging though.

C

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Keep in mind the source! Also a quote from the article- "A "shell" is a person that works for the auction house but is disguised as a bidder." Isn't the proper term shill?

Anyhow I have thought the same thing as the OP, but it seems like the info is really scattered.

[Edward J]

There are usually one or two auction houses in your general area who specialize in restaurant equipment. They are listed in the yellow pages, and you will find them with standing advertisements in the daily papers: "wanting to buy restaurant equipment".

Auctions are a miserable place. The small used food equipment guys fall over each other to buy up the stuff so they can mark it up. These guys make Honest Ed's used cars look like a saint. They've out-bid me at auctions and I've seen the same units in their showrooms with as much as 400% mark up--with a 10 day warranty!

STAY AWAY from any mechanical equipment, and this means refrigeration--unless you purposley want to buy a refr. display case to display dry only. or your brother has his refrigeration ticket. It ain't worth it.

Hobarts (mixers) are usually a safe bet, and if 2nd or 3rd is shot, it isn't hard to find someone to repair it.

Small wares are also a good bet, and the small used food eqpt guys don't usually go for that stuff.