Whether you’re looking for a wood-burning grill or a plancha-style grill, finding the right fit for your operation requires extra planning and possibly a redesign of your kitchen space to accommodate it. Here, a few operators share sources for grills and the considerations you need to keep in mind when purchasing one for your own locale.
icon Grill, Seattle: Wood-fire grills like the one chef Nick Musser cooks on at this downtown restaurant and lounge are available from many restaurant supply companies. They are significantly less expensive than gas grills because they don’t require machinery or gas plumbing. However, operators should know that wood grills can require an upgrade to the kitchen ventilation system.
Mercat a la Planxa, Chicago: To turn out authentic, Spanish-style a la planxa (on the grill) dishes at this hip hotel restaurant, the operator sourced a standard Wolf brand flat-top griddle. Operators can expect to spend $12,000 for such a grill.
The Red Room, Providence, R.I.: This lounge’s steel wood-burning grill is custom-made but very similar to the Black Dog 28 grill, an affordable, user-friendly grill that costs just $275. Other costs for this kind of grill include purchasing the apple hickory and mesquite wood to operate it.