A restaurant loss divides into cooking line, refrigeration, prep and warewashing, smallwares, and front of house — each pricing against a different market. US Claims Solutions records every unit by manufacturer, model, serial number and capacity, because certification marks and duty ratings determine which replacement products are genuinely comparable.
Commercial ratings are not interchangeable with residential
Commercial cooking and refrigeration equipment carries certification and duty ratings that govern where it may legally be installed. A six-burner commercial range and a residential unit of similar appearance differ in BTU output, construction, warranty and certification, and cost several times as much. Pricing one against the other is a common and consequential error. Consultants record the certification marks on the nameplate alongside model and serial number so the comparison is made against equipment that could actually be installed.
Smallwares are high value and easily overlooked
Pans, pots, knives, sheet trays, hotel pans, small appliances, china, glassware and flatware rarely appear on a fixed asset register and are almost never captured on a first scope. In aggregate they routinely reach tens of thousands of dollars for a single restaurant. They also sit in exactly the places a walkthrough misses: under-counter shelving, dry storage, and stacked on speed racks. Consultants inventory them by lot with counts and representative photography rather than individually, at a level of detail sufficient to price.
Refrigeration condition turns on more than appearance
A walk-in cooler that looks undamaged may have lost its compressor to a power event, taken smoke into the evaporator, or suffered panel contamination that cannot be cleaned to food-contact standard. Conversely, units with cosmetic damage frequently remain fully serviceable. Condition grading has to address the refrigeration system and the food-contact surfaces separately, and any product loss inside those units belongs on the inventory as stock rather than as equipment. Consultants test or observe operation where it is safe to do so, and record what was observed rather than inferring condition from appearance.
Built-in and fabricated items need measurement, not model numbers
Exhaust hoods, fire suppression, walk-in boxes, stainless tables, bars and millwork are frequently fabricated to the space and carry no model number. Consultants record dimensions, gauge, material, configuration and fitted services so a fabricator can quote from the documentation. Fire suppression in particular is governed by code and is normally replaced rather than repaired, which makes recording its configuration part of scoping the replacement. Photographs are taken at angles that show construction and connections, since a fabricator quoting from documentation needs to see how a piece was built and serviced, not only its dimensions.
Salvage in a restaurant loss
A used-equipment market exists for commercial kitchen equipment, and units that are unusable to the insured frequently sell. Food product exposed to sewage, heat excursion or contamination cannot be sold and requires certified destruction. USCS evaluates both during the inventory, at the direction of the carrier, adjuster or insured. Used commercial kitchen equipment has an active dealer market, and units unusable to the insured frequently sell for meaningful sums once identification and honest condition detail accompany the offering.