Are air fryers practical for a high volume restaurant?

Here is an objective analysis of whether air fryers are suitable for restaurants:

I. Scenarios Where They Can Be Used

● Processing small batches of specialty dishes

For example, selling 30 servings of garlic ribs or roasted pumpkin daily
Advantages:

● Saves electricity compared to using a large oven

Dry, non-greasy finished product, attractive plating

● Compensates for the shortcomings of a deep fryer

When the deep fryer is overwhelmed, use an air fryer:

● Quickly fry half a basket of fries

Reheating cooled fried chicken (better texture than microwave)

II. Major Drawbacks (Most troublesome during peak hours)

● Insufficient food output

A single fryer only makes 1-2 plates of fries (commercial models are only twice the size of home models)
During peak lunch hours:
Need 4 air fryers barely enough → Countertops are overcrowded with food
Employees are frantically opening and closing the lids

● The machine can't handle high intensity

Frying more than 10 batches continuously:
Heating element turns red and alarms sound
Plastic parts emit a burnt smell
Filters clog every half hour, requiring constant cleaning

III. Costs Don't Make Calculations

● High initial investment in the machine

Equipment Type Price and Maximum Daily Output:
Standard Commercial Air Fryer ≈ 7,000-8,000 RMB for 80 servings of fries
Professional Deep Fryer ≈ 3,000-4,000 RMB for 300+ servings

●Shocking Electricity Costs

Air Fryer: Power consumption comparable to 3 induction cookers
Deep Fryer: Keeping the gas cylinder running actually saves energy

IV. Makeshift Solutions

●Cooperating with Deep Fryers

Main Function: Deep fryer for best-selling dishes (fried chicken, fish fillets)
Air Fryer Supplement: Fried peanuts, roasted mushrooms, etc.
Accepting small orders like "one serving of fries"

●Menu Additions

Promoting "Less Oil" Dishes:
Healthy Roasted Vegetable Platter (eggplant/asparagus)
Appetizers (roasted dried shrimp, crispy pork lard)