BigTray is Joining Chefs’ Toys

Contact us at (800)244-8729 or [email protected].

To read the official press release, please click here.

It's official – the teams from BigTray and Chefs’ Toys have merged to offer the best possible customer experience, bringing the strengths of both companies together under the Chefs’ Toys brand. As of November, all of the BigTray operations are being folded into the Chefs’ Toys business. However, BigTray’s talented teams and commitment to customer service aren’t going anywhere – it will all endure as part of the Chefs’ Toys infrastructure, as we seamlessly add BigTray’s talents and resources to the fold. It’s an exciting time, and as American restaurants persevere amid the travails of covid-era restrictions, we stand behind them, with practical consulting and gear for the kitchen.

Some Background
At Chefs’ Toys, we’ve come a long way from our humble ambitions as a knife sharpening and restaurant supply store in the Southern California area. Since 1988, Chefs’ Toys has been serving restaurant owners and professional cuisine artists, with a dedication to quality and attention to detail. In 1999, BigTray pioneered online sales of restaurant equipment in the San Francisco Bay area, helping local restaurants to gear up effectively through the Internet, a new idea at the time. Now, a couple of decades later, Chefs’ Toys is proud to fold BigTray into its big tent.

Uniting Two Teams
It's been a great experience meeting new people, as we join the excellent sales teams of these two companies together. At Chefs’ Toys, we are “for chefs, by chefs,” and we respect the plate, with extensive actual experience in restaurants and fast-paced kitchens. We know the front of the house, and the back of the house. BigTray’s sales team has equivalent knowledge of the hospitality industry , so we’ve been able to brainstorm and put our heads together, for a realistic way to expand services that really works for chefs who are in the kitchen. What we’ve learned, from years and years in this business, is that if you want to supply restaurants, you have to know food! Doing this kind of supply work isn’t just bean-counting (how much will the average kitchen need to spend on a commercial range and oven setup?) – it also involves thinking about heat (how best to turn out perfectly grilled meat), pressure, (how do you lay out a kitchen where every step matters?) and precision (every chef has his or her perfect knife set!).

California Cookin’
In some ways, the logistics of this deal have worked easier because of both companies’ legacy in southern and northern California. But aside from geographic proximity, we’re also on the same page in terms of offering excellent resources for our customers. BigTray has always been known as an excellent online provider with a huge selection, offering equipment leasing and easy ordering and replenishing functions, along with package pricing and consultation on restaurant layout. All of those customer benefits will still be part of the program – it's the name that's changing. If you’re a customer, all of your needs will be met by the unified Chefs’ Toys team, without much trouble in terms of practical changeover details. It's been a great experience to integrate BigTray’s strengths and resources into our own online and shipping operation. The acquisition is only going to add vitality to our enormous catalog, and to our active outreach to professional chefs and others who are interested in what it takes to make excellent food. Together, the teams at BigTray and Chefs’ Toys are going to forge forward under one culinary banner – exploring the future of modern restaurant technology, and helping food service entrepreneurs and hobbyists alike to innovate. We’ve supplied big restaurants with industrial commercial equipment, but we also help caterers with the logistics of cooking at offsite events. We’ve assisted courageous cooks in preparing surf and turf entrees and appetizers under a desert sunset, and rolling out consistently handled large-batch baked goods in an L.A. warehouse. Our services and our consulting run the whole gamut from coast to coast, as we make it our business to supply restaurant entrepreneurs with everything they need to succeed! Contact us at (800)244-8729 or [email protected].