Heat lamps are a vital piece of equipment for many restaurants, particularly those that offer buffets to their patrons. This simple device keeps the food that you place beneath it hot, ensuring that it feels as though it just came out of the oven — even if that's not the case. Restaurants frequently use heat lamps not only on their buffets, but also in their kitchens. When kitchen staff have a dish ready for a server to pick up, they'll commonly place it beneath a heat lamp to stay warm until the server arrives. If you're shopping for heat lamps for your restaurant, you'll find several varieties. Here are three that you may wish to buy.

Strip Heat Lamps

As their name suggests, strip heat lamps are long, rectangular devices that work well above a buffet table or in your restaurant's kitchen. They're available in many styles; narrow models have one heating element, while wider models have multiple heating elements that allow them to heat a larger area. These heaters are also sold in several lengths, allowing you to easily find one or more to suit the space that you need to heat. Strip heaters are often made of stainless steel, which can make them a good visual fit over a stainless steel buffet table.

Decorative Heat Lamps

While a lot of heat lamps are designed to provide function more than augment the look of the space, you'll find others that offer more visual style. Often called decorative heat lamps, these are products that you'll want to use in an area such a buffet where style is important. Decorative heat lamps often look like standard lights that hang from the ceiling, but are equipped with heating elements instead of lightbulbs. They're available in a wide range of styles, making it easy to find a design that will suit your restaurant's look.

Heat Lamps With Lights

Many heat lamps aren't equipped with lights, but you'll certainly find some models that have this feature when you browse the options at a restaurant supply store. It's worthwhile to think about what light sources you have in the area that you'll be using with your heat lamps. If the area is short on existing lights, you'll want to buy heat lamps that have built-in lights. This feature will make the food look brighter, which will help it to appear more appetizing. Learn about these and other heat lamps at a commercial restaurant equipment supplier.