Restaurant Equipment and Supply for Raleigh, Cary and Apex
Raleigh eats Eastern North Carolina barbecue: whole hog, chopped and dressed with a vinegar and pepper sauce with no tomato, served with hushpuppies and slaw. Clyde Cooper's Barbeque has served Raleigh barbecue since New Year's Day 1938, and Sam Jones BBQ brought wood-fired whole hog downtown in 2021.
Mecca Restaurant has fed the blocks around the State Capitol since 1930, Ashley Christensen has run Poole's Diner since 2007, and the 2026 MICHELIN Guide American South lists 15 Raleigh-area restaurants, according to Visit Raleigh. The State Farmers Market covers 75 acres, the North Carolina State Fair fills the fairgrounds every October, Cary's La Farm Bakery has baked bread since 1999, and Apex throws PeakFest every May.
Since 2015, The Restaurant Warehouse has shipped to thousands of commercial kitchens in every state. Raleigh-area orders ship from our Atlanta warehouse, so Raleigh-area restaurants get the same low prices and freight delivery right to Raleigh, Cary, Apex, and Knightdale. The most common orders here are fryers, reach-in refrigerators, freezers, work tables, griddles, and food truck equipment.
Whole Hog, Vinegar Sauce and Hushpuppies in Raleigh
Eastern North Carolina barbecue cooks the whole hog, pulls and chops the meat, and dresses it mostly after cooking with a thin vinegar and pepper sauce with no tomato. Lexington, or Piedmont, style uses only the shoulder and a red, tomato-based dip, and in 2006 the split reached the legislature, where bills to make Lexington's festival the official state barbecue festival were defeated. Clyde Cooper's Barbeque opened in Raleigh on New Year's Day 1938 and serves chopped barbecue with a tangy sauce that blends Lexington and Eastern styles, plus banana pudding. Sam Jones BBQ opened downtown in 2021. It cooks 180-pound hogs for about 16 hours over a wood-fired pit, chops them with cleavers and finishes them with salt, pepper, cider vinegar and hot sauce. The Jones family's Skylight Inn has cooked whole hog in Ayden since 1947 and won a James Beard America's Classics award in 2003, and Sam Jones BBQ holds a Bib Gourmand in the MICHELIN Guide. Hushpuppies, according to Our State, may have first caught on at 1940s fish fries in Calabash, and pitmaster Warner Stamey is believed to have borrowed them from a Greensboro inn in the early 1950s.
Barbecue kitchens run fryers all day for hushpuppies, deep reach-in refrigerators for slaw, greens and sauce, freezers for whole hogs and shoulders, and stainless work tables for chopping. Barbecue trailers and caterers build out with food truck equipment.
Mecca, Poole's and Raleigh's Restaurant Institutions
Greek immigrant Nick Dombalis opened Mecca Restaurant near the State Capitol on May 1, 1930, and it was named a Historic Landmark in 2014. The Roast Grill has sold hot dogs and Coca-Cola in glass bottles since 1940, cash only. Char-Grill started in 1960 as a takeout-only cinder-block building on Hillsborough Street and now has about 10 Raleigh-area locations. The Angus Barn opened that same year with 275 seats and now seats 650. Poole's Diner opened in 1945 as Poole's Pie Shop. Ashley Christensen took it over in 2007 and won the James Beard Best Chef: Southeast award in 2014 and Outstanding Chef in 2019. Poole's, The Pit and Prime Barbecue in Knightdale are all in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide American South.
Burger stands, hot dog counters and steakhouses here run charbroilers, griddles, chef bases and ranges and ovens. Diners and dining rooms add sandwich prep tables, bar refrigeration and ice machines.
The State Farmers Market, Sweet Potatoes and the October Fair
The State Farmers Market in Raleigh covers 75 acres of indoor and outdoor shops, restaurants and a garden center, selling fruits, vegetables and meats from across the state, according to Visit Raleigh. Its State Farmer's Market Restaurant is believed to date to 1955 and opened at its present site in 1991. North Carolina has been the top sweet potato state since 1971 and grows nearly 60 percent of the country's supply, according to the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission. Every October the North Carolina State Fair runs for 11 days at the fairgrounds on Blue Ridge Road, drawing about one million visitors by Visit Raleigh's count.
Kitchens buying from the market need reach-in refrigerators and freezers for produce and pork, plus countertop display cases and glass door merchandisers for pies and baked goods. Fair vendors run food truck equipment, fryers, griddles and undercounter refrigeration sized for a trailer.
Restaurant Supply Store in Raleigh
We ship straight to your Raleigh restaurant. Most Raleigh-area orders arrive in 1 to 3 business days from our Atlanta warehouse, with free freight and free lift gate service. Most Raleigh-area calls are for a fast replacement, like a fryer or reach-in that quit before a busy weekend, or for a full package for a new barbecue joint, bakery, cafe or food truck. Will-call pickup in Atlanta is available for verified restaurant businesses, but most kitchens skip the drive and let us ship it. Tell us what you cook and how much room you have, and we will help you size the line.
Why Raleigh Restaurants Buy From The Restaurant Warehouse
Every piece of new Atosa equipment we sell is run-tested for 24 hours at the factory before it ships. It carries Intertek's ETL Sanitation and cETLus listings, which certify it to the NSF/ANSI food equipment standards and US and Canadian safety standards that inspectors from Wake County Environmental Health & Safety and neighboring county health departments look for. Refrigeration comes with a 3-year parts and labor warranty and a 5-year compressor warranty, gas cooking equipment comes with a 1-year parts and labor warranty, and extended warranties are available.
- Free freight on qualifying orders, no lift gate fees
- Built for scrappy startups, food trucks and independent kitchens
- Founder Sean Kearney answers calls, texts and email at (206) 419-5801 or therestaurantwarehouse@gmail.com
Serving Raleigh, Cary and Apex
Raleigh is our hub for Wake County, Cary and Apex. Restaurants across the area get the same equipment, free lift gate freight and warranty, and they talk to the same team.
Raleigh and Knightdale
Raleigh, the state capital, sits in Wake County with a small part in Durham County. Its barbecue joints, downtown diners and State Farmers Market vendors order fryers, reach-in refrigerators, charbroilers and work tables. We also deliver east to Knightdale, home of Prime Barbecue. Wake County Environmental Health & Safety inspects most restaurants here.
Cary
Cary is home to La Farm Bakery, founded in 1999 by Master Baker Lionel Vatinet and Missy Vatinet, and Bond Brothers Beer Company, the town's first downtown brewery, in a former carpet distribution center on East Cedar Street. Herons and Dampf Good BBQ are in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide, and the Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival brings artists and food vendors downtown every August. Kitchens here order ranges and ovens, countertop display cases, draft beer coolers and back bar coolers. Most of Cary is in Wake County, and its edges reach into neighboring counties, each with its own inspectors.
Apex
Apex got its name from its spot at the highest point on a 30-mile stretch of the old Chatham Railroad. It was incorporated in 1873, and downtown became a Historic District in 1994. PeakFest brings festival food and food trucks to Apex on the first Saturday in May. Apex restaurants and trucks order food truck equipment, griddles, sandwich prep tables and ice machines. Apex sits in Wake and Chatham counties.
Raleigh Restaurant Equipment FAQ
Do you ship restaurant equipment to Raleigh?
Yes. The Restaurant Warehouse ships commercial restaurant equipment to Raleigh and the rest of the Raleigh, Cary and Apex area by freight, with lift gate delivery to your door.
Do you deliver to Cary, Apex and Knightdale?
Yes. We deliver across the area, including Raleigh, Cary, Apex and Knightdale, with free freight on qualifying orders and no lift gate fees.
How fast is delivery to Raleigh?
Most Raleigh-area orders arrive in 1 to 3 business days from our Atlanta warehouse, depending on item availability and carrier routing. Contact us if you need equipment urgently.
Do you offer free freight?
Yes. Free freight is available on select models and qualifying orders. Contact us to confirm freight options for a specific item.
Do you charge lift gate fees?
No. We do not charge lift gate fees.
What types of restaurant equipment do you sell?
We sell commercial refrigerators, freezers, prep tables, griddles, charbroilers, deep fryers, ovens, ice machines, bar refrigeration, and food truck equipment, plus many other categories for professional kitchens.
Can I get help choosing the right equipment?
Yes. If you can't find what you need, call or email us and we'll help you source the right product for your kitchen.
Can I pick up my order?
Yes. Verified restaurant businesses can arrange will-call pickup at our Atlanta warehouse. But why lose a day renting a truck, strapping it down and unloading it yourself? With free freight and free lift gate service, most Raleigh-area orders arrive at your door or curb in 1 to 3 business days. Call (206) 419-5801 to set up either option.
Next door, our Durham page covers Durham and Chapel Hill, and to the south our Fayetteville page covers Fayetteville and the Sandhills.
Restaurant Equipment Across North Carolina
The Restaurant Warehouse delivers commercial restaurant equipment across North Carolina from our Atlanta warehouse. Find the page for your region: