As a hospitality professional (cafes, hotels, restaurants), choosing the right equipment supplier is crucial: product reliability, on-time delivery, responsive customer service, and overall convenience make the difference between a profitable investment and a source of stress. This article draws on verified customer reviews (Trustpilot, Verified Reviews, specialized websites), feedback from restaurant owners, and practical criteria such as delivery, after-sales service, stock availability, and value for money. Focus on the French market.
1. METRO – The long-standing and essential partner
METRO remains the number one choice for many professionals thanks to its physical network (warehouses in France) and its online marketplace. It offers a wide range of products (refrigeration, cooking, stainless steel, hygiene, food), competitive prices for professionals, and a renowned after-sales service (97% satisfaction rating according to their data, with dedicated technicians).
Reviews highlight its convenience: in-store pickup available, extended hours, on-site advice, and delivery. Ideal for mixed orders (equipment + fresh produce). The downsides? Occasional stock shortages or entry-level equipment. A reliable classic for fully equipping a restaurant.
2. Professional Catering Equipment (materiel-chr-pro.com)
Highly rated (around 4.5-5/5 on Trustpilot with hundreds of reviews), this supplier impresses with its value for money, wide selection, and responsive customer service. Professionals appreciate the robustness of the equipment (refrigerated cabinets, ovens, etc.), fast deliveries, and negotiated prices.
Ideal for equipping a professional kitchen from A to Z. Convenient: clear website, free quote, and positive feedback on customer service. Perfect for freelancers and small businesses.
3. Stock-Direct-CHR (stock-direct-chr.com)
Extremely responsive, as mentioned in your experience. Positive customer reviews (around 4.3/5) highlight the speed of delivery (often 48-72 hours), unbeatable prices, actual stock availability, and quality customer support.
Restaurant owners highlight the professionalism, the absence of major problems, and their satisfaction with products such as salad bars and ice machines. Excellent for urgent orders and value for money.
4. Fourniresto (fourniresto.com)
Good positioning with generally positive reviews on Verified Reviews (speedy ordering/delivery, attractive products). Professionals appreciate the follow-up and variety.
There are some mixed reviews regarding the quality of certain devices or customer service, but many reviews highlight the convenience of standard equipment. It's well-suited for supplementary purchases or quick setups.
5. Restaupro or Euromat CHR / CHR-Restauration
- Restaupro Positive feedback on expert advice, product conformity, and delivery times (verified reviews around 4.8/5 on some panels). Excellent support for complete kitchen installations.
- Euromat CHR Or Hospitality and Catering Rated for their professionalism, responsiveness, and careful delivery. A good choice for reliable equipment with local support (Île-de-France for Euromat).
Other honorable mentions: CHR Elite, France CHR, Equipement Direct or Pro Equipement CHR (Bordeaux/Paris) – often praised for their stock, their promotions and their listening.
The worst to avoid: Gastro Mastro (MaterielPizzaDirect.com / Gastromastro)
Personal experience: after ordering a bain-marie, after a year of waiting, not only was the equipment never received, but customer support only replied for months that the "case was being processed" in order to keep me hanging on in the void, and wasting my time because I was waiting to receive the equipment rather than ordering another one elsewhere.
Obviously, the Gastromastro site neither reimbursed nor delivered other equipment, knowing that the previous machines ordered from them, despite delivery costs, were never delivered to the site but systematically to a relay point and this without even calling beforehand to see if the store was open (which should have alerted me to the seriousness of their “carrier”).
Their 1.9/5 rating on Trustpilot is representative of their level of service…
In summary
Gastro Mastro, also known as Materiel Pizza Direct, is to be avoided like the plague. But if you're looking for an alternative, I've switched to... CHR Pro, much more serious and from whom I ordered all the refrigerated equipment for a restaurant, but also supplyesto, stock-direct-chr (hyper-reactive) from whom I had a salad, and still a historic customer of METRO in general both for CHR and for food, who are the nicest and most attentive in the CHR field (poke to the Paris Bercy team).
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