# How to Open a Shawarma Shop in Canada: Equipment Guide > Plan a shawarma shop in Canada: the vertical broiler, grill and fryer, prep refrigeration, hood, gas or power, the order to buy in, and leasing. Opening a business by Norpex. Published 2026-11-11, updated 2026-11-11. Canonical: https://norpex.ca/guides/how-to-open-a-shawarma-shop ![Fagor 60 inch mega top refrigerated sandwich and salad prep table with drawers](https://norpex.ca/m/86/2a/862af19037177e745a16475c2eef3b3d55d0dfd4f866b98c573837f1761afb04.jpg) Pictured: [Fagor FMT-60 Mega Top Prep Table](https://norpex.ca/product/fagor-fmt-series-115v-60-single-door-mega-top-refrigerated-salad-sandwich-prep-table-with-two-drawer-fmt-60-24-d2-n) A shawarma shop is built around one machine, the vertical broiler, sized to the meat you sell in a day. Choose it first, then add a grill, a fryer and cold prep, and plan the hood and gas or power around that line before anything is ordered. ## Key takeaways - Size the vertical broiler to the cone you sell in a day, not to the biggest cone on offer. - Gas and electric broilers both make grease vapour, so plan the hood, gas or electrical supply and clearances before ordering. - Many shops run two machines, so chicken and beef or lamb cook side by side and one machine backs up the other. - Cold prep for sauces, pickles and vegetables matters as much as the hot line: build the refrigeration around it. - Read your public health unit's guidance for vertical broilers before you build a menu around one. ## Why a shawarma shop works Shawarma is a complete meal in a wrap or on a plate, made to order in about a minute from meat that is already cooked. That speed is the whole business case: a single cook can feed a lunch line, and the menu stays short because the same cone, sauces and vegetables make wraps, plates, bowls and fries. The format fits food courts, strip-mall units, late-night areas near campuses and delivery-first kitchens. The kitchen is compact, built around one hot machine in view of the customer, and the machine is also the advertising: a turning cone is how people find the shop. The same trait makes the equipment choice unforgiving. The cone is the product, so the broiler's heat, spit capacity and fuel decide quality and running cost, and the hood and gas or electrical supply must be right from the first day. ## The equipment list: the vertical broiler Shawarma, doner kebab, gyro and tacos al pastor all come off the same kind of machine: an upright spit turned by a motor, with heat on one side. The cone is stacked from sliced or ground meat in-house or bought ready-made. The number and height of the burners or elements set the tallest cone the machine cooks evenly, and individually controlled burners let the cook turn off the top zones as the cone shrinks, which saves fuel and keeps the meat from drying. Size to the meat you sell in a day. Machines in the catalogue take cones from roughly 65 lb to 200 lb. An oversized cone that half sells wastes product and ties up the machine; an undersized one means loading a second cone in the middle of service. Many shops start with a cone that sells through by the end of a shift. Gas machines heat quickly and suit kitchens with gas on the line; they come in natural gas and propane versions, and you must order the right one. Electric machines suit buildings without gas, food courts and units where gas is restricted, but some of them need 208 V three-phase power. Check what the building can supply before choosing the fuel. ## The equipment list: grill, fryer and hot line Most shawarma shops add a second hot machine for what the cone does not cover. A charbroiler or a kebab broiler cooks skewers, chicken pieces and kofta over radiant heat, and a flat grill or press toasts wraps and warms flatbread. Count the skewers or portions you need in an hour and match the grill length to it. A fryer handles fries and falafel, and for most shops it is a core part of the sales. A countertop fryer fits a small unit; a floor fryer is built for volume and usually has a bigger oil capacity and faster recovery between loads. Every grease-producing appliance in this line belongs under the same hood. Put the heaviest-duty appliance, usually the charbroiler, at the end the hood is designed for, and keep the broiler in a position the cook can reach and the customer can see. ## The equipment list: prep refrigeration and storage A refrigerated sandwich and salad prep table is the heart of the cold side: a rail for pickles, tomatoes, onions, salads and sauces above, refrigerated storage for meat and wraps below. Health Canada's guidance is to keep cold food at 4 degrees C or below, which applies to everything on the rail. Add an undercounter or reach-in refrigerator for marinated meat and backup stock, a freezer for fries and packaged items, and a worktable for stacking cones and slicing. Slice vegetables with a slicer or food processor to keep the portions consistent. Dry storage on shelving off the floor keeps flatbread, rice and packaged goods tidy. Hot holding follows the same guidance as the rest of the kitchen: 60 degrees C or above. A warmer for pita, wraps or cooked rice keeps the line moving between orders. ## Space, ventilation, gas and power Vertical broilers, charbroilers and fryers all produce grease-laden vapour, so most installations need a commercial hood over the line, and the clearances to walls and combustibles come from each installation manual. Size the hood from the cooking line and the heaviest-duty appliance under it; a charbroiler in the line makes the whole hood heavy duty. Gas equipment needs the right gas type and a connection made to your provincial gas safety authority's requirements by a licensed gas fitter. Electric equipment needs a circuit that matches its voltage, phase and amperage. Add the loads together before you commit, because a gas broiler, a charbroiler and two fryers plus refrigeration is a long list for one panel. Plan make-up air along with the hood. Without it the kitchen goes negative, the hood stops capturing, and the cone burns unevenly. Leave service access behind and beside the broiler, and a clear drip and cleaning path for the spit and the tray. ## The order to buy in Work from the machine that fixes the hood and the utilities down to the loose items. - 1. Confirm the fuel the building offers, then choose the broiler and the rest of the hot line. - 2. The hood and make-up air, designed around that line. - 3. Prep refrigeration, undercounter refrigeration and the freezer. - 4. Sinks and dishwashing, once your health unit's requirements are confirmed. - 5. Worktables, shelving, warmers and small tools, last. ## Lease or buy The broiler, hood and refrigeration are the biggest costs of the opening, and a hood has to be installed whether you lease the machines or buy them. Buying outright avoids financing cost; leasing keeps cash for rent, the first meat order and the weeks before you build a customer base. Financing is available on approved credit. Apply from the financing page and a Norpex rep sets it up within one business day. ## Permits and inspections Permits vary by province and city. Start with the federal overview of permits, licences and regulations, then check with your municipality and local public health unit. Many health units publish specific guidance for vertical broilers, including how the meat is cooked, held and sliced, so ask for it before you finalize the menu. Gas, electrical, fire and building inspections are separate from the food permit. ## Get the whole list priced Send the equipment list or a floor plan through the project quote form. A person prices the whole list with freight included and replies within one business day. Items that can be bought online show the delivered price at checkout before you pay. All sales are final, and gas appliances arrive built for natural gas or propane, so confirm the gas type, voltage, phase and dimensions before ordering. ## Common questions ### What size shawarma machine does a new shop need? Size it to the weight of meat you expect to sell in a day, and choose a cone that sells through by the end of a shift. An oversized cone wastes product, and an undersized one means loading a second cone in the middle of service. ### Should a shawarma machine be gas or electric? Gas heats quickly and suits kitchens with gas on the line, while electric suits buildings without gas and food courts where gas is restricted. Larger electric machines need three-phase power, so check the building before you choose. ### Does a shawarma machine need a hood? Most installations do, because the machine produces grease-laden vapour. The maker's manual lists the clearances, and your local building and fire authorities decide what must be installed, so involve them before you order. ### Do I need two shawarma machines? Many busy shops run two so chicken and beef or lamb cook side by side and one machine backs up the other. A single machine suits a smaller shop with one meat on the menu. ### How do I price the whole kitchen at once? Send the equipment list or a floor plan through the project quote form. A person prices the full list with freight included and replies within one business day. ## Related guides - [Rotisserie and Shawarma Machine Guide: Spits, Baskets, Gas or Electric](https://norpex.ca/guides/rotisserie-and-shawarma-guide) - [How to Size a Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Hood](https://norpex.ca/guides/how-to-size-a-commercial-kitchen-hood) - [Griddle vs Charbroiler: Flat-Top, Grill or Salamander for Your Menu](https://norpex.ca/guides/griddle-vs-charbroiler) - [Refrigerated Prep Table Buying Guide: Sandwich, Pizza and Mega-Top](https://norpex.ca/guides/prep-table-buying-guide) ## Shop the catalogue - [Doner/Shawarma Machines](https://norpex.ca/products/doner-shawarma-machines) - [Charbroilers](https://norpex.ca/products/charbroilers-grills-and-broilers) - [Kebab Grills](https://norpex.ca/products/kebab-grills) - [Floor Fryer](https://norpex.ca/products/floor-fryer) - [Sandwich/Salad Prep Table](https://norpex.ca/products/sandwich-salad-prep-table) - [Undercounter Refrigerator](https://norpex.ca/products/undercounter-refrigerator)