I get that. Now, since you're in the business, perhaps you know whether the regulations are necessary for public safety, or whether they are there for the benefit of some of the vendors.
Or, perhaps it is both.
Both.
It is the unintended consequence of safety. I'm not saying deregulate the entire market. But for ****s sake, a 900 dollar microwave? Especially for a CLASSY place, that simply isn't going to use it that often? A 50K oven just so you can sell fresh baked brownies?
At some point, we need actual, human to human communication to happen, one person speaking to another, voicing their intentions with item A or B, etc. Actual human decision making, based on individual situations and demands, not blanket policy.
I'm not saying to let the owner, who is a chef, try to rig up his own hood fan. He's gonna either suffocate his staff, or burn the place down. But, don't also tell him there is only ONE guy in town who is going to DICTATE to you how much that vent system is going to cost to instal. That's....R E T A R T T T E D.
I'm not saying to let every single kitchen out their have the option to buy a home depot electric range top stove. That's eventually gonna cause grease fires in places owned by short sighted idiots focused on quick profit. But to require that ANY place that needs an oven MUST use a 50,000 dollar oven...again....stupid. Maybe a place that is thinking about offering some fresh bread options doesn't NEED a 20K proofer along with that oven...maybe they are making low volume.
A lot of this came about from a genuine desire for safety, but an almost equal amount, it seems to me, came about from lobbyism, and the desire to retain american jobs. Hobart? Amana? These are american companies, with employees still in the US.