The difference between a residential griddle like those offered by Blackstone and the commercial griddles offered by Waring, Vulcan and others typically comes down to heating power and griddle thickness.
Residential griddles are about 3/16 of an inch thick compared to 1/3 to one full inch thick on commercial products. Griddles designed for restaurant use will also typically feature all stainless steel construction and carry NSF certification in order to meat health department regulations.
The thicker cooking plates on commercial griddles are slower to heat up but offer incredibly fast recovery times which enable them to cook at restaurant quantities.
These high end griddles can be powered by electric or gas. The small electric griddles (14 inches) are powered by 110/120V while the larger griddles (24-36 inches) require 240V.
Most gas fired commercial griddles are designed for natural gas usage although some are interchangeable with propane.
Here is a look at some of the best commercial griddles available.
Commercial Electric Griddle and Flat Top Grill
Large Griddles
Waring Commercial 24 inch Electric Counter Top Griddle
The Waring 24 inch griddle has a 24×16 inch grilling surface and all stainless steel construction.
- Overall Dimensions: 28 x 22.25 x 9..75 inches
- Power: 3300 watt heating element powered from a 220/240 V supply
- Weight: 88 pounds
Volrath 36 Inch Electric Counter Top Griddle
The Volrath 36 inch griddle has three independent temperature controls for the ability to create a different cooking zone every 12 inches.
- Overall dimensions: 35 1/4 x 20 x 11 inches
- Power: 8400 watt heating element and runs off of a 220V power supply.
- Weight: 110 pounds
Small Griddles
Yescom Counter Top Electric Griddle: Stainless Steel Restaurant Grill
The Yescom 14 inch griddle has stainless steel construction with a 15 inch cooking surface. The griddle surface is 1/3 of an inch thick cast iron.
- Overall dimensions: 17 11/16 x 14 3/16 x 8 7/8 inches
- Power: 1500 watt heating element and runs off of a standard 110/120V power supply.
- Weight: 45 pounds
Waring Commercial 14 Inch Electric Counter Top Griddle
The Waring 14 inch griddle has a 14×16 inch grilling surface and all stainless steel construction.
- Overall Dimensions: 22.2 x 17 x 9.8 inches
- Power: 1800 watt heating element powered from a standard 110/120 V supply
- Weight: 47 pounds
Commercial Gas Griddle and Flat Top Grill
When it comes to restaurant grade flat top grills it is hard to beat Vulcan products. Vulcans are used by Waffle House and that is the best recommendation that I can think of. Vulcan griddles are extremely heavy due to the one inch thick steel plate cooking surface. Here are the four most popular sizes of Vulcan griddles.
Vulcan 24 Inch Gas Griddle
- Two Burners
- 54,000 BTU
- 24 x 24 inch cooking surface
- 256 pounds
Vulcan 36 Inch Gas Griddle
- Three Burners
- 90,000 BTU
- 36 x 24 inch cooking surface
- 475 pounds
Vulcan 48 Inch Gas Griddle
- Four Burners
- 100,000 BTU
- 48 x 20 inch cooking surface
- 508 pounds
Vulcan 60 Inch Gas Griddle
- Five Burners
- 135,000 BTU
- 60 x 24 inch cooking surface
- 655 pounds
