Sanford's Recycles Restaurant Equipment

By Marie Sharp - The Ten Mile Times - November 14, 2001

     Nancy Peters may not have super powers common to comic book super heros like wonder woman or cat woman, but to the restaurant owners she helps, she is at times a wonder-woman.

     Last summer, Peters started her own business, Sanford's, specializing in buying and reselling used restaurant equipment.

     “This area has a great concentration of restaurants due to tourism, and there is a steady flow of restaurants coming, going or changing venues. This lends the opportunity for my business as an equipment broker to be successful,” Peters said.

     The name Sanford's came from a conversation with her father while developing the business based on, you guessed it, the 1970's television series, Sanford and Son. “The concept is the same, except I don't deal in junk, just useable restaurant equipment,” Peters said.

Here's how she matches equipment sellers with buyers. Peters travels across the central mountain region of Colorado visiting restaurants, developing relationships and finding out what type of equipment they are looking for or wanting to recycle.

     It could be something as small as a wok or a pizza pan or as large as a pizza oven or walk-in cooler. She is literally rescuing equipment by finding new owners who are happy to get the price break. The equipment is inspected and cleaned, then she delivers to a restaurant seeking the same piece. “It's matchmaking at its best,” Peters said.

     Sanford's has a large variety of restaurant kitchen equipment as well as cutlery, dishes, barstools, booths, shelving — and the list goes on. Helping people locate the right equipment at the right price, while solving another's dilemma by recycling unnecessary equipment they no longer have a use for makes Peter's job rewarding.

     “It's a great way to make a living. I get to travel throughout some of the most beautiful parts of Colorado while selling and shopping for equipment,” Peters said.

     As a previous restaurant manager and consultant, Peters understands that time is a valued commodity for restaurant owners, so she does all the work while the restaurateurs do what they do best, run a restaurant.

     “In many cases, the owner is also the chef and the manager, giving him little time to focus on the equipment. It could be two o'clock in the morning when he is dealing with equipment problems. To make things easier, I have a web site that lists equipment that's available and wanted; he can log on and search for his needs when it's convenient for him,” Peters said.

     Like many in the area, Peters is a transplant.

     “I came here after graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1981 and worked in Vail. After a year of making too little money I decided it was time for a career change,” Peters said.

     She went back to Tennessee and worked for Domino's as a manager then as a consultant, helping improve store productivity. From there she went on to get her master's degree in international business from Wake Forest University.

     Then with an MBA in her pocket and a desire to see more of the world, Peters packed her bags and moved to Japan working as a senior management consultant for an international education consulting group.

     “I enjoyed living in Japan, working, learning the language, and enjoying the culture. However, after seven years, I decided to come back to the states and work for myself as an independent consultant.”

     One dreary winter day she was consulting in Ohio and realized that it was time to settle down in one place, Colorado. “I love the mountains and Colorado, so I came back here,” she said.

     In 1999 Peters bought a place in Buena Vista. Her experience in the restaurant business and consulting led her to the idea to start a profitable business recycling restaurant equipment while living in a place she enjoys.

     When Peters is not rescuing and recycling restaurant equipment, she enjoys hiking near her home in Trout Creek, backpacking, playing tennis and taking classes in refrigeration at the local community college.

     Peters will travel to your restaurant, garage, or storage unit to survey and recycle your equipment. She's usually on the road, but can be reached on her cell phone at 719-332-7800 or leave her a message at 719-836-9008. She is not available at 2 a.m. but you can visit her website at www.SanfordsUsedRestaurantEquipment.com.

     Nancy can be reached by calling 719-332-7800.

     Sanford's sells, trades, and buys

used equipment, but unlike Fred and Lamont, we don't deal in junk.