In the 1970’s the now legendary Bob Shapiro was working as a distributor for Bar Boy, a company pioneering metered liquor dispensers.  Bob was a tireless worker who willingly shared his knowledge and expertise, and his unique sense of humor.  Bob was very successful in renting out all his dispensers, and then during one delivery a bar owner asked if he also rented refrigerators. “Yes, of course” Bob said, and thus began his foray into refrigerator rentals. 

A year later, Bob responded to a general solicitation for the sale of air cleaners from Texas Electronic Precipitation and soon he was also installing and renting air cleaners to bars, restaurants and auto body shops around the Bay Area, in addition to liquor dispensers and refrigerators. Visiting a restaurant one day it dawned on him—a restaurant only has one air cleaner, one ice machine, and maybe a refrigerator or two, but they’d have 7 or 8 pieces of cooking equipment, so he expanded his product line to include ovens, fryers and other heat items .  And then in 1981, Bob got together with another company, Light Soda On Tap.  Light Soda, established in 1947, made syrups, rented bar equipment and ice machines, and refilled CO2 tanks.  It’s said that on the back of a napkin the two owners made a deal, and Bob launched the new and expanded Light Soda On Tap.  With over 2,000 customers and $35 million in inventory, Light Soda is is now the preeminent renter of kitchen equipment in all of California.

Light Soda On Tap rents bar and restaurant kitchen equipment, including: refrigerators, ice machines, walk-in refrigerators and freezers, ovens and ranges, freezers, sandwich prep tables, draft beer boxes, broilers, fryers, refrigerated deli cases, soda systems, mixers, griddles, display case refrigerators, pizza prep tables, ice flaker/crushers, bottle coolers, sinks, cocktail chests, slicers, stoves, espresso machines, pizza ovens, glass chillers, and many other items.   Call us today @ 415-648-6262 to discuss your kitchen equipment requirements!