Investing in the right type and size of commercial fridge is crucial for any restaurant, café or bar. They ensure your food and beverages are stored at the optimal temperature, maintaining the quality of everything inside. With a huge array of choices, narrowing down your options can be a challenge. Our goal is to help you learn how to choose a commercial fridge that suits the needs of your business.
From the purpose your refrigerator needs to fulfil to the space you have available, there are plenty of things to consider and a lot of options to choose from. Our commercial fridge buying guide will help you decide the priority features you should look for to suit your unique needs.
Factors in Selecting a Commercial Fridge:
There are three main considerations we recommend looking at when you’re looking for the best commercial refrigerators for your business: you’ll want to account for how much capacity you need, the purpose of your refrigerator and what the most energy-efficient option you can get is.
Capacity
When choosing a commercial fridge, the first factor to consider is capacity. You want to ensure there’s ample room for storage so that whenever food deliveries arrive, you can keep everything at the optimal, food-safe temperature and ensure freshness. Likewise, for bars, you’ll want enough space to keep enough drinks chilled to ensure a consistent supply.
Consider the maximum capacity your establishment can hold and account for how much food or drink you’ll need to have on hand to cater for that volume of people.
Larger capacity is essential for high-volume establishments, whether that’s restaurants with a fast customer turnover or a high volume of seats available. For smaller spaces, you may benefit from more compact options like under-bench fridges or commercial bar fridges. While it’s good to have extra space for additional storage, you don’t want to get something too large either - it’ll take up precious space in your establishment and also require more energy to run than necessary.
Types of Commercial Fridges by Capacity:
Starting with the smaller option, Under Bench Fridges are perfect for smaller spaces or as additional storage under prep areas for fast and easy access to supplies. They’re available as single, two, three and four-door models such as the AG Three Door Commercial Under Bench Fridge.
Commercial Solid Door Upright Fridges are available in sizes as small as 400L, like the 400L Polar C-Series and as large as 1400L with the FED-X Split Double Door. These all purpose options are a versatile choice for a range of establishments.
Cool Rooms, also referred to as Walk-In Fridges, are the ideal choice for establishments that need high-volume storage or space for bulky inventory. These come in a huge range of sizes, with a popular choice being the 2m x 2m CoolroomPlus model.
Purpose
Once you know the capacity you need from your commercial fridge, you’ll then need to narrow your options down further by considering the purpose you need it for. Whether it’s drinks, raw ingredients, cooked food, or a combination of all three, the layout and features within your commercial refrigerator will dictate the best choice for you and your business.
Commercial Fridge Types and Features:
Bar Fridges
Commercial bar fridges are designed to store beverages at their optimal temperatures. Whether it’s for behind-the-bar or for customers to serve themselves from at the till, bar fridges are compact options that keep your drinks cool while showcasing what you have available. They’re available in single and double-door designs, with the Thermaster LG-208HC being a popular choice for this category.
Cake Display Fridges
Cake Display fridges (or showcases) are ideal for front-of-house use, whether you’re in a bakery or a café. They enable your customers to see the products, all while keeping them fresh throughout the day. You’re not limited to cakes alone and these options are also ideal for everything from desserts, drinks and savoury deli items. The Bonvue SL840V is a popular cake display refrigerator that also comes with a four-year warranty.
Coolrooms (Walk-In Fridges)
Coolrooms, as we mentioned before, are the largest choice and offer extensive storage space for large quantities of stock, whether that’s fresh or cooked food. These are an essential choice for kitchens with a high volume of turnover. They’re also one of the most versatile options and can be customised to fit specific storage needs.
Energy-Efficiency
The final main consideration we recommend looking at is choosing energy-efficient commercial fridges. Along with being better for the environment by using less power to keep cool, energy-efficient commercial fridges also help your bottom line by costing you less to run.
Choosing the most energy-efficient commercial fridge is a lot more straightforward than it used to be. You can refer to the energy efficiency index and energy consumption to get more context surrounding the requirements each commercial fridge has.
Best Commercial Refrigerators
In the past, certain brand names were especially sought after because customers didn’t want to buy a Chinese-made fridge. Now, many of those brands that have consistently been on the more expensive end of the market have had to move their production to China to compete with the new and lower-cost brands on the market. These days, you can get a good quality fridge without having to choose the most expensive option.
There isn’t a simple answer as to which commercial fridge or brand is the best because every business will have slightly different needs. Throughout our years of sales support and an abundance of research when adding new stock to our catalogue, we know that no single brand alone will work for everyone.
REO can offer other lesser-known brands with even better warranties and cheaper prices, giving you the option to choose one that’s right for you without having to go over budget. That being said, there are a few brands we consider to be especially good at delivering a variety of models with multiple functions and at various price points:
- Williams Refrigeration manufactures its fridges in Melbourne, delivering an exceptional level of quality across its range. As a result, they’re also one of the higher end brands with the price tags to match.
- Skope Refrigeration is one of the best known brands in commercial refrigeration. With a reputation for high quality, it’s also one of the more expensive brands.
- Bromic Refrigeration is another well-known brand that offers good quality, but generally, we recommend other brands over Bromic that can deliver similar standards and good warranties with less investment.
- Polar Refrigeration offers a comprehensive range of commercial refrigerators, but there are options with better warranties and better value available in some other brands.
- FED-X is one of our top recommendations due to their great overall value for money, solid warranties and great after sales service.
- Thermaster is another brand that, similarly to FED-X, also offers good value for money with excellent after-sales service.
- Bonvue offers a comprehensive range of all kinds of commercial fridges. They’re at an affordable price point and have great customer service.
- AG Equipment offers excellent value for money without compromising on features. They’re one of the most affordable brands on the list. However, the overall service could be better.
- Hussmann is a high-end commercial refrigeration brand that typically specialises in display fridges that are ideal for grocery stores.
Commercial Fridge Features To Look For
There are a few additional factors in selecting a commercial fridge outside of function, capacity and energy efficiency. You’ll also want to consider if any of the following are a high priority for you and your business:
- Automatic Defrosting: This feature prevents ice build-up, ensuring your fridge operates efficiently but also serves to reduce the overall maintenance required long-term.
- Automatic Closing Doors: Rather than making noise when you’ve left the door open for too long, many commercial fridges have self-closing doors. This helps to maintain a consistent internal temperature, which is a useful feature in any busy kitchen.
- Castor wheels: Cleaning behind the fridge is enough of a challenge, so the addition of castor wheels can make it a lot easier. They’ll allow you to manoeuvre the fridge out of its usual spot so you can clean or reposition it as and when you need to.
- Internal Rounded Corners: A small, internal feature but one to consider nevertheless. Rounded corners make your commercial fridge much easier to clean.
- Lockable Doors: If you have self-serve fridges with high-end stock or simply need to protect the contents of your fridge, lockable doors are an invaluable feature.
- Double-glazed glass doors: For display fridges, double-glazing can help ensure a more consistent temperature internally, even with regular use. They also make it easier for staff and customers alike to see what they want before opening the door.
Tips for Buying a Commercial Fridge
Along with all the core features we’ve already discussed, there are a few other tips and factors in selecting a commercial fridge. Firstly, if you’re replacing a fridge but want to consider a different brand from the one you’re currently using, the team at REO can help. We can recommend some lesser-known brands that will suit both your needs and your budget. You don’t always need to go with the big names to get good quality and good value.
The second tip we have for you is to consider either the clearance or used refrigeration options. We update this category daily, meaning you can often get a great deal on a huge variety of commercial fridges. They may have minor defects like scratches or very small dents, typically from transportation, but still live up to the quality we’d expect our customers to receive.
The third tip we have is to consider using SilverChef Rent-Try-Buy. This option gives you the luxury to test the commercial fridge you’re interested in without having to fully commit to the full financial investment straight away. SilverChef lets you pay a low weekly rental price instead of the full purchase amount up front.
Along with being more cost-effective, they also allow you to upgrade the fridge at a later date to a larger model or even a different brand after a few months. This is an ideal option if you’re unsure exactly what your needs are or if your business goes through some rapid growth and your refrigeration needs change.
In the instance that you no longer need a commercial fridge at all, you can also return it to SilverChef. Another big benefit of renting through these means is that your weekly payments are also 100% tax deductible.
Finally, to make sure you get the most use out of your commercial refrigerator and are covered in the event that anything breaks, make sure it comes with a good warranty. At REO, we can offer you up to a four-year warranty on brands, including the likes of Thermaster and FED-X once they’ve been registered online.
Choosing the Right Commercial Fridge With REO
There’s plenty to consider when you’re choosing the right commercial fridge for your business. From size, function, ease of use, ongoing maintenance and energy efficiency, it’s a big decision. Making an informed choice not only serves to enhance your kitchen's efficiency and function but can also help save you money in the long run.
For top-quality commercial fridges, including commercial drink fridges, display fridges, and more, order yours at Restaurant Equipment Online. If you’re looking to upgrade, want more information on a specific model, or need a personal recommendation, contact the team at Restaurant Equipment anytime. You can email us at sales@restaurantequipment.com.au or give us a call now on 1300 35 25 45.