Commercial Dishwashers

There are four key models of commercial dishwashers available, each with different capabilities and dimensions, meaning it’s easy to find an option that suits the needs of your business.

If you’re running a bar or need to be able to clean a high volume of glassware quickly and efficiently, glasswashers will likely be a valuable addition to your workspace. They’re small and compact, typically installed under benches for fast and easy access. Specially dedicated to glassware only, they’ll give you exceptional results and sparkling clear glass with every wash cycle.

When it comes to dishes and cutlery, underbench dishwashers offer a compact and effective means of getting everything clean. They’re ideal for smaller establishments like cafes and measure a similar size to a residential dishwasher but with the speed and efficiency of a commercial model. Due to their compact size, they don’t typically require steam extraction, making them convenient for smaller spaces.

For larger kitchens with higher demands and greater turnover, passthrough dishwashers are the next size and step up. They require more power to run and will typically also require steam extraction. Passthrough dishwashers are capable of cleaning anywhere from 700 to 900 dishes an hour, along with cutlery and glassware, so you never run out at peak hours.

Finally, the largest models are conveyor dishwashers. These are ideal for kitchens that need to wash over 1,000 dishes a day and are custom-made, modular commercial dishwashing setups.

Additionally to dishwashers themselves, you may also want to consider adding a pre-rinse station to your kitchen, with taps and rinse jets to remove food residue from plates before putting them in to be cleaned.

Choosing the right model of commercial dishwasher for your kitchen will come down to two key factors: how much space you have available and how many dishes you need to be able to clean.

Measure the space you have, and count the plumbing and the full footprint of the dishwasher with the door open. Staff need room to walk past it while it is loading.

From there, you can look at different models, their functionality and capacity and find one that’ll keep up with the demands of your kitchen. As a general guide, for smaller capacities and turnover, if you have a cafe or restaurant with 20 seats or less, an underbench option may be enough. For 30 to 100 seats, a passthrough dishwasher is a better choice so you have the capacity. For anything larger than 150 seats, you’ll want to look at a custom conveyor commercial dishwasher.

Commercial dishwashers don’t need to be set at certain temperatures, the automatic wash settings they come with will adjust the heat of the water for you. They’ll cycle through different temperatures at different stages of the wash cycle so your dishes come out clean, free of food and oil and completely sanitised by the time the wash cycle is done.

The wash cycle is typically around 55°C while the rinse cycle with fresh water to remove any soap residue is around 80°C, making it quick and efficient when it comes to getting your plates and dishes ready for the next round of customers.

While commercial dishwashers can get through high volumes of dirty dishes, they don’t typically require vast amounts of water to do so. The total volume will depend on the size and brand of dishwasher you’ve chosen, Hobart is an especially good choice for effective water use. Some also have additional functionality that helps to recycle steam that’s generated and will use it for the rinse cycle.

Yes, as with any commercial kitchen appliance, you’ll need to do regular maintenance to extend the life of your dishwasher and keep it running smoothly. The key thing you’ll need to do most days is check the filters and clear out any food debris or oil buildup.

Additionally, you’ll also want to check the plumbing connections periodically. If you notice that water is pooling under or around your dishwasher, this doesn’t always mean something is wrong or broken. Sometimes, it’s just the piping has come loose with regular wash cycles and needs to be tightened up to prevent leakages.

Each commercial dishwasher has slightly different cleaning requirements, which the manufacturer's guidelines for the model you’ve chosen provide more information on.

Yes, you can absolutely wash pots and pans in a commercial dishwasher if they can fit. If the model you have is too small or doesn’t have trays that can easily be adjusted to accommodate larger items, you can also get dedicated pot dishwashers to do the job instead.

Yes, certain models will require you to have an exhaust canopy. Generally, if the model you choose is 8 kilowatts or more, which is standard for most passthrough dishwashers and conveyor dishwashers, they’ll need ventilation.

One way to work around needing to install additional air venting is to look for commercial dishwashers with Vapostop functionality. This serves to capture the steam internally, with some models recycling the water during the wash cycle to rinse your dishes.

You’ll want to make sure you’re using dishwashing chemicals that are specifically designed for commercial use. We also recommend adding rinse aid to your wash cycles to help everything dry quickly and leave you with streak-free glassware.

Cycle time and water temperature. A domestic machine takes an hour or more per load, while commercial dishwasher machines wash and rinse in one to three minutes, so plates, cutlery and glassware come back to the pass during service. The rinse runs off a built-in boiler at sanitising temperature, the body and wash arms are stainless steel, and detergent and rinse aid are dosed automatically from bulk containers instead of a tablet.

Restaurant dishwashers also need the right connections. That means a dedicated waste, a water supply the machine can heat, and on the larger passthrough and conveyor models that people call an industrial dishwasher, three-phase power and steam extraction. Check the power supply at the site before you order, because a machine that needs three-phase can’t run off a standard 10 amp socket.

You will see commercial kitchen dishwasher, industrial kitchen dishwasher, professional dishwashers and commercial dishwasher for restaurant used for the same kind of equipment. The name changes with the supplier and the region, not the job it does. Compare models on capacity, construction and the specification on each product page, and check the full commercial dishwashers range to see every option side by side.