Commercial Fridges

While commercial fridges serve the same purpose as a residential model would, they have some key differences that make them suitable for your busy kitchen, bar, or store. Commercial fridges are made for heavy-duty use, with greater and more precise cooling systems, larger amounts of space internally and are made to last for longer, even with regular opening and closing of the doors. Residential models are smaller, lighter and often don’t come with the same high level of manufacturing, owing to the fact that they’re made for more occasional use.

There are a number of factors to consider when you’re choosing the perfect commercial fridge for your business. You’ll want to account for how much space you have to keep a fridge, what your fridge’s primary purpose is, and how much space you need inside to store everything.

Check the footprint of the space you have available, and make sure to account for the fact that you’ll need to leave some room around the fridge itself for ventilation. Next, look at what kind of configuration you want. A tall, free-standing model might be best in the back of house, while a glass door bar fridge is better for front of house operations when serving customers their wine or beer at the bar. You’ll also want to consider what kind of door configuration you want. Along with solid or glass doors, you can get sliding or hinged doors, both of which have their own benefits depending on the model of fridge you’re choosing.

If you’re unsure, you can contact the team at REO, and we can help with a personal recommendation.

Absolutely, they’re often the perfect choice for front of house. Whether you’re getting staff to serve from the fridge over the bar, or have a drinks fridge where customers can pick up a drink for themselves, they’re a great addition. They keep everything perfectly chilled and ready to drink or eat, and make it easy for staff and customers to view what’s inside without having to open the door to search.

They’re also easy to clean, typically come with LED lighting to showcase your stock and help with easy access and product visibility.

To help keep running costs down while still delivering reliable chilling, modern commercial refrigeration has a lot of useful features. You’ll find things like LED lighting, which uses very little power, while still illuminating your stock to make it easy to browse for staff or customers.

Modern refrigerants like R290 also help to keep running costs down, and when combined with high-quality insulation, can make for far greater energy efficiency. Some fridges also come with eco modes, and of course, combination fan-forced and static cooling models mean less power is used when chilling the contents of your fridge.

Proper ventilation is important for the efficiency of your fridge, extending its lifespan by allowing it to work without overheating. Depending on the size of the fridge you choose and what kind of cooling it utilises, it’ll need anywhere from 50mm to 100mm of space behind the fan, sometimes more for an especially large model. The manufacturer’s guidelines included with your fridge will explain how to set everything up to ensure it can run smoothly and that you’re leaving enough room around it so as not to strain the motor.

Absolutely. If you opt for a model like an underbench fridge, you can fit it seamlessly into your bar setup to optimise the use of your space and ensure easy access for staff. You’ll need to ensure you have enough airflow around them, though many of these fridges will have unique ventilation that makes it easier for them to operate when they’re stored in a tighter spot.

Most commercial fridges will come with digital displays, which not only make it easy to check and maintain the temperature but also make it easier to adjust. You can also find additional useful features like auto-defrost to ensure your fridge is kept at peak operating order. Some modern models will also have remote controls, meaning you can check, refine or adjust the temperature while you’re away from your establishment.

Some of our fridges offer dual temperature zones, making it easy for you to adjust how cool everything is. This is especially beneficial for stock like wine or produce, with different products requiring precise chilling to keep them in their optimal condition. If you have specific features in mind that are a high priority for you, please contact the team at REO so we can give you a personal recommendation to make it easy to find the right model.

You’ll find the full scope of commercial fridges here. Whether you need something compact for drinks, a large-scale model or even something custom-built, we can help. We offer more compact models like single-door free-standing refrigerators, along with underbench models that suit the space you have in your kitchen or storefront.

You’ll also find specialty fridges, like pizza and salad bar fridges, dry age fridges and even options to keep flowers in good condition for your shopfront.

Having a solid warranty is important, as it not only guarantees you’ll get the support you need in the unlikely event that something goes wrong with your fridge, but also covers you long term to give you the best return on your investment. We stock the top brands that deliver exceptional quality refrigeration and give you plenty of years of operation. They’re easy to maintain and, with proper care, will last you well beyond the warranty period.

Our top performance brands and the ones that our clients love the most include the likes of Polar, SKOPE, and Thermaster. Their ranges are comprehensive and offer models that are suitable for all manner of establishments, spanning from cafes and catering companies to bars and restaurants.

In practice the two terms describe the same class of equipment. An industrial fridge is built for the same heavy, all-day use as a commercial fridge, and the name tends to be used for larger, higher-capacity units in production kitchens, catering operations and food manufacturing. What matters more than the label is the specification: the cooling system, the ambient temperature the unit is rated for, and whether it is designed to be opened constantly through service.

For high-volume back-of-house storage, start with our commercial upright fridges or stainless steel commercial fridges. If freezing is part of the same brief, the commercial freezers range is built to the same standard.

A professional refrigerator is designed around service, not just storage. Look for a unit that recovers its temperature quickly after the door is opened, holds steady in a hot kitchen, and has shelving you can reconfigure for trays, containers or bottles as your menu changes.

Where it sits matters just as much. A commercial bar fridge keeps drinks within reach of whoever is pouring, while an energy efficient fridge keeps running costs in check when the unit runs around the clock. For front of house, our cake display fridges and deli display fridges are built to sell as well as store.