Commercial Ice Caddies

Spare storage for ice, whether that is bought in or taken from your own ice maker. They are insulated far better than a plain cold bin, and the casters mean staff can move bulk ice where it needs to go without carrying it.

The point of one is fewer trips. Put it beside the service stations in a bar, next to the buffet in a restaurant, or on a mobile bar where there is no freezer to work from. It sits between the machine making the ice and the glass it goes into.

That comes down to the insulation and the lid. A polyurethane-foam-filled body keeps ambient heat and humidity out of the storage area, and a lid that seals properly keeps it out too. A well insulated portable ice caddy holds a lower internal temperature, so the ice is still ice at the end of the shift or the event.

It comes down to how many people you are serving, what the ice is for, and how long the service runs. A large catering event putting ice in every drink wants one of the bigger models; fewer guests or a shorter service wants a smaller one. Aim to fill it, because a part-full caddy has more air in it to keep cold.

At peak it does. With a caddy on wheels beside the bar, staff top up the ice tray on the spot instead of walking to the kitchen and back. That covers cocktails going through a bar blender and cold drinks through summer. One trip with a caddy also spills less than several trips with buckets.

Check the lining is food-grade and easy to wipe out. Check the lid closes tightly, which keeps airborne debris and insects out and matters most outdoors. Smooth seams and joints are easier to clean than sharp ones, and a tap at the bottom lets you drain melt water and rinse water out rather than tipping the caddy over.

Integrated drains, sloped bases and removable water pans all do the same job: they keep melt water away from the ice. Water left sitting in the bottom dilutes the next batch and is somewhere for bacteria to grow.

A drain with a tap lets staff empty the melt water in seconds and keep the ice dry. Drain it at the end of each service rather than at the end of the week.

You will see ice bin caddy, portable ice caddy, ice caddy on wheels and mobile ice caddy 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 ice caddies range to see every option side by side.