Commercial refrigerators are vital in every food and beverage business’s operation. Without a refrigerator, storing large amounts of food and liquor for restaurants or other related businesses would be impossible and lead to food spoilage and loss.
A commercial refrigerator is not only used by catering businesses or restaurants, but they’re also used by residential consumers who want to set up professional wine coolers in their kitchen space or store different kinds of meat that require high-end refrigeration. Regardless of the reason, choosing the right size and type of commercial refrigeration equipment is essential for businesses owners.
To run an efficient business, you should learn about the different types of appliance and their uses. The refrigerator’s functionality, layout, and type will have a huge impact on how the commercial kitchen will operate. Therefore, choosing a commercial refrigerator should be easy if you know how your business will operate.
Read on to learn about the different types of refrigerators and their uses to make an informed decision!
Types of Commercial Refrigerators
Here are the most common types of commercial refrigerators that you’ll find in the market:
1. Reach-Ins
Reach-in refrigerators are the common type of refrigerator used in commercial businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and dining halls. Reach-in refrigerators are similar to residential refrigerators. However, they’re bigger and have more storage space. The two doors of the refrigerator open to reveal both rows of shelves.
Reach-in refrigerators cooling power is much higher than that of a residential refrigerator. The door can be made of different materials such as metal, glass, or stainless steel. These days, every restaurant relies on reach-in refrigerators due to their cooling power and ease of mobility.
You can also customize the size and door style of reach-in refrigerators to match your needs and make them more suitable for your restaurant’s operations. Different reach-in refrigerator options with pass-through shelving, rolling casters, and half doors provide easy access and mobility.
Usage: Typically, reach-in refrigerators are used for poultry, sauces, garnishes, plated meat, condiments, and fish.
Best for: If you’re looking for refrigerators for café kitchens, casual dining restaurants, or fast-food chains, reach-ins are the one for you!
2. Refrigerated Prep Tables
Chefs use refrigerated prep tables or mega-top refrigerators in restaurants and dining halls to assemble dishes like pizza, sandwiches, burritos, or salads. Mega top refrigerators are perfect for your business if you mainly serve items requiring all the ingredients to be prepared ahead of time.
Mega top refrigerators allow the cook to store fresh ingredients such as raw components or others that can easily spoil if not stored in a freezer. There are several storage containers in the refrigerator, and each can be kept at a different temperature while allowing easy access to the cook.
Usage: Toppings, sauces, fixings, dressings, and other ingredients.
Best for: Prep table refrigerators are best for a business like local diners, cafes, or a wide range of casual restaurants. The design is very convenient, allowing the cook to prepare dishes on the go and keep things moving. There’s also a reach-in refrigerator under the prep table’s counter.
3. Walk-In Refrigerator
Walk-in refrigerators are best for commercial businesses that require a lot of storage to store products. The size of walk-in refrigerators varies. They can be anything from a small pod to a room-sized compartment in the back of a commercial kitchen.
Walk-in refrigerators are easier to store items while using less energy. You can browse through the refrigerator shelves and close the door behind you. Unlike other refrigerators, a walk-in is more energy-efficient and provides an even temperature to all the products stored.
Commercial walk-in refrigerators are suitable for bulk orders without creating a bottleneck in the kitchen that restricts the workers’ mobility and increases the risk of injuries. Walk-in refrigerators expand your food and drinks’ lifetime due to colder temperatures than reach-ins.
Usage: Meat, fish, ingredients, crates of fruits, herbs, etc.
Best for: Walk-in units are best for businesses like grocery chains, large dining restaurants, and hotels.
4. Under-counter Refrigeration Units
Like reach-in refrigerators, under-counter units are built to make ingredients more accessible to the cook. They can be installed with the mega top refrigerators or kitchen counters.
Usage: Packaged food, drinks, and other ingredients.
Best for: Cafes, local restaurants, break-rooms, taverns, and offices.
5. Merchandising Refrigerators
Merchandising refrigerators are for businesses that keep the products on display for their customers to select or buy what they like. Merchandising refrigerators come in different designs, sizes, and types.
Merchandising refrigerators have a strong cooling system and are compact and quieter with high-end temperature stability. They’re also more energy-efficient than other commercial counterparts like reach-ins or prep tables.
The sleek design and glass door of merchandising refrigerators are designed so that it increases sales by appealing to the customers visually.
Usage: Ready-to-eat snacks or food, alcohol, and other beverages.
Best for: Merchandising refrigerators are best for businesses like delis, local bakeries, grocery stores, liquor stores, grab-and-go supermarkets, and convenient stores.
6. Bar Refrigeration
Bar refrigeration is another type of commercial refrigerator that is designed for beverages to drive sales. Bar refrigerators are built with vinyl, stainless steel, or glass doors and are kept behind bar counters.
Bar refrigerators keep bottles of wine and other beverages cool and accessible. Typically, the refrigerator comes with two to three rows, but you can customize it according to your needs and have as many sections as needed.
Usage: Soda, alcohol, water.
Best for: Cafes, bars, taverns, lounges, and restaurant bars.
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Airplus Refrigeration, Inc. has a team of full-service refrigeration specialists offering commercial refrigeration repair service, ice machine repair LA, commercial ice machine repair or maintenance, residential wine cellar service, and much more!
Get in touch with them right away for more information and details.
About the Author
This blog’s author is an HVAC expert who has worked in the industry for over a decade. She writes blogs to help business owners make informed decisions regarding buying refrigerators or coolers for commercial kitchens.
