What Should Restaurants Consider Before Buying Refrigeration Equipment?

Learn what restaurants should consider before buying refrigeration equipment, including capacity, energy efficiency, reliability, and long term operating costs.

My worst Refrigerator experience was with a brand new reach-in refrigerator that a kitchen manager had purchased for her deli. It was a beautiful piece of stainless steel, a great brand and looked fabulous in the corner of her newly decorated kitchen. The fridge was filled with product and after the first month, it started to become apparent that the items at the back of the boxes were not making it to the front. As time went on, the manager realized that the items at the back of the cooler were not making it to the front of the boxes. It was soon apparent that the cooler was not keeping! The manager investigated further and realized that the refrigerator was not maintaining the correct temperature on the busiest of nights. It was not until much later that it dawned on her that the problem only occurred on the Friday and Saturday nights of the week when it mattered the most. After much investigation the manager found out that .

Most reach-in coolers are sized for deli type storage such as stacks of platters of cold cuts and cheese, stacks of trays of prepared cold foods such as salads, etc. Most Italian restaurants are not delis, and thus have a much greater variety of cold foods. In addition to cold cuts and cheese, Italian restaurants store a lot of vegetables, dressings, cold sauces, etc. Thus, storage in a well-planned reach-in would be sized for the busiest week of the year. This would allow for enough peak cold storage items to last the entire busy time period. And, as previously stated, the storage must be deep enough to hold tall items such as platters of cold cuts.

Size is rarely about square footage

Most first-time buyers look at the physical dimensions of the refrigerators they are considering. Will this fit in the corner of your kitchen? Will this fit between your prep table and your deep fryer? We can work with a kitchen design to fit a refrigerator in the space you have for it. However, sizing a refrigerator based on the physical dimensions of your kitchen is not the correct way to size a refrigerator. You must determine the amount of holding capacity your menu will demand at its most chaotic.

It is common for individuals to size a piece of refrigeration equipment based on the square footage of where the unit will reside. However, when sizing for cold holding this is rarely the case. Cold holding equipment is typically sized for holding capacity and the requirements of the menu items to be stored. In order to size the cold holding equipment for your operation, you must look at your menu and determine how much cold holding space your peak menu items require. Using the diagram on the right, typical areas of the commercial kitchen and the cold holding requirements for each are illustrated. Notice that the refrigerator in the corner of the kitchen is the largest piece of equipment for cold holding in the kitchen. As you move from left to right in the diagram the amount of cold holding required by each area of the kitchen decreases. Therefore, the smaller reach-ins in the cooler area of the kitchen can be used for storage.

In addition to the holding capacity required for your menu’s highest volume day, it is also wise to size your refrigeration holding for your busiest week. Like staffing for peak periods, your refrigeration equipment should have the capacity to handle your peak service periods – it is less like buying a piece of furniture and more like hiring temporary staff to cover a busy evening.

Temperature zones actually matter

Most commercial refrigeration guides to buying and using equipment explain how to “set” the temperature for your refrigeration unit. I find these explanations to be very incomplete and in some cases even quite wrong.

• Raw proteins need to sit at or below 40°F with no fluctuation

• Dairy tolerates a slightly warmer range but hates temperature swings

• Produce can get damaged by a unit running too cold (yes, refrigerators can ruin your lettuce)

• Walk-in coolers used for prepped items during service need fast recovery times when doors are constantly opening and closing

Temperature is not a single number. If a buyer stores many different items in his reach-in cooler, he must create a chart that lists and describes each of the items he stores, and lists the proper storage temperature for each item. Then, he can use his chart to select the best piece of refrigeration for his needs.

A quick comparison before you commit

In general, there are a few key characteristics of different commercial refrigerators on the market today. A basic guideline for choosing a refrigerator would be to compare the various models by their size, type, and application in your kitchen.

Unit type	Best for	Temperature control	Watch out for
Reach-in cooler	Line access, grab-and-go prep items	Consistent, good for short-term holds	Limited capacity; door seals wear fast
Walk-in cooler	Bulk storage, large-volume operations	Excellent when properly maintained	High installation cost; requires space planning
Undercounter refrigerator	Bar stations, small prep areas	Variable depending on brand and build	Not suited for high-volume protein storage
Refrigerated prep table	Pizza stations, sandwich lines	Top rail and cabinet often differ	Needs regular cleaning to maintain temps

Energy efficiency isn’t just about your electric bill.

The cost of refrigeration is often evaluated strictly in terms of the cost of electricity to run the unit. A commercial refrigerator, however, operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, which means that even a small amount of excess cost per day can quickly add up to a large amount of money over time. Unless you have your food costs under control and are getting your staffing costs under control, it is easy to overlook this type of slow leak. When shopping for commercial refrigeration equipment, in addition to paying attention to features that affect cost such as ENERGY STAR certification and the type of refrigerant used, you should also be aware of the current and projected environmental regulations in your state. Some states are moving to ban or restrict certain types of equipment more quickly than the industry is able to produce alternative models. When evaluating models, be sure to pay attention to the compressor (self-contained vs. remote), the insulation rating, and the type of refrigerant used. For example, R-290 is a very efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to many of the other refrigerants currently in use.

When shopping for Commercial Refrigeration equipment on USAEquipmentDirect.com it is very important to look at the Compressor, Insulation, and Refrigerant used in the Commercial Refrigeration unit. Self-contained compressors are usually easier to repair than remote compressors but may not be as efficient. High quality Insulation is important in a Commercial Refrigeration unit to prevent heat transfer from entering the cold storage area. Many states are placing restrictions on the use of certain types of Refrigerants. R-290 is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly types of Refrigerant being used in new Commercial Refrigeration equipment today.

The thing everyone forgets until something breaks

All commercial refrigeration units will require maintenance at some point. Find out how long the maintenance will last for the unit that you are purchasing before it is too late. Years of maintenance is not something that you want to take on.

1. Ask about condenser coil accessibility before purchasing. If cleaning it requires a technician every single time, that cost compounds quietly over years.

2. Check gasket and door seal availability for that specific model. Discontinued parts are a genuinely painful problem in older units, and manufacturers are not always forthcoming about production timelines.

3. Find out if the brand has local service support in your area. A warranty means nothing if no one can show up within 48 hours.

All items of commercial refrigeration equipment are items of maintenance of years. Yes, items of equipment do deteriorate with time but some will deteriorate more than others. Some will deteriorate more than others because of poor design and others will simply deteriorate because of normal wear and tear in a busy, hot, dirty, busy commercial kitchen environment. There are few items of commercial equipment that will not deteriorate in such an environment. As a result, it is very important to select the most suitable piece of refrigeration equipment for your needs in your commercial kitchen.

(As a side note: Even the best commercial refrigeration units will deteriorate faster when used in very hot environments or poorly ventilated environments. When you have a very hot kitchen, or a poorly ventilated kitchen, you must also take into account the expected life of the unit, as well as the expected amount of maintenance required to be performed to keep the unit in proper working order.

Questions worth asking before you buy

Getting the right size for your restaurant and kitchen, as well as ensuring proper temperature zones, are crucial in picking the right piece of refrigeration equipment. It is also good to get a sense of your average week and your busiest week, so you can ensure that you are getting the right equipment to handle the demands of your kitchen.

• How often does your menu change, and will your cold storage needs shift with it?

• Do you have the electrical capacity for the unit you're considering?

• Is this a permanent installation or do you need mobility?

• What's your realistic budget for ongoing maintenance, not just purchase price?

And above all, make sure you do your due diligence when purchasing a refrigeration unit. Research different units that meet your requirements. Pull specs on all of the units that you are considering purchasing. And before you sign on the dotted line, ask all of the tough questions to make sure you are getting the best refrigeration unit for your needs. Do not be fooled by the packaging and brochures that attempt to make some refrigeration units look better than others. Do your homework and ask the right questions. The end.

So, in summary, when buying refrigeration units for your commercial kitchen it is wise to spend a little more in the short term as opposed to the potential pitfalls of very cheap units and subsequent increased costs in the long term. By correctly sizing your units, using appropriate temperature zones, considering energy costs and planning your maintenance, you will be able to get the most out of your units during the busiest of service times.