Refrigeration equipment is a necessity for most hospitality businesses. So, whether you’re managing a large restaurant or are planning to open a small diner, you must invest in the best small commercial ice maker as well as various fridges, chillers and freezers that are designed to meet your business’s refrigeration needs. Don’t worry since choosing the ideal equipment isn’t as complicated as it seems! By doing your research, you can pick the right makes and models that will help you provide the best possible customer service and improve your business’s bottom line.
Ready to shop for a commercial blast freezer or any other type of refrigeration equipment? You can start by taking these steps:
1. Know the Equipment Size and Capacity that You Need: Your blast chiller commercial or upright fridge should have the right capacity. Otherwise, you might purchase a unit that’s too small to store all the ingredients or food items that you have to use on a daily basis. You might also end up buying equipment that’s too large for your needs, causing you to waste precious space and unnecessarily rack up your business energy consumption.
Aside from choosing the ideal capacity for your refrigeration equipment, you should also take note of the amount of space that it will take up. This is highly important especially if you have a small, crowded kitchen and don’t really have a lot of floor area to spare. If you’ll have to place your salad bar fridge or blast chiller along an aisle, measure the aisle width and ensure that it’s wide enough for you to fully open the doors or drawers of your equipment. This way, you can be confident that you can use your new equipment with ease without having to disrupt the flow of traffic in your kitchen or creating health and safety hazards for yourself and your employees.
2. List the Features that Your Equipment Should Have: Once you know the ideal size and capacity for your refrigeration equipment, you should identify the features that they need to have. Doing this is important since it allows you to easily narrow down your options and makes the selection process less stressful. Of course, it lets you ensure that you’re buying a product that can perfectly meet the refrigeration needs of your business.
For instance, if you’re running a pizza restaurant and are shopping for a commercial pizza prep fridge, you’ll have to decide if you want the fridge to have drawers or cabinets (or a combination of the two). You should also choose a refrigeration method for your new fridge. Many prep fridges are built with an air-cooling system, which basically blows cool air onto the food pans. Other units have cold-wall cooling, which uses a network of refrigerated lines that are run throughout the fridge.
3. Choose Equipment with the Highest Possible Energy Efficiency: There’s no doubt about it: your commercial bar ice maker or refrigerated prep table will consume a large amount of energy. Fortunately, you can mitigate this by buying units that have excellent energy efficiency. They usually have a higher price tag compared to standard equipment, but they are worth the additional expense since they’ll help you spend less on your energy bills and save more money in the long run. They can even be a selling point for your business, especially if your target market includes environmentally conscious customers who are looking for eco-friendly companies to support.
4. Take Note of the Equipment’s Maintenance Needs: Even the most durable commercial bar fridges Australia will deteriorate as they age, and they can develop problems that will affect their efficiency and performance. The good news is that, while you can’t completely stop the deterioration process, you can slow it down by having your equipment serviced on a regular basis. Remember that different refrigeration units have different maintenance requirements, so when buying one, you should find out the specific servicing schedule for your new equipment so you can keep it in good condition.
5. Take the Time to Compare Prices: Once you know exactly what you want from your refrigeration equipment, it’s time to proceed to the price comparison stage. Avoid the temptation to buy the cheapest option since it might not be as durable and efficient as you want it to be. Instead, look for a make and model that offers a balance between cost and quality and can provide you with excellent value for money.
Take note that the retail price isn’t the only thing you should look at. You must also consider the installation fee as well as your monthly or yearly premiums for equipment breakdown insurance. Don’t forget to calculate the amount that you’ll spend on servicing and maintenance over the equipment’s entire lifespan. Having a holistic outlook on pricing allows you to choose a make and model that will give you your money’s worth and even help you enjoy huge savings down the road.
6. Find Out What Other Buyers Have to Say: There’s only so much that official product pages can tell you. So when shopping around for refrigeration equipment, you should take the time to read commercial ice maker reviews from actual buyers. This way, you’ll have an idea of how the equipment performs in real life, find out if other business owners are satisfied with their purchase, and decide whether the product is worthy buying or not. You can go through the reviews on the official websites of the manufacturer and/or retailer, but it’s also advisable to explore customer reviews in third-party sites so you can have impartial and non-biased information about the product.
When it comes to commercial refrigeration equipment, modern business owners have numerous options to choose from. So, whether you’re looking for an ice maker machine commercial business or shopping for a bench fridge for your restaurant, remember to take the steps above to ensure that you’ll buy the best possible make and model! If you’d like to get additional tips, or if you have some questions about refrigeration equipment, don’t hesitate to call HE2020 and take advantage of our expertise.