Ubiquitous. An adjective meaning “appearing or found everywhere” Think cell phones, reality tv, and bad customer service from internet/cable service providers. In the Foodservice Industry, you would be hard pressed to find anything more ubiquitous than Commercial Refrigeration. It’s found in virtually every segment of the industry:

• Restaurants
• Bars
• Grocery Stores
• Convenience Stores
• Hotels
• Colleges & Universities
• Senior Living
• Cafeterias

Each month, the keyword “Commercial Refrigeration” is searched on the Internet an average of 27,100 times. Compare this to “Commercial Fryer”, the next most frequent user search, with an average of 3,600 Internet searches per month.

Choosing the Right Refrigeration Equipment

The Refrigeration Category is wide & deep. According to NAFEM, there are 230 products which fall into the category of “Refrigeration & Ice Machines”. Of those, 80 products are either Blast Chillers, Freezers, Walk-Ins, Refrigerators, or equipment characterized as “Refrigerated” (e.g. Prep, Salad, Sandwich & Pizza Stations, Work Tops, etc.).

The single most important reason to have adequate and appropriate refrigeration can be summed up in two words: food safety. Food which is held in an improper temperature environment runs the risk of leading to foodborne illness. As a rule, you should set and maintain your commercial refrigeration temperatures as follows:

• Reach-in Coolers 35ºF to 38ºF
• Walk-in Coolers 35º F to 38ºF
• Reach-in Freezers +5ºF to -10ºF
• Walk-in Freezer 0º to -10ºF
• Ice Cream Freezer -10ºF to -20ºF

What type and size of commercial refrigeration equipment you need (and there’s a good likelihood you’re going to need more than one type) depends on your concept, menu, size of your facility, number of covers per day etc. For example, a good rule of thumb for determining how big your walk-in cooler should be, figure 1.5 Cubic Feet for every cover served per day. 

At ChefWorthy, you can review and research for purchase commercial refrigeration equipment from such notable brands as Beverage-Air, Continental Refrigerator, Delfield, Hoshizaki, Traulsen, TRUE, KolPak, Nor-Lake, Masterbilt, Arctic, Alto-Shaam, American Panel, Ironix, Thermo Kool, Victory, Atosa, Everest, Randell, and Turboair.