Article

When operating a venue, café, restaurant or food van, your refrigerators are part of the hardest working members of your arsenal. They’re the unsuspecting equipment placed in corners, tucked under benches, positioned at the back of the kitchen, or positioned front and centre for your customers to help themselves to prepped meals.

As with other commercial kitchens or retail equipment, there’s a massive range of options when it comes to purchasing your refrigerator. You need to shop carefully to find the correct one, and there are many things to consider in this process.

What to consider when purchasing a commercial fridge

1. Energy Minimum Standards

2. GEMS classifications in Fridges & Freezers

3. Total Energy Consumption comparisons

4. Types of Commercial Fridges available

What are Energy Minimum Standards in Fridges and Freezers?

GEMS (Greenhouse & Energy Minimum Standards) regulates energy efficiency and environmental performance measurements in commercial refrigerators. It doesn’t just cover commercial fridges and freezers but also the performance and impacts of many products manufactured, imported and retailed in Australia and New Zealand.

How does GEMS work?

The performance of commercial refrigeration can have great consequences on energy consumption and costs to a business. Even small businesses using less refrigeration than large catering companies can be impacted. The GEMs database is a resource providing metrics like Cabinet Classification and TEC (Total Energy Consumption) which is an easy-to-understand classification system referencing energy efficiency in fridges and freezers as well as other commercial equipment.

What does Total Energy Consumption in Fridges mean?

Total Energy Consumption (TEC) is the amount of energy a fridge or freezer cabinet consumes every day. It is recorded as “kWh/24h” to provide a standard comparison between different equipment. This standard measurement gives consumers a clear understanding of the performance of various models when making a decision. You can find the data on the equipment’s specification sheet which often includes annual running cost estimations.

What is the Cabinet Classification of Fridges & Freezers?

The Cabinet Classification is a quick reference for a fridge or freezer’s ability to store food and drink for sale or display. It combines two key items of data:

• Climate Class

• M Pack Temperature

Climate Class

Climate Class represents the temperature ranges a fridge or freezer can work in. Fridges suitable for busy, humid, and hot mass catering kitchens are far different to a milk fridge front-of-house in a coffee shop.

M Pack Temperature

M Pack Temperature represents the temperature range of the product inside the fridge or freezer when tested for compliance with GEMS. It represents a measurement package and shows the suitability of the cabinet for safely storing food. M1 and L1 are the standards you need when storing food or other perishable foods.

Types of commercial fridges

The list is long and the most suitable for you is the purpose of your refrigeration. One thing to remember is that there are hundreds of models and sizes available so it’s important to identify the purpose of your refrigeration needs when narrowing the choices.

Accommodation room fridges

These small units are selected specifically for their space-saving ability where they can be positioned within a hotel room or unit without taking up real estate. These fridges generally have a small section within them suitable for a tray of ice cubes or storing minimal frozen products during guests’ stays. Modern units are energy efficient and able to fit a small to moderate number of cold items during short stays.

Bar fridges

Commercial bar fridges can be upright with special lighting and glass fronts so customers can quickly view the beverages on offer for their order. These are compact and feature bright internal lighting to show the array on offer. They also feature stronger than usual refrigeration fans to ensure the contents remain chilled with the constant opening of the glass doors.

Commercial bar fridges can also be under-counter with stainless steel or glass doors. These fridges are used to house excess stock or ingredients to develop elixirs customers don’t need to see. These models are available in various sizes to fit under bar counters with wide-opening doors for bar staff to quickly access products.

Display fridges

Similar to an upright commercial bar fridge, upright display fridges are common in retail outlets, cafes and canteens to display the array of cold products and drinks available for customers to purchase. These fridges feature bright internal lighting to showcase the contents on offer for purchase. Some models also include a customisable advertising point above the doors for the retailer to showcase an advertisement often featuring a brand offering discounted rental for the display fridge and merchandise of choice.

Domestic fridges

Domestic fridges differ from commercial fridges in their make and energy consumption. Domestic fridges are designed differently from commercial fridges due to the number of times they are accessed on any given day and the contents they store. Domestic fridges are not suitable for commercial environments based on these factors.

Fridges in prep tables

In certain food retail environments, it is necessary to have refrigerated products close to the preparation benches. This is most common in busy food retailers like pizza, burger and sandwich outlets. Busy turnover cafes and restaurants also require proximity of cold ingredients to food prep areas. In these instances, a dedicated prep bench with built-in under-counter fridges is necessary to keep the moment of food preparation at its peak.

Open refrigerated display cabinets

These large fridges are commonly found in supermarkets and retail outlets. The absence of doors allows customers to make their purchases without the need to open doors. This reduces the time in impulse purchases and it’s a popular choice for cold beverages but most notably, pre-packed refrigerated meals.

Open refrigerated display cabinets require technology producing higher than usual fans and refrigeration to capture the cold temperatures within the compartment where doors are absent. The benefit to retailers and venues is a higher turnover of cold produce as customers impulsively fill their baskets or trolleys with products from these units at a whim.

Reach in commercial fridges

These are similar to domestic models except for being stronger and built to last in commercial environments. Like home fridges, many models are available, and these can include glass doors for visibility or stainless steel doors with deeper widths for larger commercial storage. Commercial models are advanced with their technology to control the temperature which ultimately keeps food fresher longer.

Walk-in fridges

Walk-in fridges are exactly as the name describes. They are large insulated rooms designed to house a large array of ingredients for high-turnover food preparation businesses like caterers, cafeterias, boarding school kitchens, mining camp meal preps, and the like.

Coolrooms provide ample space to access many days’ worth of ingredients and prep contents. Suitable shelving is paramount in developing an appropriate coolroom and the development and installation of these units require suitable advice and guidance as well as adequate food and ingredient control to ensure necessary practices are in place for safe food handling.

Reward Hospitality has a team of equipment experts on hand to not only help you select a suitable walk-in refrigeration solution, we also help you install suitable shelving and storage practices as well as adequate food handling protocols to ensure you’re always delivering the freshest of ingredients.

Common refrigerator terms

There are so many terms, commonly used by experts when discussing the purchase of refrigerators. It’s an overwhelming list and between condenser coils, fans, gastronorm compatibility, seals, gaskets, and ventilation, it can be overwhelming. If you’re keen to know more about these, our friends at SilverChef have an article discussing them. Refrigeration terms are available on the SilverChef website.

Finance options available when buying a Commercial Fridge

Purchasing a suitable commercial fridge doesn’t need to be a daunting experience. It’s a significant investment for large businesses as well as start-ups and Reward Hospitality offers an array of solutions to help you grow. We have solutions regardless of your business size or age.

Reward Hospitality offers a Reward Trade Account for ABN holders. This includes access to a minimum $3,000 line of credit for approved applicants with trade pricing available.

Zip Money is also available to give you the freedom to buy the fridge you need. All it takes is a quick online application with no fuss, no wait, and no worries.

SilverChef Equipment Finance is a popular choice for our clients and Reward Hospitality has financed more than 1200+ customers for equipment valued at over $22 million. SilverChef’s finance solutions allow you to spread the cost of your equipment over time so your cash isn’t tied up and can be allocated to other parts of your business.

How does SilverChef Equipment finance work?

SilverChef empowers you with the choice to Rent-Try-Buy or Lease-To-Keep. This offer is exclusive to commercial equipment and available to your business, especially if you’re in the market to purchase a commercial fridge from Reward Hospitality’s catalogue of respected refrigeration suppliers. It’s an easy application process and if you need help, our customer service team and Territory Managers are available to help you every step of the way.

Reward Hospitality helps businesses purchase Commercial Fridges

If you’re in the market for a fridge for your business and you’re not sure where to start, we can help. We have an extensive range of refrigeration options available in our vast array of equipment products. Our Customer Service Representatives are available to answer any questions you have via online chat, email, or phone. We also have an extensive team of Territory Managers throughout the Asia Pacific available to visit you in person to discuss your needs with their expert advice.

Check out our range of fridges, and reach out if you need our help or advice about finance solutions we have available so you can get on with business while we take care of the rest.