If you’re in the business of serving food, whether for a restaurant, a hotel, a bed-and-breakfast, or an artisan market, you’re going to need a commercial refrigerator and freezer; most of us simply don’t have the luxury of running through all of our food stock on a daily basis, and even if you did, it’s essential to have additional supplies on hand for busy days.

However, while it’s easy to find companies willing to take your money, it’s not so easy to find the brands that will get you the most for your hard-earned dollars. Today we’ll give you a hand by walking you through what’s important and what’s not when choosing a commercial fridge for your business kitchen. We’ll also share recommendations for quality commercial-grade fridges and freezers.

Don’t underestimate the size you’ll need

If you’re buying a fridge to replace an existing model, you’ll likely already have a good idea of how much storage you need. But if you’re buying your first commercial fridge, it’s easy to underestimate the storage capacity you’ll need to run your kitchen; we recommend erring on the side of more storage than you think you’ll need instead of less. As with domestic or residential fridges, commercial units come in a range of sizes. However, while you’ll generally see them compared by cubic footage, a quick shorthand to compare sizes, particularly among reach-in fridges, involves the door count: you’ll usually find reach-in fridges with 1, 2, or 3 doors. Three door units will typically be the largest while 1 door units will be the smallest. The WP Restaurant Fridges 2 Door 49 cubic feet commercial refrigerator is a typical example of a 2-door reach-in commercial unit. At 49 cubic feet of internal capacity, it’s large enough for small restaurants, churches, office environments, and similar locations, yet small enough to fit into most kitchen spaces without much trouble.

As we noted above, it’s better to get slightly more space than you think you’ll need than slightly less than you end up needing, as it’s much more expensive to buy additional fridges or try to resell a too-small unit than it is to buy a larger size you can grow into over time. Think of what you buy frequently, the number of customers you serve each day or week, and how those numbers can change during peak and off seasons in your business.

…but make sure you’ll have enough room for whatever you buy

The flip side of choosing a larger capacity to avoid choosing a fridge too large to fit into your kitchen or storage area. The quickest way to avoid this issue is simply to measure your kitchen space thoroughly; understanding how much space you have available will keep you from shopping for fridges that exceed whatever exterior dimension limits you set in advance. Keep in mind your doorways; more than anything, a door will often be the bottleneck for the largest fridge size you can feasibly use. And remember that internal doors are almost always smaller than exterior doors. The SABA Heavy Duty 2 Door Reach-in Refrigerator is another classic example of a 2-door commercial fridge option; it’s 82.5 inches tall, 54 inches wide, and 32.2 inches deep. As a result, you’ll need a door at least 84 inches tall and 34 inches wide to comfortably move it into and out of a room, not to mention a few inches around each dimension for clearance, airflow, and installation once you find a permanent place for it.

Pay attention to your warranty length and coverage…

Moving away from internal and external dimensions, when choosing a commercial fridge, it’s also beneficial to pay attention to the length and breadth of your warranty coverage. No matter how reliable the brand or how many positive reviews are tied to the particular model you purchase, it’s important to remember that nothing lasts forever; your refrigerator might give you decades of problem-free service, but it might also start acting up within a year or two. The good news is that commercial refrigerators typically come with multi-year warranties and are designed to stand up to continual use in demanding environments. Depending on the details of the warranty, you might have certified technicians show up at your business to fix your fridge within a business day, or you might have to wait some time longer to get things back up and running. The WP Restaurant MBF-8006 78″ 3-Door 72 Cubic Feet Refrigerator above pairs a huge capacity with 5 years of warranty coverage on the compressor and 1 year of parts coverage for every other part of the unit. As the compressor is the component most likely to fail, this is the kind of coverage you want.

…and decide where you want the condenser located

Finally, think of where you’d like the condenser when buying a commercial refrigerator or freezer. The condensing unit is easily the most important part of any fridge or freezer, as it’s the part primarily responsible for keeping your food cold and at your desired temperatures. You can buy top-mounted or bottom-mounted condensers, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. You’ll often see bottom-mount condensers in settings where cleaning ease and maintenance are priorities, as are reduced strain on the machine when working in hotter environments. However, top-mount condensers do a better job of avoiding contamination and clogging from dirt and debris while offering the additional advantage of not blowing heated air into your fridge or freezer cabinet when you open the doors. They also give you better access to food due to having doors that open closer to the ground. Generally, the top-mounted option is more common these days due to the aforementioned advantages; the SDI Deals MBF-8002 2-Door Reach-in 44.5 cubic feet Commercial Freezer shown above is an excellent example of an affordable, quality top-mounted commercial freezer.

You can buy the WP Restaurant 52″ side by side commercial refrigerator with 49 cubic feet of capacity here on Amazon. Alternatively, you can buy the SABA heavy duty reach-in refrigerator here. For massive capacity, buy the 78″ MBF-8006 72 cubic feet commercial refrigerator here. You can buy the SDI Deals MBF-8002 44.5 cu. ft. commercial freezer here.

Canadians, while the WP and SABA commercial fridges aren’t readily available, you can buy a similar model, the Maxx Cold 49 cubic foot reach-in refrigerator here on Amazon.

If you find our research on PMC helpful, you can follow our efforts to keep maniacally reviewing home appliances by shopping through our links above. We promise to keep fighting the good fight against every horror children, animals, and grown, yet messy humans can inflict upon a clean home.