4 Types of Fridges to Transform Your Hospitality Business

Are you running a business in the hospitality industry? If so, you’ve likely experienced first-hand the complexities and shifting dynamics in this field. From taking orders to handling the supply chain, balancing everything can be a challenge for both you and your team.

Having the right equipment and strategy is crucial for ensuring smooth operations in your business. One particularly important area of equipment to invest in is refrigeration.

A fridge is easy to overlook due to its understated nature, but don’t be fooled. It’s one of the most important pieces of equipment you can have in your establishment. From its ability to cool down food and ingredients to its space-saving properties, a fridge is something that every hospitality business needs to function.

This raises the question: what type of fridge suits your particular establishment? If you’re wrestling with that very question, you’ve come to the right place.

Different establishments will have different needs when it comes to cooling ingredients and storing them. Bars, restaurants, and hotels will need different fridge types to serve their needs—and what may work in one case may not work for another.

In this article, we’ll dive into five common fridge types in the hospitality industry that you can consider getting to transform your hospitality business into a thriving and efficient space.

Under Bench Fridge

An under-bench fridge, as its name implies, is a type of fridge that’s meant to be stored under a kitchen counter or work table.

This fridge is characterised by its low profile and space-saving design, fitting seamlessly below counters and bars for easy accessibility of various goods like beverages, perishable goods, ingredients, and canned drinks.

This type of fridge can commonly be found in cafes, wineries, bars, and restaurants where space may be limited. They’re typically situated away from public view. They’re also mostly only accessed by the staff.

In the kitchen, this fridge plays an integral role in streamlining operations since its compact nature allows it to be placed strategically for quick access. You can typically choose from one-door or two-door variants, depending on the intended utility of the fridge.

With this fridge type, wait staff and bartenders no longer need to go to the back of the kitchen to get a bottled or canned drink if there’s an under-bench fridge by the counter. Quality variants like Bromic under bench fridge can also have special features like temperature control, self-closing doors, adjustable shelving, and digital displays.

These features can improve timelines and reduce delays in serving time, which can make for a more satisfactory customer experience and encourage continued patronage.

If you want your restaurant or hospitality business to take on a neat appearance, this fridge is also an excellent choice. This is because it’s both functional and discreet—making it a great asset for any restaurant, cafe or bar.

Food Display Cabinets

If you’re operating a bakery or a cafe, a food display cabinet is a fridge that can be useful for your business. This fridge’s main purpose is to showcase perishable desserts and pastry items like cakes and sweets while preserving their freshness.

These cabinets are designed with glass enclosures that offer customers a clear view of the products. This can be a great way for your company to market the visual appeal of your baked goods, tempting a customer’s senses and enticing them to buy.

Food display cabinets are also specially engineered to keep pastries fresh. These cabinets come in various volume capacities, making them ideal for hospitality businesses of any size and scale.

Open Display Fridges

Another type of fridge that can be a great asset for your hospitality business is a display fridge.

Unlike an under-bench fridge, display fridges are meant to be seen by your customers and pedestrians passing through the premises. This is because it’s designed to encourage customers to make impulsive and spontaneous purchasing decisions.

Some items that are often displayed in these fridges include chilled beverages, fresh salads, sandwiches and fresh fruits. Furthermore, these display fridges are completely open or have glass doors. This makes it easy for customers to look inside and grab their desired item with ease.

This enhanced accessibility works best for specific types of hospitality businesses, such as cafes and fast-casual dining shops near train stations or transportation hubs. This is because the easy self-service, convenience, and rapid selection entice busy people to stop by for a quick lunch or dinner.

Businesses can also use this opportunity to upsell to their customers, increasing the value of each transaction in turn.

Moreover, businesses can optimise these display fridges by utilising lighting and placement to their advantage. With an open display fridge, not only can you market your food offering more effectively, but you can also boost operational efficiency as the customer will already have their order with them as they make their payment.

Upright Fridges

A staple in any kitchen and hospitality business is an upright fridge.

This fridge is a versatile and space-saving solution for a commercial kitchen’s cooling needs. These fridges come in a wide variety of sizes, granting business owners the freedom to pick one based on their unique spatial and storage requirements.

Businesses often categorise upright fridges into two main types: single-door and double-door models. Single-door models have smaller vertical width, making them a good compact option for kitchens that don’t need to cool a large supply of perishable goods.

On the other hand, double-door models feature a larger volume capacity. As their name implies, they also have two doors that open separate ways and hold different items. This design allows for better organisation of products, enabling easy access to different types of food or beverages stored inside.

On top of that, double-door models can have two different temperature regulations working at the same time in their respective compartments. This is because these doors can be opened independently.