As with any large piece of restaurant kitchen equipment, buying a commercial ice machine is a pretty significant expense, and you want to know that you’re getting one that’s going to handle your business needs with minimal waste. If you intend to purchase an ice machine in the near future, there are a few things you should know.

To get the ice machine that’s the best fit for your business, you should first answer a few questions in reference to the ice machine in question vs. your ideal ice machine…

·    How long does the typical commercial ice machine last?

·    How necessary is a water filter?

·    What can I expect, as it pertains to manufacturer warranty and customer service?

·    What quantity of ice is needed to best serve my customers?

·    What kind of ice do I need- cubed, nugget, flake, etc.?

·    How much room am I going to need for this thing?

·    Will I need more ice bins to store ice?

·    Should I get a water-cooled model, or is an air-cooled one good enough?

Before we begin to address the questions above, it will actually help to know how the basic ice machine works. Here’s a quick run-down…

Water is supplied by means of an outside line, and a pump within the ice machine pours the water over an ice tray (or cylinder in flake ice models), where it is frozen one layer at a time.

A heating coil loosens the ice from the tray, and it is dropped into a collection bin. Flake ice machines have a crusher, which breaks up ice before it drops into the bin. The crusher determines the size of the flakes, ranging from fine flakes to larger nuggets of ice.

To help keep the ice from refreezing into a massive useless chunk, the bin is equipped with drainage to separate any water from the ice.

Now that you have a basic understanding of how an ice machine works, you’re better equipped with a working knowledge to address those questions above.

How long your typical commercial ice machine lasts

Though it depends on how much and the quality of water used, as well as other factors- like maintenance, dust, salt, and humidity- your average ice machine should last around ten years.

How necessary a water filter really is

It is an accurate estimate that more than 60% of maintenance calls regarding ice machines are related to the water quality. Having the proper water filter in place, as well as having it changed regularly, will significantly reduce these calls (and the expense of these calls).

Aside from improving its taste, weeding out parasites, filtering out harmful chemicals, and removing odors, your water filter also reduces the calcium and scale build-up that can be devastating to an ice machine.

A water filter isn’t just important- it’s crucial if you’d like it to last more than a year.

What you can expect with manufacturer warranty and customer service

As a norm, the comparatively expensive parts (condenser, evaporator, compressor, etc.) should be covered by a longer warranty, and your dealer should also offer a short-term warranty to cover all parts and labor.

Your vendor should have available a comprehensive warranty, reliable customer service, and give you various ways to get in touch with their company in the event something goes wrong with your ice machine.

The quantity of ice that is needed to best serve your customers

First, you will want to know your expected rate of business- that will help with choosing any or all of your kitchen equipment. If you’re unsure, you can research public records and demographic business data, or physically go “next door” and talk to other restaurant owners in the area.

The following are some approximate general guidelines, but be sure to allow enough room for your business’s use and growth or fluctuations in customer volume.

Food & Beverage
·    Ice for a dine-in restaurant: 1.5 lbs./person
·    Ice for a cocktail lounge: 3.0 lbs./ person
·    Ice for water service: 4 oz./10oz. glass
·    Ice for a salad bar: 30 lbs./cubic foot
·    Ice for a fast food restaurant: 8 oz./14oz. drink

Hotels
·    Ice for guests: 5 lbs./room
·    Ice for catering: 1 lb./person

Hospitals
·    Ice for patients: 10 lbs./bed
·    Ice for cafeteria: 1 lb./person

You will also want to bear in mind that in or near the kitchen, temperatures are much higher and may significantly reduce the volume of ice produced.

Which kind of ice you need- cubed, nugget, flake, etc.

For packing seafood displays, fresh fish displays, poultry displays, and salad sections of buffet tables, crushed ice or nugget ice is best. Though it will also do great in beverages, cubed ice does just as well and will last longer in a drink.

Determine what you’ll be using the ice for, and that will determine which type of ice will best serve your business.

How much room you’re going to need for your ice machine

After determining how much and what type of ice you’ll need, you are now armed with a pretty good idea of which ice machine (or type of ice machine) you’re looking for.

Measure the space you have allocated for your ice machine- height, width, and depth- and compare those measurements to the dimensions of your prospective purchase. Also judge the feasibility of installing an electrical outlet and plumbing (and the cost of such installation). You want to make sure that the ice machine of your choice will fit and function.

Is that the best place for your ice machine? Sometimes it can help to “map” out your work area, being sure to include things like existing power outlets, plumbing, phone jacks, etc.- especially if you intend to purchase other kitchen equipment.

Whether you’ll need more ice bins to store ice

Additional bins to store ice can be “life savers” on those busy days or during an unexpected rush, as well as provide wait staff closer, easier access to ice.

Whether you need an extra ice bin depends on how practical it would be for your staff to make repeated trips to the nearest supply of ice.

If your ice machine or nearest ice supply is or will be way back in the kitchen, you may want to consider getting one. If your ice supply is more centrally located and easily accessible to your staff, you may not need to.

Whether you should get a water-cooled or an air-cooled model

There are good points to each, and there also “not-so-good” aspects. Only you can determine which is best for your business as you weigh the good and “bad.”

Air-cooled ice machines are generally less expensive, and as the name implies- they use air to help in the refrigeration process. They are noisy, however, and the air used for cooling is heated and expelled into the room- maybe not the best for a hot kitchen.

Water-cooled ice machines are relatively quiet, and won’t contribute as much heat to the surrounding room. Some demographic areas may not permit water-cooled ice machines, due to their water consumption, so be sure to check. That brings another issue to light- water price. If your water bill is already high, this model might contribute to the problem.

As with any kitchen equipment, buying a dishmachine is more than a solitary choice- it actually involves several decisions.  Each of those decisions can either facilitate or encumber your business.

For example, a new restaurant with a bar finds on opening night that their dishmachine (which can only do 45 racks/hour) can’t keep up with the demand. That’s a BAD way to be- probably should’ve done their homework first.

To keep something like that from happening to your business, how would you know which dishmachine is right for your restaurant?

First, find out how much customer traffic you can expect. You can research public records, evaluating demographic business data- altogether a pretty good idea… but be sure to also physically go “next door” and talk to other restaurant owners in the area. Yeah, you read that right… just ask- it really is that simple.

Ridiculous?  Not really. Something you need to keep in mind is that not ALL restaurants are necessarily in competition with each other, as each business has something unique to offer.

BK vs. McD’s- we could totally understand… not much difference between their menus (besides the “tasty fries”).  However, notice that both are usually on the same city block- in any given city- and neither of them are suffering a loss. Coincidence?  Not likely. They both did their research and found that area to be ideal for their business- just some food for thought.

Being familiar with your rate of business, you need to choose kitchen equipment (in this case, your dishmachine) that can handle your customer demand. For that, we should get ourselves knowledgeable of some characteristics and types of dishmachines. One common mistake restaurant owners also make is that they try to fit their “dish pit” into an entirely too small of a space. Make sure to have enough room for your soiled dishtable, as well as your clean dishtable, while leaving space for your employees to work.

The first thing to consider is the dishmachine’s load time and/or the rate at which it can clean dishes. Load time is simply how long it takes to clean and sanitize through one full cycle of one load, or rack of dishes- particularly with door-type and undercounter dishmachines.

Bear in mind that one cycle, in some larger models, may consist of the rack actually passing through a series of chambers of the machine specialized for each stage of the cycle. In this case, each load does not have to wait a full cycle before beginning the cleaning process of the next- hence, the rate in terms of racks/hour.

In peg-type or flight-type dishmachines, dishes are loaded onto a belt that runs through the entire machine. These machines are designed for extremely high volume, and have a capacity to cycle well over eighteen thousand (18,000) dishes per hour. These machines usually need a person on each end in order to operate it.

Flight-type dishmachines can be customized, in that sections can be added, but it is recommended to work with a sales representative to help with sizing and configuration. Flight-type dishmachines also come with several safety features, to include a “kill switch” that stops the entire machine if dishes are not removed from the clean end- so they’re not falling onto the floor and breaking.

The most versatile dishmachines (and some of the hardest working) are the conveyor dishmachines, and they move dish racks from left to right, or right to left (left feed or right feed, respectively) through three to four chambers. Conveyor dishmachines, too, can be customized to your restaurant’s needs by adding sections.

Because of their massive productivity, they may not be the best choice for small restaurants, but in large commercial kitchens and cafeterias, they are revered as God-sent.

Door-type dishmachines are simpler, smaller, and moreover manually operated. Typically, they are single-load and pass-through, but there are corner types available as well. Door-type dishmachines typically use higher volumes of water over the ware, and cycle times are shorter (about 1 minute), but also usually do only one rack at a time.

Undercounter dishmachines can be free-standing or built into a counter, and are best used for smaller businesses- like a corner diner that seats fifty or less. The cycle time for undercounter dishmachines is around two to three minutes, or about twenty to thirty racks/hour.

Undercounter dishmachines and door-type dishmachines are both loaded and unloaded manually, so when figuring your washing capacity for that machine, be sure add that in as well.

Now that we’re more aware of what types of dishmachines are available to you, and what each can handle, you can better match your business needs to the appropriate machine. Be sure to look into optional features for your dishmachine that may allow a smaller or less expensive model to accommodate your needs just as well as a larger one.

You might not want to go overboard with your choice of dishmachine, but you want to be sure it can handle your business volume.

Have you been scouring the earth, trying to track down commercial kitchen equipment that won’t reduce your bank account to pennies? Scanning all of the classifieds, hounding suppliers, visiting all local stores and warehouses… and now you’re beginning to search the world wide web?

If you feel that you’ve just run out of options and looking to the internet is an act of desperation- think again! That should have been the first place to look if you’re in search of affordable kitchen equipment. Though the internet is commonly perceived as a “virtual world,” real hard commodities are ordered & purchased all the time through an internet connection- and often at a much lower price.

Several people have reservations about buying something they’ve never seen or put their hands on. Here’s some food for thought: When you go to the store to buy- say- a dishmachine… You look at the machine on display, you poke and prod, try this and that, ask a few questions… if you like what you see you decide to buy.

How often, do you think, does that very machine you looked at in the store actually show up on your doorstep? Unless you bought that very display model- NEVER! You end up with another machine (hopefully the same kind) that’s been sitting at a warehouse somewhere.

Why in the world would anybody feel better about that than doing and getting the exact same thing online- for less?

When it applies to kitchen equipment that is capable of producing more, faster, and easier, the terms “commercial kitchen equipment” and “industrial kitchen equipment” come to mind. These models are typically larger, more durable, and rugged, as they are intended to handle a degree of abuse over the several years of their productive lives. Less care is put into their cosmetic appearance as their domestic counterparts- the focus is more on sturdiness, functionality, and efficacy.

Commercial kitchen equipment is available in several shapes, forms, and sizes that are dictated by their function. Several restaurants have their inventory of kitchen equipment tailored to accommodate the increased demand of grilled food by purchasing huge commercial charbroilers and commercial outdoor grills. Other buffet-style restaurants expanded their inventory of warming & holding equipment to provide a more consistent supply of food items.

Commercial kitchen equipment also comes in the form of deep fryers, great big griddles, commercial toasters with conveyors, massive microwave ovens, refrigerators big enough to walk into, freezers you can fit under a counter, steam tables… the list goes on, and all of these are readily available for purchase over the internet- usually costing less than your local restaurant supply outlet. What’s better is that your larger items may even ship for free- right to where you need them!

The next time your kitchen needs an upgrade, or you just want to see what’s available, whenever you’re looking for kitchen equipment- look online first, and then compare.