[Insight] How to Choose the Right Commercial Fridge to Hire for Your Business

How to Choose the Right Commercial Fridge to Hire for Your Business

When your business operations hinge on reliable refrigeration, selecting the appropriate commercial fridge hire becomes essential. Whether you’re managing a bustling restaurant, organising a large-scale event, or addressing an unexpected equipment failure, renting a commercial fridge offers a swift, flexible, and cost-effective solution. This guide aims to assist you in navigating the process of hiring the right commercial fridge, ensuring it aligns with your specific business requirements.

What is a Commercial Refrigerator

A commercial refrigerator is exactly what it says in the tin. It’s a cooling system used primarily for the use of keeping consumables fresh, slowing down the activity of bacteria. A commercial refrigerator is used in business settings such as a cafe, office space or supermarket. Unlike the typical residential refrigerator we have at home, commercial refrigerators are designed to handle much heavier usage and larger capacities.

Why Opt for Commercial Fridge Hire?

Choosing to rent a commercial fridge presents several advantages over purchasing:

• Emergency Situations: In the event of an unexpected fridge breakdown, hiring provides an immediate replacement, minimising downtime and potential losses.
• Temporary Needs: For short-term projects, events, or pop-up ventures, renting eliminates the need for a significant investment that’s not required long-term.
• Seasonal Demand: Businesses experiencing seasonal fluctuations can benefit from rental options to manage increased demand without committing long term.
• Trial Periods: Renting allows businesses to evaluate different fridge models and sizes before making a long-term investment.

Aircon Rentals offers high-performance, commercial-grade fridges for hire, providing reliable refrigeration solutions without the burdens of ownership, such as maintenance and storage concerns.

Why Does Choice Matter?

Selecting the right commercial refrigerator for your business needs is crucial, and choosing the wrong one could turn your kitchen into a nightmare. 

In choosing the right refrigerator you need to think about these key components:

• How much inventory do you have that needs to be stored in your refrigerator?
• What is your budget for energy bills?
• How much access will your refrigerator get? How often will it be used?

Finding the right commercial refrigerator can enhance your kitchen’s functionality, keeping your business’ workflow efficient and optimised, all whilst maintaining the highest quality of ingredients.

Types of Commercial Refrigerators

Let’s dive into the many types of commercial refrigerators, their features and what type of business will benefit these refrigerators.

Reach in Refrigerator – Single Glass Door

Reach-in refrigerators are one of the most common types of commercial refrigerators on the market, their upright design and reach in capabilities makes it an efficient use of vertical space, allowing full storage capacity, without taking up a significant amount of space within the kitchen. These refrigerators are commonly used in commercial kitchens for storing ingredients, prepared foods, and beverages.

One of their key benefits is their accessibility. Thanks to the reach in doors at the front, you can quickly and easily retrieve items without having to dive into the refrigerator. This benefits makes them ideal for busy kitchen environments where efficiency is paramount.

Reach in Refrigerator – Double Glass Door

Just like the refrigerator mentioned above, however, these particular designs have two doors. That’s double the storage, without taking up any extra space. These particular refrigerators are perfect for high-volume use such as hospitality businesses. This freezer type is designed to save energy all whilst maximising storage, making it a smart, reliable choice for any commercial business.

Did you know it’s also possible to find a triple door reach-in refrigerator? The storage space keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Merchandisers Refrigerator

These types of commercial refrigerators are excellent for customer-facing environments including grocery stores, convenience stores, delis, where products need to be displayed aesthetically. Why? These types of units, commonly referred to as display fridges, use a glass door or window that allows for customers to see any product directly inside, enticing them to make a purchase. 

This is exactly their key benefit – their ability to attract customers’ attention effortlessly, perfect for impulse buyers. They also come in various sizes and configurations, including countertop, reach-in, and walk-in models, allowing for your business to choose the bespoke option that best fits your space and needs.

Under Bar Refrigeration Units

Under-counter, or bar, refrigerators are specialised refrigerators solely made for use behind bars or in beverage service areas. One of their key advantages is their compact size, unlike the larger reach-in or walk-in refrigerators we mentioned above, these refrigerators take up minimal floor space, making them perfect businesses where space is a premium. Despite their compact size, bar refrigeration units also come equipped with adjustable shelving, allowing you to customise the interior layout to accommodate your bar contents such as bottles, cans, and other items of various sizes.

Key Features to Look

Before you jump into hiring a refrigerator for commercial purposes, it’s important to look out for the key features you may need for your refrigerator uses, ensuring that you get the best value for your money:

• Adjustable shelving – it may be worth looking for refrigerators with adjustable shelving to accommodate a variety of item’s sizes and shapes.
• Energy efficient lighting – is your refrigerator going to be placed in a space that’s dark, without much natural light? Energy efficient lighting not only helps you see inside more clearly but also reduces energy consumption, subsequently lowering your utility bills.
• Digital temperature controls – these are a key benefit as they allow you to precisely monitor and adjust the temperature of your refrigerator, keeping your consumables fresh and safe.
• Door configuration – watch out for how exactly your refrigerator doors open, is it from the left or right? How will this affect the use and placement of your refrigerator?
• Materials – pay attention to your refrigerator materials, stainless steel is the best option as it’s durable, resistant to corrosion and easy to clean.

Key Considerations When Hiring a Commercial Fridge

To ensure you select the right fridge for your business, consider the following factors:

• Duration of Hire: Determine whether you need the fridge for a few days, weeks, or months. Aircon Rentals offers flexible hire terms to accommodate various project durations.
• Storage Capacity: Assess the volume of goods you need to store to choose a fridge with adequate capacity, avoiding issues of overcrowding or underutilisation.
• Location and Access: Consider where the fridge will be placed and ensure the site has the necessary power connections and sufficient space for proper ventilation.
• Mobility Requirements: If the fridge needs to be moved between locations, inquire about portable or trailer-mounted units for enhanced convenience.
• Energy Efficiency: Opt for energy-efficient models to reduce operating costs and minimise environmental impact.
  Door Configuration: Consider how the fridge doors open and whether this will affect accessibility and workflow in your space.

Commercial Fridge Hire with Aircon Rentals

Ready to jump into buying your commercial refrigerator for your business? Why not try a commercial fridge rental, these are perfect for businesses that need a commercial sized fridge for a limited time. Perhaps your company is organising an event? Or is your business based in a space with no long term plans of staying? Rental fridges give you the flexibility and convenience your business needs to respond to seasonal demands, special events, or unexpected equipment downtime. With easy installation and configuration, why not pair it with a commercial freezer rental too? Aircon Rentals have all the answers to your appliance rental needs. Get in touch with us today for your fridge rental needs.