​Is a Walk-in Refrigerator Right for You?

Previously, we’ve covered refrigeration types in our Guide to Commercial Refrigeration. In that post, we detailed the differences between refrigerator types and the needs & niches they fill. This included the mass storage option of walk-in coolers and freezers. Today, we’re going to take a bit of a deeper dive on this bulk storage option, to help you determine if a walk-in refrigerator is right for you.

Types of Walk-Ins

Walk-ins come in three types:

• Self-contained units house everything the fridge needs to run smoothly; the refrigerator, condenser, and evaporator are all built together in this unit. These cold storage rooms are normally on the outside of the establishment.
• Remote walk-ins are usually built directly into the building, and their condenser unit is located somewhere separate from the refrigeration and evaporator units.
• Multiplex units include multiple condensing and evaporation units and are always built indoors.

Depending on your restaurants needs, you might need a walk-in cooler to store bulk items for use during the whole day, or a walk-in freezer to store perishable goods for longer periods of time. You might even need a combination unit that does both! Luckily, all the tips in this article apply to all 3 types of walk-in refrigeration units.

Storing Food

As you might assume, walk-ins store a much larger amount for longer-term storage than a reach-in. How large should your unit be? The industry standard advice is to have 1.5 cubic feet of storage for each meal you intend to serve in a day. It’s better to go over this minimum than under: you don’t want to risk not having enough space for all your food.

Installation:

While Leasetaurant does not offer installation services, we know our way around a walk-in! So here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing to install your new unit:

• Your floor needs to be a flat surface. If you have a concrete floor, you can build directly on top of it; otherwise, you will need to have an insulated floor installed.
• To conserve energy and power, you can install strip curtains or air curtains. They help keep the temperature inside stable anytime someone walks in or out of the unit.
• If you are installing an outdoor unit, take your local weather into consideration and plan accordingly. If the door to your refrigerator opens to the outdoors (instead of being accessible from inside of your restaurant), look into refrigeration hoods, rain roofs, and drip caps to protect the unit and the products from perspiration.

And that’s it! For a closer look at walk-in units, talk a look at our Walk-In section. Happy shopping!