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How To Pick The Most Suitable Commercial Ice Machine For Your Business

If you're in the hospitality industry, you know that having a reliable and high-quality ice machine is essential. Whether you're running a bar, restaurant, or hotel, you need to be able to provide your customers with ice that is clean, clear, and free from any unpleasant tastes or odours. But with so many different ice machines available on the market, how do you pick the most suitable one for your business? In this blog post, we'll take you through the key factors to consider when choosing a commercial ice making machine.

Consider Your Ice Needs

When determining how much ice your business requires from a commercial ice making machine, it is important to consider factors such as the size of your establishment, the number of customers you serve, and the types of drinks or dishes you offer. As a general guideline, a rule of thumb is to aim for approximately 700 grams of ice per customer per day. For instance, if you run a bar or restaurant with 100 customers, you may require an ice machine that produces around 70 kilograms of ice per day.

Choose Your Ice Type

Once you know how much ice you need, you can start to think about the type of ice that will work best for your business. There are a few different types of commercial ice making machine available, each producing a different style of ice. Some common options include:

- Cube Ice: Ths is the most common type of ice, and is suitable for a wide range of applications. Fresh, crystal-clear ice cubes, chilling beverages whilst preserving the flavour. Suitable for restaurants, bars, convenience stores, pubs, clubs, cafes, bagging, construction sites, workshops and fast food chains. Available in FULL, HALF OR GRANDE size.

- Chewblet (Nugget) Ice: This type of ice is soft and chewable, making it ideal for beverages, smoothies and blending. Suitable for restaurants, beverage dispensing, juice bars and fresh ice displays. The ice moulds easily for ice packs and cools quickly without bruising the patient, perfect for healthcare applications - hospitals and aged care facilities.

- Flake Ice: Flake ice is ideal for displaying seafood or fresh produce, as it's ideal for both presentation and preservation of perishable food items. Flake ice extends the shelf life and appearance of seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables for a fresher display that helps increase sales. 

- Gourmet Ice: Hard, crystal-clear individual ice cubes with a unique conical shape. The perfect ice for bars, cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs.

Think About Storage

When choosing a commercial ice machine, it's important to consider how much storage space you have available. If you have limited space, you may want to consider a machine with built-in storage, which will allow you to store ice in the same unit as it is produced. However, if you have more space available, a separate storage bin may be a better option, as it will allow you to store more ice and keep it readily available for use.

Consider Maintenance Needs

Finally, it's important to consider the maintenance needs of your commercial ice machine.You'll want to choose a machine that is easy to clean and maintain, as this will help to ensure that it continues to produce high-quality ice over time. Look for machines with removable parts that can be easily cleaned, as well as those that have built-in self-cleaning systems. You may also want to consider purchasing a machine with a warranty, as this can provide added peace of mind and protection against any unexpected maintenance needs.

Browse the range today or get in touch with our team

Choosing the most suitable commercial ice making machine for your business is an important decision, but by considering your ice needs, ice type, storage requirements, and maintenance needs, you can make an informed choice that will help to ensure your customers are always provided with the highest quality ice possible.

If you need further advice, the team as Coast Distributors are always happy to help you find the perfect commercial ice machine for your business needs - visit our website or contact our team today.