Published 2 August 2026 · Written by Alan Refrigeration Services · Verified by Alan Law, Food Safety Specialist
Most fridge regrets are format regrets, not brand regrets. Here is the way we walk customers through it, after forty years of installing and servicing these machines.
Undercounter chillers and freezers put cold storage below a working surface — prep counters that hold their own ingredients. Right when floor space is tight and staff need everything within one step. Check the gap width first: our model finder filters by the width the unit has to fit.
Upright solid-door units are the workhorses of back-of-house — the most storage per floor tile, from one-door units to six-door banks. Solid doors hold temperature efficiently; this is where bulk storage should live.
Glass display chillers and freezers, cake showcases and back bar units are front-of-house equipment — the customer sees the product, and the fridge does the selling. Expect to give up some efficiency versus solid doors in exchange for visibility; look for inverter models to claw that back.
For frozen stock that does not need display or frequent access, a chest freezer gives the lowest cost per frozen litre and holds cold well through door openings and power blips.
What must the customer see? What must staff reach without walking? And what is the exact width of the gap? Answer those three and the format usually picks itself. Send us your floor plan on WhatsApp and we will size it with you.