Published 7 September 2026 · Written by Alan Refrigeration Services · Verified by Alan Law, Food Safety Specialist
Opening a new kitchen or renovating an old one? Cold storage is one thing worth getting right the first time. It is what keeps your ingredients safe every day, and it is hard and costly to change later.
The list below is the same whether you are fitting out a hawker stall, a coffeeshop drinks corner or a full restaurant kitchen. Walk through it before you sign the order, not after the unit is standing in the doorway.
Most F&B businesses grow. Sizing only for today often means buying again in a year. A little headroom now is cheaper than a second fridge later. A second outlet, a delivery menu, a busier lunch: each one lands in the same fridge.
Fitting out is also when the Energy Efficiency Grant matters most, because the order of events decides whether you can claim it. The grant offers Base Tier support of up to 70% for SMEs on pre-approved equipment, capped at S$30,000 per company. The application goes in through the Business Grants Portal, and the rule is simple: do not purchase before the application is in. Once approved, you have up to one year to purchase, install and claim. Many of the models we carry are on the official pre-approved list. We supply the equipment; we do not administer the grant. The EEG guide covers the steps, and the pre-approved models are listed on their own page.
Whatever you choose, choose a unit built to outlast your lease: a commercial-grade fridge with proper insulation, a solid warranty and, ideally, an inverter compressor. Ask what the warranty actually covers, compressor only or parts and labour, because the answer differs from brand to brand. Read the NEA energy label too. More ticks, less electricity, every month of the lease. The cheapest fridge on day one is rarely the cheapest fridge by year ten.
That does not mean every kitchen needs the top of the range. A drinks chiller at a coffeeshop and a freezer holding a week of seafood carry very different loads. Forty years of repairs taught Alan which machines hardly ever call him back. We will tell you which tier your menu actually needs. Fitting out is the right moment to buy once and buy well.
Tell us your menu, your floor plan and your busiest hours, and send photos of the access. We will help you size the right cold storage from the start and tell you which unit actually fits.
Work out what you actually hold across a busy week, then add headroom. Too small and you overload it; too big wastes power and space. Most F&B businesses grow, so size for where you are going.
Away from ovens, hobs and direct sun, with the recommended clearance around it so it can shed heat. Heat next to it makes it work far harder.
Yes. Do not purchase before the application is in through the Business Grants Portal. Once approved, you have up to one year to purchase, install and claim.
A suitable, ideally dedicated, socket on the right circuit, and the doorways, corridors and lifts the unit has to pass through. Stairs or over-counter handling may cost extra, so send photos of the access.