The volume of drinks served in any type of restaurant setting is phenomenal. It doesn’t matter if it is a sit-downlocation or one where takeout is the norm. Keeping enough ice produced to meet the demand for those drinks is essential. Ideally, you need a large capacity ice maker that is placed out of the way in the restaurant.
Throughout the day, the ice machines your employees use to fill up drinks can be filled up with buckets of that ice. If your business offers drink machines where the customers fill them up, you will still need employees to keep an eye on the levels of ice they offer. When customers go to dispense ice, they expect it to come out!
How It Works
A commercial ice machine is able to make ice around the clock. A refrigeration system is working behind the scenes to offer water and electricity. The water is placed in the large trays. It will freeze into cubes, and at regular intervals, the ice drops down into the holding area. This is where someone can come along with a scooper and remove ice to take to another location for use.
The machine can be set up to create ice at regular intervals all day and night. When you go to open the restaurant in the morning, it will be full. Don’t worry about too much ice being produced. Most of these machines have a mechanism that shuts off the water pump and production when a certain level of ice is detected in the holding area. Once that level is reduced again, the production levels can continue.
Size and Shape
It is often the little things that make a difference to customers. Even the size and shape of the ice cubes being used can influence where they will stop in. Think about that when you get a machine like this. Some offer very small and round pieces of ice. Others offer larger pieces of ice of varying sizes and shapes.
Quality water going to the system is also something to think about. The amount of ice you produce, the way it looks, and other factors aren’t going to matter much if it doesn’t taste good. If you have hard water, you may consider getting an ice maker for the business that hooks up to soft water. It will make the ice look clearer, and it will also result in it tasting much better.
The type of ice produced and the amount of it depends on how large the overall system is. Pay attention to the space you will need for it before you buy. You should also be familiar with the amount of ice it can produce. It has to be able to keep up with your daily needs, or you will be spending money on buying additional bags of ice from other retailers. There is no reason to spend money on such items when you can produce them yourself.