Most people who set up a food or hospitality business are rarely motivated by the equipment. Mostly, it’s about creating great food and a wonderful place to meet, eat and relax.

While it’s important to know what motivates you, if you don’t get the nuts and bolts right then it’s likely your business will face unnecessary challenges going forward.

If you’re running a restaurant, bar, cafe, hotel or other food or hospitality operation, getting your refrigeration right is vital.

Commercial grade refrigeration will be one of your biggest outlays, so it’s important to get it right first time. A cold room is frequently the optimum solution for catering operations.

 

What are the benefits of a cold room?

Walk-in cold rooms can make life much easier for you and your staff, offering high levels of convenience and organisation. Locating food and drink on organised shelving is much easier than having to rummage through refrigerator drawers. In a busy kitchen environment that can make all the difference. They allow you to keep larger quantities of products at hand, reducing the need for ordering and deliveries.

 

Do you need a cold room?

 Whether or not your business needs a cold room, or can make do with a smaller refrigeration unit depends on the amount and type of the food you’ll be serving.  Larger businesses that use high quantities of refrigerated ingredients are likely to require the space and convenience that only a cool room can bring. Small catering operations, less so. Think about the amount of deliveries you have on a daily and weekly basis. If you’re filling up your refrigeration with fresh produce every day, which is then used quickly, then you might not need a cold room. If your deliveries are once or twice weekly, then a cold room might be a practical solution.

How much-refrigerated produce will you have in stock at any one time?

 

Do you have the space for a cold room?

 You may feel you need a cold room, but do you realistically have the space? The good news is, cold rooms now come in a variety of sizes from walk in closet size, to large rooms. This means a broader range of businesses can make use of them.  Getting the size right is key to keeping your cold room efficient. In smaller units, the goods inside are packed closer together reducing air flow. If your cold room is too large, you’ll be paying unnecessary running costs. At Enviro Chill we can custom make the ideal cold room for your business, finding the perfect balance between size and efficiency.

 

How do cold storage rooms?

The technology used in a cold oom is practically identical to that used in domestic refrigeration, but more complex and on a larger scale due to the demands of these types of unit.

 

What temperature do cold rooms run at?

There’s a range of temperature options available depending on your individual requirements. Refrigerated cold rooms typically run at a temperature range of between 0c and 10c, an optimum range for the chilled storage of diary and cooked meats.

For fresh fish and meat, lower temperatures are usually required, so a range of -2c to -5c, might be more appropriate. If you keep a large amount of frozen goods in stock, then walk-in freezers which have temperatures of around -15c to -25c might be the optimum choice.

 

Are cold room installations complicated?

Modular construction techniques have made the whole installation process much simpler, and they can be erected inside an existing building. They do need to be fitted by a qualified engineer, who will make a site visit to find out your exact requirements, and then advise you as to the best way to proceed.

 

Enviro Chill offer professional refrigeration services across the North West

Based in Liverpool, but operating across the North West, our qualified engineers provide a professional cold room installation service. We create bespoke cold rooms that meet the precise business requirements of our customers. From cold room systems for warehouses, to bespoke modular cold rooms for restaurants, we’re experienced at finding the right solution for the differing needs of our clients.

To find out more about our commercial refrigeration services, or to arrange a free site visit, call us on 0151 285 1818, or use our online contact form .