The 22 Best Commercial Refrigerators You Can Get for Your Business in 2023
Whether you run a cafe, a restaurant, or any foodservice operation, getting the best commercial refrigerator is a must because it's the most vital crew member you have.
There are many options with advanced features to select from, making your decision challenging.
Commercial refrigeration comes in different styles, and your choice will be based on preference and, obviously, storage capacity.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about commercial refrigerators, from the different types to top brands and things to consider before purchasing.
What Are The Different Types of Commercial Refrigerators?
To get the best out of top-rated commercial refrigerators, you need to know exactly what you intend to use them for.
Let's look at the different types of refrigerators, their price range, and their functionality.
Bar Refrigerators
Bar refrigerators are perfect for keeping beverages cold. Their energy efficiency is high enough to ensure food's quality remains fresh for as long as possible. It usually has a stainless steel interior that gives it a sleek look.
This type of refrigerator is mostly found in bars, and they always have two or three sections to store drinks, wines and other liquids.
Bar refrigerators come in different varieties: beer bottle coolers, draft beer dispensers, glass frosted and mug chiller, wine coolers, and back bar coolers.
The price ranges from less than $1000 - $14,000, depending on your chosen model.
Reach-In Refrigerators
This is the most straightforward type of refrigerator. You can find it in hospitals, schools, small cafeterias and restaurants. It has enough storage space and plenty of rows of shelves to store drinks and water properly.
You could go for one with a hinged or sliding door design, depending on your preference. Usually, school cafeterias use the model with glass doors, so you can see all the items displayed. You can also find reach-in refrigerators in restaurant prep areas, as they are used to store prepared meals and leftovers.
The price ranges from $1,499 - $21,492.
Glass Door Refrigerators
Like the name implies, it comes with a glass front to allow your customers to see exactly what's on display.
Depending on the amount of things you plan to store inside, you can opt for single, double or triple glass door refrigerators.
Most drug stores use this type of refrigerator, including restaurants and cafes. However, it's a commercial fridge and can be used to store other things aside from drinks, sandwiches, and a variety of food products.
The price ranges from $1,149 - $9,660.
Salad Bar Refrigerators
Salad bar refrigerator provides a food-safe environment to keep your food while on display in a serving line. It comes in different varieties, so choose the one that best suits your establishment. There are table top salad bars, self serve salad bars, and employee-service salad bars; all salad bars are similar but do not have the same capacity.
You can get the table top salad bars for $749 - $1955, employee service salad bars for $2928 - $3874, and self serve salad bars for $2,602 - $4699.
Walk-In Coolers & Refrigerators
Walk-in refrigerators are for food services that require a lot of space to store restaurant supplies, store beverages in large quantities, or as much food as possible. It can be likened to a commercial refrigerator freezer because you can customize it to any size, from small pods to huge room-sized refrigerators.
Most establishments use walk-in refrigerators to store fresh deliveries. After a delivery has been made, the chef decides what's needed and what should be kept in the refrigerator.
The price ranges from $3,542 - $23,531.
Compact Refrigerators
Compact refrigerators are perfect for those who want a small freezer space. They are very easy to set up; however, be sure not to install them in humid areas because it can lead to malfunctioning of the condenser coil.
The price ranges from $349 - $3,774.
Undercounter Refrigerators
An undercounter refrigerator is usually small, and one of its advantages is that it can fit below most counters. They can also easily fit under prep tables, making them the perfect option for small kitchens and various other uses. Due to its portable size, it works great for different venues.
Undercounter refrigerators are used to cool and store food products you'll use throughout the day, and when your ingredients get exhausted, you can take a trip to the walk-in refrigerator and restock. This is a better alternative than storing everything in your walk-in refrigerator.
Some undercounter refrigerators come with a built-in worktop for you to prepare small dishes.
The price ranges from $1,201 - $14,373.
Chef Base Refrigerators
Chef base refrigerators come in a shorter size than undercounter refrigerators. Unlike other commercial refrigerator brands, the top of this refrigerator features durable construction, so it can accommodate a countertop or serve as extra space.
Chef base refrigerators are perfect for business and commercial use, and because of their large freezer space, it's ideal for refrigerating food in large quantities.
The price ranges from $1,995 - $13,788.
Which are the best commercial refrigerators of each type?
Best Bar Refrigerator: Coldline CBB-72G 72" Swing Glass Door Back Bar Cooler
This Coldline refrigerator features glass doors of strong quality that can keep your beverages cool for a long period. Its high-quality stainless steel top serves as a heavy-duty worktop surface where you can place a charbroiler or similar appliances.
Due to its front-breathing heavy-duty Embraco compressor, you can safely install it under any bar. It also features interior lighting and casters, plus you can go for the ones with sliding glass doors or black solid doors.
For $2,395, you can have this back bar refrigerator in your restaurant.
Honorable mentions:
Coldline is one of the best commercial refrigerator brands out there, and with $1,895, you can get this back bar refrigerator that fits into bars with limited space while still having enough storage space.
It features door locks that are secured enough to keep your produce safely stored overnight. This unit features heavy-duty construction, giving the refrigerator excellent durability. Optional casters and LED lighting are available for this exact model.
This commercial refrigerator features 13 cu. ft capacity with a size of 48". You can easily place it in a small restaurant kitchen without cramping up your space. It comes with swing doors, and its top can be used as a worktop refrigerator. You can purchase this unit for $1,795.
Best Reach-In Refrigerator: Coldline C-2RE 54" Two Solid Door Commercial Reach-In Refrigerator - Stainless Steel
This unit boasts of an all stainless steel exterior and interior. It comes with high density cell insulation that is strong enough to handle the rigorous activities of any commercial kitchen.
Regardless of how often kitchen staff keep opening and closing the refrigerator doors, maintaining product temperatures is guaranteed because of its extra insulation.
With its self closing doors and stay-open feature, you get to have easy accessibility in extreme working conditions. It comes with inbuilt interior shelves; you get to store extra items like fruits to maintain neatness and prevent overcrowding.
The Coldline C-2RE 54" comes with external digital temperature control to set the temperature range to any degree you want and save energy consumption. Its inbuilt shelves are corrosion resistant, and the versatile shelf slide design helps keep things cool for long hours. Plus, it has four casters for easy movement. You can purchase this unit for $2,695.
Honorable mentions:
You don't have to worry about cheap white abs plastic interior with this unit. It comes with a durable stainless steel exterior and interior for easy cleaning and maintenance.
This commercial reach-in refrigerator has a digital controller that helps maintain temperatures. You can use it to monitor temperatures and adjust the temperature range as you deem fit.
It also has a strong fan motor that helps circulate cold air inside the refrigerator. The included epoxy coated shelf are corrosion resistant and can hold up items that weigh up to 90lbs. Its pre-installed castors make this unit easy to roll and makes regular cleaning easy. You can buy this commercial refrigerator for $2,595.
This reach-in refrigerator comes with an environmentally friendly refrigeration system perfect for your restaurant, bakery or cafe. It uses HYDRO-CARBON R290 refrigerant, which is an environmentally responsible choice.
Its built-in condensation evaporating systems can easily evaporate excess water inside the refrigerator, extending its durability.
It features three adjustable shelves for maximum storage, and these pre-installed shelves enable you to store beverages, foods, drinks, and even vegetables in an organized manner. You can purchase this single door reach-in refrigerator for $1,795.
Best Glass Door Refrigerator: Unity U-GM2-S 52" Two Sliding Glass Door Merchandiser Refrigerator with LED Lighting
This is one of the best commercial refrigerators out there. It comes with 8 epoxy coated wire shelves for ultimate storage flexibility, plus its glass door provides maximum visibility and added convenience. You can showcase your drink items clearly to your consumers; its self closing door also helps with easy access.
It features digital controls that allows you auto defrost when you want to, making it energy efficient. The led display makes it easier to adjust and monitor the interior temperature. This unit costs $2,695.
Honorable mentions:
This unit features one glass door that allows you to showcase your list of refreshments to consumers who want to patronize you. It comes with attractive led lights, and its heavy-duty construction will help keep your food fresh. You can get this brand of refrigerator for $1,149.
Coldline EGR 100 has a balanced refrigeration system perfect for any food business or bar that plans to showcase drinks and foods in a high volume. This can also be tagged as a display refrigerator because it features 4 glass doors that effectively display products in the refrigerator to customers.
It has a bottom-mounted design and foam in place to prevent wear on the door gasket. The mounted compressor helps trap in the cooler air, making it perfect for places with hot temperature. This is one of the best commercial refrigerators in the market, and you can pick up one for your business for $6,395.
Best Salad Bar Refrigerator: Coldline CTP60SG 60" Refrigerated Countertop Salad Bar, Glass Topping Rail, 6 Pans
This is the perfect commercial refrigerator for your salad and pizza shop. However, you need always to keep it in an appropriate food-safe environment because it'll be left open while you serve a customer.
For efficient operation, you should consider getting this unit. Plus, it can maintain the temperature of your salads and pizzas at 35-41 Fahrenheit range. This unit is affordable, and with just $895, you can have it in your restaurant for utmost convenience.
Honorable mentions:
The Marchia heavy-duty commercial refrigerator is a great digital display for bars or food businesses that want optimal level, but their storage requirements don't tally with a bigger refrigerator. The Marchia has great quality for its size and can be put to maximum use by any establishment.
It comes with 8 pans that you can easily organize enough food inside for better efficiency. You can purchase this unit for $849.
This is one of the best commercial refrigerators for buffets. It comes with storage space for spoons, knives and pans, making cleaning easy and less stressful for the maintenance staff.
It comes with hot gas condensate system and a mount compressor. With $2,602, you can add this freezer to your collection.
Best Walk In Coolers & Refrigerator: Amerikooler DC060677**F 6' x 6' x 7' 7" Indoor Walk-In Cooler With Floor
This commercial cooler features a stainless steel floor with a sleek interior look. It has a digital temperature display that helps keep track of the temperature.
Plus, it features a heavy-duty handle latch that keeps the refrigerator's door secured.
This unit has self closing doors and a digital audio alarm for extra safety. The Amerikooler DC060677 costs $5,090.
Best Compact Refrigerator: Coldline G5-B 24" Countertop Swing Door Merchandising Refrigerator
This unit features a black coated steel exterior with a white aluminium interior. It comes with recessed door handles that won't break off regardless of the force used.
The Coldline compact refrigerator has an electronic thermostat that helps to easily adjust temperature and allow heat or cold circulation when necessary.
With $669, you can have this refrigerator in your food truck.
Honorable mentions:
The Unity countertop refrigerator is perfect for bars that serve canned drinks and wines.
It comes with a double glass solid door, and the refrigerator's cabinet temperature controls can be set to 33℉ - 50℉. It comes with adjustable shelves that help in packaging and arranging drinks.
This refrigerator doesn't cost a lot of money; with $349, you can secure one for your nightclub or bar.
This commercial refrigerator features a self-cleaning condenser that keeps the refrigerator spotless.
It has magnetic gaskets on its doors to prevent warmer air from penetrating the refrigerator. Its welded corners help minimize dusty areas, making it easy to clean.
This unit costs $2,107.
Best Undercounter Refrigerator: Coldline UC-60R-BS 60" Worktop Refrigerator with Backsplash
You can use this refrigerator as a worktop because of its level surface and sturdy construction. It has a stainless steel front, and its side stainless steel makes it very easy to clean.
It's equipped with an eco-friendly R290 refrigeration system that keeps your food safe. This undercounter refrigerator has enough power to cool several hundred pounds of products.
You can buy this unit for $2,695.
Honorable mentions:
This commercial refrigerator comes with digital temperature control that efficiently helps in defrosting. Its stainless steel construction is an indication that regardless of heavy use, kitchen's tasks can't cause it to rust or corrode.
It has a large workshop space and an excellent operating cooling system. You can purchase this unit for your foodservice business with $1,961
This undercounter refrigerator with a length of 27" and depth of 29.5" can be installed under a worktop or counter.
It features optional casters to make movement, loading and unloading easy and fast. You can get this unit for $1,449.
Best Chef Base Refrigerator: Everest ECB72D4 72" Four Drawer
The Everest chef base refrigerator is equipped with a conventional compressor and 4 heavy-duty drawers to store food items conveniently. Due to its commercial refrigeration, it's an ideal option for high end restaurants and bakeries. It comes with a wired LED light system and has a condenser fan that keeps temperature regulated. The cost of this refrigerator is $4,857.
Honorable mentions:
This refrigerator comes with optional casters and two sliding doors. It's perfect for those keen on wanting large storage but with a small footprint. This equipment can withstand busy kitchen activities without losing its ability to keep things cold. Its foam in insulation will keep its temperature cold, regardless of how often you open and close it. You can get this unit for $2,295.
Once again, if you are bothered about saving space in your kitchen, this refrigerator is the right choice for you. It's compact and comes with a heavy stainless steel top that can serve as a platform for keeping your grillers. This unit makes cleaning and maintenance tasks less stressful due to its self-contained compressor. It has a digital temperature controller, energy efficiency, epoxy coating to prevent rust, and ETL sanitation. For just $3,697, you can get all these advanced technologies.
Which Are The Best Commercial Refrigerator Brands?
There are many commercial refrigerator brands out there that sell top-quality equipment/appliances.
However, it all boils down to preference.
But brands like Coldline, Unity, Amerikooler, Migali, Turbo Air, and Everest are ones you definitely should buy from because lots of users have tested them without any complaints and provide exceptional quality consistently.
Also, lookout for a brand that attaches a warranty to their products, so you are insured in case of any malfunction from the company.
What Should I Look For In A Commercial Refrigerator?
Choosing a commercial refrigerator is not an easy task. Below are the main factors to consider when looking for the perfect unit for your commercial kitchen.
Size
What you intend to use in your refrigerator will determine the size you'll opt for. You shouldn't be buying a large refrigerator when you don't have enough kitchen space or when you don't even cook in large quantities.
Energy Efficiency
Energy is expensive but necessary, and that's why units with energy efficiency will always be a favorite to most people. Due to their high standard insulation, panels and a tightly fitted lock, there's minimal temperature fluctuation, saving more energy.
Storage Space
Always take a look at the storage capacity between models before making a choice. Refrigerators with small capacity won't be suitable or add any value to your business if you run a large scale establishment.
Features
There is an endless list of features to search for before choosing, like door alarms, Carel controller, LED lights, etc. Be sure to do your research and purchase the one with helpful features.
Door type
Refrigerators come in single, double and triple doors. Take note and select the one that'll make your staff function better and not overcomplicate things.
Noise
Some refrigerators make less noise and have lower vibration levels than others. If your food establishment is situated in a noisy environment, you can overlook this feature. If not, ensure you buy a refrigerator that makes little to zero noise when turned on.
Automatic Defrosting
There are commercial refrigerators that form frost after long periods, affecting its durability. So, it's best to buy a refrigerator with either an automatic or manual defrosting system.
Conclusion
Getting the right refrigerator is an easy task when you know what to look for. As a side tip, if your food business is located in a hot area, go for refrigerators with bottom mount compressor because they suck in arctic air from the atmosphere.
Hopefully, we have given you the key information you'll need to make the right choice.
Remember that there's always a commercial refrigerator for you out there, regardless of your preference, so keep searching!