It’s 3.15pm on an August Friday. Your beer and pop fridges are packed. Your delivery’s just finished unloading. And your delivery driver is still at the door asking where the empties are. Meanwhile, two regulars are already in and they’re asking why their lager isn’t ‘properly cold’.
Welcome to the summer drinks rush.
Every summer, small food and drink businesses across the UK face the same challenge: insufficient cold storage, insufficient time to restock and no room for anything to go wrong. If you run a pub, bar, café, takeaway, or corner shop, this guide will help you stay ahead of the drinks demand before the next heatwave catches you out.
Think ahead
Fridge space is actually quite a complex and risk-fraught calculation. Too much, and you’ll be wasting power and floor space. Too little, and you can’t keep up with demand. A good rule of thumb is to plan for slightly more chilled volume than you’d need in spring or early autumn.
If that seems like a bit of a squeeze, don’t worry. You’re not alone. There are plenty of fantastic options when it comes to commercial fridges. Chat with an expert to get the latest models and reap the benefits of adjustable shelving, castors and all sorts of other customisable and flexible features. Feel free to give us a call here at Fridgesmart.
Some businesses even choose seasonal refrigeration leasing to boost capacity during summer peaks.
Make sure you place your unit in an appropriate place, too. During peak service, your fridges need to be accessible, but they also need to breathe. If there isn’t enough airflow around the condenser coils, they’ll start overheating. Be careful to avoid wedging units next to cooklines, in direct sunlight, or against a wall with no gap. Just 5cm to 10cm at the rear is all you need.
Keep things moving
Keeping an efficient commercial drinks fridge is all about stock management and rotation. Even with plentiful fridge space, poor stock management could spell disaster for your cold drinks. In summer, you don’t just want to plan for storage, but for quick cooling and efficient rotation. You also need to schedule enough time for your drinks to cool before serving them to your customers.
The latter becomes increasingly relevant if you see high turnover. If you regularly load in warm stock from the delivery van, we suggest having two fridges or chillers. The first should be in the rear of the house, away from direct foot traffic and door drafts, if possible, and dedicated to rapid chilling. Let it focus on cooling efficiency over anything display-focused. Keep this fridge emptier than others so the cold air can circulate quickly.
Once chilled, rotate your cold stock to customer-facing display fridges or point-of-sale coolers. That keeps service flowing, and your chilled reserves protected from repeated door openings.
Speaking of which, this one’s key: limit door open time wherever possible. That’s much easier to do with your staff than with your customers. For example, train your employees to load or unload in one go. Self-closing doors, strip curtains and simple tick lists can make a significant difference, especially during back-to-back shifts when people start to become tired. When it comes to your customers, lead by example. If appropriate, you could put up friendly little signs asking your customers to close the doors, ensuring you don’t come across as passive-aggressive.
And finally, don’t forget the little things. Pull your drinks forward to the edge of the shelf. This tip is great for marketing, but it’s also important for temperature consistency. Leave a small air gap behind and between rows where you can. If you’re stacking vertically, keep heavier bottles low down and lighter cans higher to help with airflow. There’s always a method to the madness.
Have a backup plan before you need one
Drinks fridge failures don’t wait for quiet moments. If one goes down during a weekend rush, there’s little time to react. For most customers, lukewarm drinks (when cold ones were expected) aren’t an option.
Build a contingency plan now. You have the time and the luxury of no downtime. Our first suggestion is to keep a small backup unit on-site if you have the space. A countertop cooler or undercounter fridge can provide just enough capacity to protect your priority stock while you arrange repairs or replacements. If you can fit something bigger, great.
No room for extra kit? No worries. Keep your options open. Build relationships with trusted nearby technicians and chat with your business neighbours, agreeing that you’ll help each other out in the case of appliance failures. In short, know who to call, and when. Fridgesmart offers direct phone support from our technical team, plus same-day dispatch on selected units if you need a fast fix.
Set up your outdoor fridge for success
Let’s just touch on outdoor setups. Since it’s summertime, you might be venturing out into the sunshine. That’s a brilliant way to get more sales, but it comes with its own (often heat-related) challenges.
For example, outdoor bars, kiosks, market stalls, mobile catering units and pop-ups face different demands than indoor setups. Sunlight, rising ambient heat and limited airflow can all affect how well your fridge holds temperature.
So, start with shade. Even a light canopy or cover reduces direct exposure to the sun. If that’s not an option, avoid placing the unit in full sun, especially during peak afternoon hours.
Next, raise the fridge slightly off the ground to improve airflow around the condenser. Leave space behind and to the sides so heat can escape easily. Even well-maintained fridges will work harder without proper airflow.
And a quick note on power. Plug into a dedicated socket where possible. Avoid using extension leads shared with other high-draw equipment, such as fryers or coffee machines, because overloading circuits is one of the most common reasons for outdoor fridge failure and even occasional fires.
Get the setup right, and your outdoor fridge will almost as reliably as an indoor one, allowing you to maximise revenue.
How Fridgesmart helps you keep your drinks cold this summer
Whether you’re after a quick top-up fridge for a busy takeaway, a few extra bottle coolers for your pub, or just straight advice, Fridgesmart is here to help. We stock a full range of commercial drinks fridges from leading brands such as TEFCOLD and we’re on hand to help you select the best model for your service hours, customer flow and summer forecast.
Contact our friendly team today to inquire about our market-leading warranty and delivery options for new units.