Is it worth investing in a walk-in fridge?

You walk into the back of your kitchen or shop and open a jammed upright fridge, trying to shove in one more box of veg or a tub of sauce that doesn’t quite fit. At the same time, you need a container that’s somewhere right in the back. You’re playing fridge Tetris again.

Maybe it’s peak lunch rush. Maybe it’s a Friday delivery run. But you know the feeling.

This is where a walk-in fridge can change the game. A walk-in fridge is far more than just ‘a bigger fridge’. If your business is in the right place for it, it’s a better way to run your cold storage, full stop.

This blog explores why.

What’s the difference between a commercial coldroom, a walk-in fridge and a walk-in freezer?

Let’s get some definitions out of the way.

A commercial cold room is the general term for these walk-in fridges and walk-in freezers. It’s a dedicated, enclosed space (often modular) that is, of course, temperature-controlled for chilled or frozen storage. Whether it’s a fridge or a freezer, both are designed for easy access and optimal space use.

Both types of coldrooms use the same kind of structure, shelving, layout and doors. The key difference is the temperature and whether you’re using your cold room as a fridge or a freezer. The internal temperatures of these rooms will be set to the same as a standard commercial fridge or freezer. That means:

• A walk-in fridge = a coldroom set to chill (usually 1°C to 4°C)
• A walk-in freezer = a coldroom set to freeze (typically -18°C or lower)

Chilled coldrooms are ideal for fresh produce, dairy, meat, fish and anything you’d put in a regular fridge. Frozen coldrooms are for veg or meat, chips, desserts and other bulk storage, things that need preserving long-term. Again, walk-in freezers contain the same things as standard freezers, just more of them.

Why would a business choose a walk-in over standard commercial refrigeration?

Most catering and food retail businesses hit a point where a standard upright fridge or chest freezer doesn’t cut it. Inevitably, the first port of call for lots of companies is getting another refrigerator or freezer, but that can make things even more cramped. Over time, as your business grows, your storage needs increase at the same rate. Eventually, you’ll find that your workflow becomes bottlenecked by door space and stacking height.

A walk-in fridge or freezer solves that problem. You get:

• Better stock rotation – labelled zones, no more mystery boxes at the back
• Easier access – multiple staff in at once
• Time-saving – fewer fridges or freezers to check or restock
• Bulk buying potential – store full pallets or crates without breaking them down
• Cleaner food safety process – easier hygiene compliance 

How to use a walk-in fridge?

Here’s how you might use your walk-in fridge:

• Restaurant – pack all the ingredients your prep staff need for the following week on easy-to-access shelving. This is particularly valuable for high-traffic restaurants and hectic kitchens.
• C-store/supermarket – keep your stock moving in a controlled and accessible space. Labelled zones make it easy to know which stock needs to go out next. There’s no need to dig through those chest freezers.
• Café – a compact coldroom at the rear of house gives you more usable floor space out in the front.
• Pub – keep all your snacks ready and easy to access. Perhaps use the walk-in fridge as a storage zone, and move your stock into an undercounter unit under the bar, ready to be sold immediately. 

When is the right time to invest in a walk-in fridge or freezer?

You’ll know when it’s the right time for a walk-in fridge. In short, look for when your current setup stops keeping up. Here are some of the warning signs:

• You’re running multiple fridges or freezers across different locations just to manage stock
• You’re saying no to larger orders or bulk deals due to a lack of storage space
• Staff lose time and get frustrated hunting for products or dealing with poor stock visibility
• You’ve had temperature control issues from overloading existing units
• Your hygiene or compliance processes are slowed down by overcrowded units

When you upgrade and invest in a walk-in fridge, make sure it matches your setup. Some start out with a small corner unit at the back of the kitchen; others are long and thin and run along the prep wall or get built into a larger section of your rear of house.

And, in terms of scale, think about what you need. For the vast majority of organisations, you don’t need a warehouse-sized cold room. Scale it to the size that you forecast your business will be in a few years to maximise your return on investment, taking into account how your refrigeration needs might change in that time.

Get your walk-in fridge from Fridgesmart

Fridgesmart is a nationwide supplier of commercial walk-in fridges and walk-in freezers, as well as standard display and storage units. We understand that your storage is integral to your service and forms the foundation of how your kitchen or shop flows and how your employees work together.

If your current refrigeration setup is bursting at the seams, or if it needs to be bigger when you scale, it’s worth taking a closer look at walk-in fridges, walk-in freezers and general commercial cold room solutions.

So, if that’s what you need, drop us a call or an email. We’d be delighted to walk you through the coldroom options we have in stock, complete with fast delivery and installation options, along with fantastic warranties. We look forward to hearing from you.