When you’re running a hospitality venue, making the right decision is critical. In particular, you have to make sure you get things right when choosing equipment for your business.
That’s why we’ve assembled this complete guide to choosing the right under bench fridge for your venue. It has all the information you need to choose the perfect fridge to elevate your business.
1. Dimensions
Perhaps the most important consideration for purchasing an under bench fridge is selecting a product with the right dimensions. You’ll need to carefully measure how much room you have for an under bench fridge. This ensures you don’t end up purchasing a fridge that doesn’t fit in your allotted space.
Another important element to consider is the interior space of the under bench fridge. By choosing a fridge that maximises its interior space, you’ll ensure you can fit as many ingredients as possible. This makes implementing under bench fridges in your kitchen layout easy as you get more value out of your fridges.
One way under bench fridges make the most out of their storage space is with adjustable shelving. All Bromic under counter fridges come with adjustable shelving for easy customisation.
When allocating space for your under counter fridge, be sure to leave adequate room for ventilation. Bromic under bench fridges require 150mm of clearance between the fridge and wall or cabinet.
2. Energy efficiency
Energy bills are a major hidden cost for hospitality businesses. It’s essential that venues prioritise energy-efficient appliances.
There are a number of ways to measure energy efficiency in Australia. The GEMS rating system (named after the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards 2012) rates products from 1-10 stars.
Ensure that any fridge you buy is certified under the GEMS standard. It’s also a great way to compare like-for-like products, with a higher star rating indicating greater efficiency.
Another metric to consider is Total Energy Consumption. Measured in kWh/24h, this metric lets you know how much energy a fridge uses over 24 hours.
With this metric, you can figure out exactly how much energy an under bench fridge will consume. This enables you to begin planning your costs before you’ve even purchased the product.
Some brands go above and beyond with their own initiatives. For example, Bromic Refrigeration has created the Green Cooling Initiative. Under this program, Bromic emphasises the use of natural refrigerants in its products. The natural refrigerant used in certain Bromic products has a Global Warming Potential of less than 5.
For reference, commonly used refrigerants in Australia such as R-134a have a Global Warming Potential of 1,430.
When you buy a Bromic product with natural refrigerants, you can rest assured you are purchasing a more energy-efficient product that helps keep the planet greener.
3. Reliability
There’s nothing worse than your appliances letting you down in the middle of a busy shift. That’s why you need to purchase the most reliable products you can.
Here are a few rapid-fire tips to ensure you purchase a fridge that can keep up with your business:
- Reputation: It’s best to stick with fairly well-known, reputable manufacturers. These businesses have spent many years serving the Australian market and worked to earn their good reputations.
- Reviews: Look to online reviews to build your understanding of how well a refrigeration business will serve your venue. Learning from the personal experiences of other customers will help you understand if an under bench fridge is right for your particular needs.
- Certifications: Check to see if products are certified under GEMS or any other relevant programs. These certifications are additional seals of approval that show a business’ strong reputation.
By conducting these checks on under bench fridges, you’ll find it easy to select a reliable product that won’t let you down.
4. Versatility
In hospitality environments, anything can happen. You need equipment ready to handle whatever a hectic service throws at you.
This is where the versatility of your equipment becomes crucial. One way under bench fridges can offer flexibility is with castors. Castors are small wheels on the bottom of equipment.
Castors make it easy to move fridges around preparation or service areas, even during a shift. Bromic’s entire under bench fridge range comes with castors, meaning they can easily be moved around your kitchen layout.
Another way to maximise the versatility of an under bench fridge is by using the top of them as a countertop. This means you can get additional workspace whenever you need it. If a fridge is temporarily or permanently removed from an under-bench location, it can still be used for preparation.
Bromic under bench fridges can be used as bench tops, with the exception of the 1-door UBC0140 model. With these highly versatile features, you can ensure your hospitality business is ready for anything.
5. Food safety regulations
Food safety regulations should always be top of mind for hospitality businesses. They provide the guidelines you need to know to ensure your customers are safe. There are also major penalties for failing to comply with health and safety regulations around Australia.
Check out the Food Standards website for a good starting point for understanding regulations regarding safe service of food. It’s an excellent, comprehensive source of regulations around Australia.
You should also consult your state or territory government for region-specific information.
According to Food Standards, some important points relating to refrigeration include:
- Condensation from refrigeration motors should be collected and discharged to a drain so it does not contact food.
- Potentially hazardous food generally needs to be stored at 5°C or below (or 60°C or above).
- Refrigerator doors should not be repeatedly opened more than necessary or left open for extended periods.
To help your business comply with these regulations, all Bromic under bench fridges have self-closing doors. This reduces temperature fluctuations and helps food stay compliant. This is one way our high-quality fridges prove themselves an excellent choice for complying with food safety regulations.
Bromic also offers assistance with under bench fridge maintenance, whether it’s conducted by you or our team of experienced professionals. Strong maintenance processes ensure your fridge continues to comply with regulations over time.
6. Warranty and support
Under bench fridges are major purchases for hospitality businesses. Warranty and support are therefore significant when selecting the right piece of commercial kitchen equipment.
Adequate warranty and post-purchase support is essential for smoothly integrating under bench fridges into your business. That’s why most of Bromic’s range comes with 2-Year Bromic Extra Care warranty.
Included at no extra cost with your purchase, this warranty covers you against any possible manufacturing defects or issues. It also ensures timely assistance in resolving them.
Of course, customer support goes well beyond warranty. As a busy hospitality business owner, you need all the help you can get with any issues that may arise with your under bench fridge.
Some ways fridge manufacturers may offer customer support include:
- Helping customers find qualified technicians to conduct preventative fridge maintenance.
- Offering assistance with after-hours warranty service calls.
- Helping customers find spare parts for their products.
Bromic offers all of these customer support functions and more. We ensure that you have all the help you need for smoothly integrating our under bench fridges into your business.
Browse Bromic under bench fridges
With high-quality products and an unending commitment to customer support, Bromic is the perfect partner for your hospitality business.
With 1, 2, 3 and 4-door options, it’s easy to find the fridge your business needs. Whether you need a small option for front-of-house drink preparation or a bigger model for storing large amounts of ingredients, we have the fridge for you.
Browse our extensive range of under bench fridges and find the ideal product for your business.
