Buying The Right Ice Maker
What Are Your Ice Needs?
Finally, the construction is complete, training has taken place and Grand Opening day is finally here. You open the doors at 11:00 am and find out at 1:30 pm in the middle of lunch rush you have no ice in your brand new ice machine??? What now. Emergency Ice at 3 times the rate blows your tight budget right off the bat. Thought you had it covered right?
Has this happened to you? Just when you need it the most, you find out even at capacity your ice maker will not be able to supply your restaurant with all it's ice needs. What went wrong here: How much production do you really have to have. Sounds like figures were not realistic. Guess what, it happens all the time. You are not the only one...
Details You Must Know To Buy The Right Equipment!
- Determine that clean clear ice and plenty of it are a requirement. Especially in hot summer months in the South.
- Decide what style ice you want. Cube, Flake, or nugget. Consider the reality of melting in your glasses, back house needs, production capacity in real terms for the machines being considered and last but not lease storage capacity.
- Consider design temperatures for machines for the air and water. 10* difference can reduce daily ice production by 10%.
- Small confined areas may also limit production and storage due to heat generated by the equipment.
- Air Cooled or Water Cooled for the compressor and condenser systems matters. Waste can be costly dumping cooling water.
- Closed loop and cooling towers may not be feasible in your facility. Electrical bills do matter over the life of your budget.
- Consider location and sounds from operation, especially if it is close to a dining area. Remote condenser units may be helpful.
- Check out new technology and innovations. Intelligent diagnostics and remote monitoring may balance energy and water usage.
- Check out new compact sleek models since space is always a consideration.
- Always have a water filter, taste, cleaning frequency, and good quality water mean top equipment performance and are a hit with your diners.
Since you need water to cook, clean, prepare food, and serve as a beverage; Main Auction Services thinks this is a top priority. If you need to take it to the next level the next most important thing would be Maintenance.
Proper maintenance is critical to productivity, food safety and ice quality and much more in the kitchen. Determine manufacturer recommendations. Meeting health department codes and cleaning and sanitizing requirements are just as important as sanitizers and cleansers. Check into regular cleaning and maintenance schedules or contracts with professional service agencies.
Be realistic in your location. Servicing is a top priority. Style is also a big consideration if beverage dispensers are at the customer level. The most important things to remember about your ice maker is to choose the machine that best meets your needs and then take care of it as a necessity and not just when you remember. Every customer has a beverage. Quality tasting water is a great way to begin your relationship with every diner who comes to your establishment.
Everyone drinks water for life it's just that important. Bearing that in mind, contact Main Auction Services before you buy. Ask us to help you determine production for your business and what needs to be in place for additional growth.
Call us here at Main Auction Services, together we can find options to secure your business for the future…
Dallas: 972-642-0513 & 972-579-4612 (Irving) and Houston: 713-690-1231
Main Auction Services provides auctions to the Used Restaurant Industry Community in Texas for your convenience: Dallas used restaurant equipment, Irving used restaurant equipment, and Houston used restaurant equipment
