Five tips when buying a cold room
Cold rooms are essential for any busy kitchen, so let’s take a look at five top tips when considering such a purchase.
Be clear
The purpose of the commercial cold rooms is the key. Start at the beginning and be very clear on what you want and what purpose the cold room should serve. Taking time to understand its role will help you to formulate the sort of questions you should be asking potential suppliers. Make sure that you ask as many of these relevant questions as possible; if a potential supplier can’t answer them, move on to the next.
A marriage made in heaven
It goes without saying that your cold room purchase should directly align with your operational requirements – overlook this and you may well find yourself in hot water. A cold room is an investment for your business and you need to ensure it is used to its full potential and maximises the space you have available. If you buy efficiently, you will save money in the years to come.
Again, all this information needs to be conveyed to your supplier so that you both have a clear understanding of the brief. Communication is key here, on both sides, from the design stage through to the final commissioning. Suppliers such as fridgefreezerdirect.co.uk/cold-rooms/integrated-cold-rooms will be happy to guide you in the right direction.
Calculations
By this, we mean space, capacity and application. Fine tune this down to volume, duration and quantity of food storage and also factor in how frozen storage will be affected throughout your trading year. Space is also a key factor – if you do not have enough space, there are options to either locate your cold room outside or even within the dining area, giving your customers a full view of the fresh products you offer.
Quality
A cold room is not a simple white storage box. With so much choice, make sure you choose one with a lock, an antibacterial powder coating, and 25-year longevity.
Size matters
Bigger is not always better. You need to be sure that you are buying a cold room with adequate shelving rather than focussing purely on floor space. Without effectively-designed shelving, a lot of space can be wasted, which can turn out to be a major headache.