In the foodservice business, time and supplies are valuable assets. Having reliable and efficient commercial walk-in coolers is vital to keep ingredients fresh and protect profits for restaurants and school lunch programs. What are some ways for foodservice operators to ensure their walk-in cooler efficiency is on point? Here are seven simple steps to get started.
Picture a bright and clean walk-in cooler, making it easy to track what's inside. You can turn this idea into reality with two straightforward upgrades.
Ordering a white metal finish for your cooler's interior walls and ceiling can greatly impact the space. This simple change offers several benefits:
It influences the spread of light across the cooler, boosts overall visibility, and makes organizing easier. When coolers are organized, staff can find inventory more efficiently, ensure ingredients are used before expiration, and eliminate accidents.
Switching to LED lighting from regular bulbs brings many perks:
LED lights use less power, create less heat (which eases the load on cooling systems), and help staff see better. This change not only makes things work better but also saves energy.
Spoiled food impacts profits. Foodservice businesses need to tackle this problem head-on.
Putting a Bluezone unit in a commercial walk-in cooler can help prevent food waste. In the United States, more than 40% of food goes into the garbage.
With the Bluezone UV food preservation system, up to 99.9% of mold and ethylene gas are eliminated, helping to extend the shelf life of ingredients for 7 to 10 additional days. This means less waste, more profits, and happier customers who get fresher ingredients.
In today's world, you don't need to guess how well your walk-in cooler works when you have tools that make it easier to maintain.
Putting a window in the cooler door can help.
Workers can see what's inside without opening the door, which keeps the temperature steady and reduces energy use.
Thermo-Kool's Walk-in Monitoring System tracks temperature and humidity in real time, sending quick alerts if something goes wrong and keeping food safe by maintaining the best conditions. With standard features such as temperature monitoring, automatic lighting, door status monitoring, and alarms that alert operators when something isn't right, foodservice businesses can ensure that minor errors don't cause significant disruptions or inventory loss.
A walk-in cooler's structure is critical in how well it works.
Cooler floors face a lot of wear and tear, so you need to think about them as more than just an afterthought.
Regular floors can hold up to 600 lbs, while tougher ones can support up to 1200 lbs. Choosing a floor that fits your needs ensures it lasts long and keeps people safe in the cooler. Operators also need to consider if walk-in cooler floors need to be insulated or not, the type of flooring to use, and the cooler location, among other things. Selecting the right floor for the business and usage will help maintain the cooler over time.
Door heaters prevent doors from getting stuck or freezing. This makes it easy to open them, keeps people safe, and helps the cooler run well. Adding this simple thing can boost your cooler's performance.
Each foodservice business has unique needs, and commercial walk-in coolers should match these individual requirements. The option to obtain a customized Thermo-Kool walk-in cooler with only a four-week lead time allows business operators to have the best quality and performance of walk-in coolers without sacrificing downtime or losing profits.