Restaurant Equipment Buyers Guide : ice machines

How much ice do I need?

There are two considerations 1) production and 2) storage. At minimum, your ice machine should produce 20% more than your estimated daily usage, and your bin should store enough ice to support the greatest rush period plus 20% margin of error, or two of three meals, whichever is greater.

Example: a diner may serve 150 breakfast, 200 lunch, and 100 dinner meals daily. As the diner serves 450 customers a day, production should be 450 customers at 1.5 lbs of ice each, plus 20%, or 810 lbs of production. Breakfast and lunch are peak periods, and there are 350 meals served in this narrow window. There should be enough ice stored in the bin from the previous evening to support both meals. 350 customers at 1.5 lbs. of ice each, plus 20% suggests a bin that stores at least 630 lbs. of ice.

Estimated Daily Usage:
Restaurant:	1.5 lbs. per person
Cocktail:	3.0 lbs. per person
Cafeteria:	1 lb. per person
Convenience/Soda Fountain:	5 oz. per 7-10 oz. drink 8 oz. per 12-16 oz. drink 12 oz. per 18-24 oz. drink 16 oz. per 32 oz. drink
Salad bar or iced displays:	40 lbs. per cubic foot of display
Lodging/Guest Ice:	5 lbs. per room
Healthcare/Patient Ice:	8 lbs. per bed

What style of ice do I want?

Commercial ice machines produce one of several styles of ice in various sizes: diced cube, contour cube, flakes and nuggets – each style has advantages for different applications

Diced or cubed ice machine
is ideal for mixed drinks, carbonated beverages, ice dispensing, ice displays, ice retailing and banquet services. A small diced cube has favorable liquid displacement.

Contour cube ice machine
is ideal for mixed drinks, carbonated beverages, ice dispensing, ice displays and ice retailing. The unique design eliminates splashing as liquid flows over contour shapes smoothly and easily. Individual cubes make dispensing easy.

Nugget flake ice machine
is ideal for bar fountain beverages, blended cocktails, salad bars, produce displays and therapeutic uses. It is versatile and slow melting. Nugget ice cools drinks rapidly without foaming. It is ideal for therapeutic uses and patient care. It’s high liquid displacement means increased profits.

Flaked ice machine
is ideal for produce, seafood and meat displays, blended cocktails, salad bars sand therapeutic uses. The dry flakes cook more quickly than other ice forms. Flaked ice molds to any shape for use in displays and salad bars. It is ideal for health care facilities and therapeutic or patient care.

Water Cooled Ice Machines

Water cooled ice machines are more efficient than air cooled machines and may reduce utility costs, but they are costlier and installation is more complex. If water cost or water conservation requirements in your area is high, you may want to consider and air cooled machine.

Air Cooled Ice Machines

Air cooled ice machines are affordable and relatively easy to install. They cannot be installed in a small enclosed room or very hot climate without air conditioning as performance is affected by ambient temperature.