Refrigerated Display Case Buying Guide: Deli, Sushi and What Temperature Each Holds

A refrigerated display case is a glass box that sells food by showing it. Deli case, sushi case, bakery case, meat case, food display case — the words follow what goes inside, and the cabinets look alike enough that people compare them on price and width. What actually separates them is temperature, and getting that wrong is the one mistake in this category you cannot fix after delivery.

1. Temperature is what separates them

Three families, three ranges, and the ranges are not interchangeable:

The deli case is the cold one, and deliberately so. A bakery case run at 34°F dries cake out and dulls chocolate, which is why those cabinets are built to run warmer and more humid. A deli case has no such problem to solve — sliced turkey does not care about humidity, it cares about staying under the cold-holding limit.

2. Deli cases, and how to size one

Our deli cases are 32 1/2" deep and 42 7/8" tall across the range, in black with curved glass, holding 32–43°F on a standard 115 V outlet. Only the width changes:

Where the case goes matters as much as its size

• Put it where the queue forms, not behind the register. People choose while they wait.
• Out of direct sun. A glass case in a south-facing window runs the compressor continuously and still warms at the top of the display.
• Leave the base clear. These cases breathe at the front; boxes stacked against the grille are the usual reason a case holds overnight and drifts warm by mid-afternoon.
• Plan for the weight. 333 lb at 36", 560 lb at 82" — on a raised counter, check what the counter is rated for before it arrives.

3. Sushi cases: sized by pans, limited by depth

A sushi case is a countertop unit with a sliding door on the operator side and pans of product facing the customer. You do not buy it by cubic feet — you buy it by how many pans fit, exactly as you would a prep table rail.

Our range comes in three families. They overlap almost completely on width, and differ on the two dimensions that actually decide whether the case fits your counter:

Within every family the widths carry the same pan ladder: (4) 1/3-size pans at the small end, (5) then (6) as it gets wider, and (5) 1/2-size pans on the largest — which is why the biggest case in a family is not simply "more of the same", it is a different pan format for larger portions.

All three families hold 32°F to 53.6°F and draw 1.3 to 1.6 A — a fraction of what a floor case uses, because a countertop cabinet this size is cooling a very small volume.

4. Bakery and hot cases

Two more branches of the same family tree, each with its own guide:

• Bakery and pastry display cases — refrigerated at 32–53.6°F, or dry with no compressor at all for cookies, breads and bagels. Countertop and floor models, curved and square glass. Full bakery display case guide →
• Hot food display cases — heated and humidified, for pizza slices, empanadas, fried chicken and anything that has to be held above 135°F rather than below 41°F. Completely different equipment; a refrigerated case cannot be run as a hot case or the reverse.

5. Before you order

• Temperature first. Cold cuts and prepared salads need a deli case at 32–43°F. Cake needs a bakery case. Raw fish needs a case set at the bottom of its range and checked with a probe.
• Size on frontage for a floor case, on pan count for a countertop case. Neither is cubic feet.
• Measure the counter depth before choosing a countertop case width.
• Check the circuit. Floor deli cases draw 4.5–5 A on 115 V; countertop sushi cases 1.3–1.6 A. Give each its own outlet rather than a shared strip.
• Check the delivery path and the counter rating. An 82" deli case is 560 lb.
• Keep the glass spotless. It is the one piece of equipment where fingerprints cost you sales.