Commercial Refrigerators

Commercial Refrigerator Buying Guide

A commercial refrigerator holds food at 33–41°F through a full service of door openings and pulls back to temperature quickly after each one — that recovery is what separates a commercial fridge from a household one. Restaurants, cafés, bars, bakeries and convenience stores use several formats of commercial refrigeration, and the right one depends less on capacity than on where it stands: behind the line, under a counter, or in front of customers.

Types of commercial refrigerators

Reach-in refrigerators

The upright, stainless steel commercial refrigerator most restaurant kitchens are built around. A 1-door commercial refrigerator is 26–30" wide and holds 18–23 cu ft; a 2-door commercial refrigerator runs 40–49 cu ft; a 3-door model 67–72 cu ft. Choose solid doors on a hot line and glass doors where staff need to see stock. Reach-in refrigerator guide and models →

Glass door merchandisers

The commercial beverage refrigerator of the group, built to sell rather than store: lit glass doors that put bottled drinks and grab-and-go items in front of customers. Polarman HGD models hold 33–41°F; the SGD series adjusts from 32°F to 50°F — keep it at 41°F or below whenever it holds food rather than drinks.

Undercounter and worktop refrigerators

At 35 1/2" tall, a Polarman undercounter refrigerator slides beneath a standard 36" counter and keeps 6.5–18 cu ft at the point of use. A worktop refrigerator adds a stainless top so the same footprint becomes a prep station.

Refrigerator/freezer combos

One upright cabinet with a refrigerated section and a frozen section, for kitchens that have room for only one unit but need both temperatures. Shop refrigerator/freezer combos →

How to choose a commercial refrigerator for your restaurant

• Front or back of house? Customers see it: glass door merchandiser. Staff only: reach-in or undercounter.
• Measure the space, not just the floor. Width, depth plus door swing, height under any shelf or hood, and the narrowest doorway on the delivery path. Sizing guide →
• Count doors by how you load it. More, narrower doors let less cold air out per opening than one wide door.
• Plan the power. Polarman reach-ins and merchandisers run on 115V; give each unit its own circuit. Reach-ins draw 3 A for one door up to 7.5 A for three.
• Hold 41°F or below for anything that is food. Temperature guide →

Use the filters above to narrow the commercial refrigerators for sale by type, door count, width and brand. Need frozen storage too? See commercial freezers. For a side-by-side of formats, read reach-in vs undercounter vs walk-in. If a unit starts running warm, see commercial refrigerator not cooling for the common causes.