5 Ice Machine Shopping Errors and How to Avoid Them

Do you own a restaurant?

If so, then you’re very aware of the complexity of keeping your business profitable and running efficiently. It’s not an easy job, and yet it can be incredibly satisfying when you have the right business plan and hire the best team possible for your operation.

You also need the right equipment to keep everything running smoothly. This includes choosing the best ice machine to keep your customers’ drinks cold. Fortunately, this article can help you make an informed decision.

Here we take a look at ice machine shopping errors to avoid when purchasing equipment for your restaurant. Keep reading to learn more.

1. The Ice Machine Not Big Enough

Let’s start by discussing one of the biggest mistakes restaurant owners make when investing in a new ice machine. If the machine doesn’t produce enough ice to meet your needs, it’s not going to do you much good.

After all, a busy restaurant with a lot of tables will need more ice during each shift than a smaller restaurant. The key is to assess the amount of ice you’ll need over the course of a day and find a machine that will be able to keep up.

2. The Ice Machine Has the Wrong Type of Condenser

It’s also important to make sure the machine’s condenser is compatible with your building. There are several types of condensers to be aware of. They include air-cooled, water-cooled, and remote-cooled, which means that the condenser operates completely independently of the ice machine.

Keep in mind that if you install a machine with the wrong type of condenser, it won’t function as intended. 

3. The Ice Machine Isn’t Compatible With Your Plumbing

Before buying or leasing an ice machine for your business, make sure it’s compatible with the plumbing in your building. Otherwise, you could end up with poor-quality ice cubes, puddles of water on the floor, or leaky valves. 

Here’s a great resource where you can lease ice makers.

4. The Ice Is the Wrong Shape

When it comes to investing in an ice machine, every type of business has different needs. 

For example, you won’t want huge cubes for drinking glasses at your restaurant. Thus it’s important to verify the size and shape of the cubes the machine produces before having it installed.

5. It’s Too Expensive For Your Budget

Big machines that produce a lot of ice are typically pretty pricey. And yet you might not need that much ice. 

The best strategy is to check your monthly operating budget only and only invest in what you actually need. Always check with the ice machine company to make sure they provide maintenance for every machine and read online customer reviews to compare quality.

• 6. The quality of the ice produced by the ice maker

Different ice makers produce different types of ice. One of the most popular types of ice today is nugget ice. Many customers enjoy drinks with nugget ice, because they like to chew on the ice as well! So you might consider getting a “nugget ice maker“.

Common Ice Machine Shopping Errors to Avoid

It’s no secret that running a successful restaurant is full of challenges. Fortunately, this guide to ice machine shopping errors to avoid will help make your experience of being a small business owner a little less stressful.

Please continue reading the content on this blog to discover more articles filled with useful business-related tips and advice.