What you need to know:

How Much Ice Does Your Business Need? A Sizing Guide

Running out of ice mid-service is a chaotic and often costly problem, yet all too common. On top of warm drinks and customer complaints, you need to spare someone to run to the local service station to stock up on enough ice for the rest of the service. And you’ll end up paying for that convenience.

Getting your commercial ice machine sizing right from the start will help stop that problem altogether. Our ice machine guide in Australia will help you determine how much ice you need so you don’t have too little or too much.

How Much Ice Does Your Business Need? A Sizing Guide

Why Ice Machine Sizing Matters

Too little ice, and you end up running short during your busiest periods. However, too much ice and you’ll be paying to run a machine that’s working well below capacity and taking up floor space you could use for something else. Both can be big problems for running a profitable kitchen.

One thing most won’t realise is that the commercial ice machine sizing spec sheet is based on ideal conditions. To achieve those numbers, the machine needs to run at the correct external temperature with an ideal water temperature. In a real kitchen, the output can often be 10 to 20% lower than what’s in the spec sheet. That gap can add up when you’re sizing up, so always factor it in before you commit to any model.

How Much Ice Does Each Business Type Use?

You’re here because you’ve likely asked the question, “How much ice does a restaurant need?” It really does depend on the type of venue, its capacity and what you’re serving. Let’s take a look.

Type of Venue Estimated Ice Needs
Restaurants Roughly 1kg of ice per seat per day
Bars & Pubs 1.5 to 2kg per seat per day, more during summer and sporting events
Cafés 0.5kg per customer for cold drinks and blended beverages
Fast Food 0.3kg per customer
Hotels 2.5kg per room per day across in-room service and food and beverage operations
 

These figures will give you a starting point, not a definitive answer. For example, a beachside venue in Queensland running on a hot summer’s day will eat through a lot more ice than the same style venue in Melbourne in winter. Your menu also matters. If you have a cocktail-heavy menu or different varieties of cold brew, you’ll need more than a venue that specialises in tap or hot drinks.

Cube, Flake, or Nugget: Choosing the Right Ice Type

Some types just take up more space, so you’ll need to consider this in getting your commercial ice machine sizing right. These are the most common types of ice.

Type of Ice Uses Considerations
Cube ice Used in most full-service restaurants or bars. The most standard type of ice that works across most needs. Looks clean in the glass and melts slowly.
Flake ice Good for seafood displays, food prep or where you need to pack ice around products Melts faster than cubes so you will go through it faster.
Nugget ice Commonly used in cafés, fast food restaurants or bars that make high volumes of slushies, frappes or smoothies. A chewable ice that absorbs drink flavours well.

Air-Cooled vs Water-Cooled: What Suits Your Space?

Most commercial machines in Australia run on air-cooled condensers, and for good reason. This type of ice machine is cheaper to run, easier to maintain and doesn’t require a water line connection to the condenser. The downside is that they need good airflow around them to function properly. Stick one in a tight, poorly ventilated space, and the machine will be running harder and hotter, producing less ice.

For those tight kitchens or spaces that run hotter, water-cooled machines are the solution. They produce ice more consistently in hot environments, but they use a lot more water to do so. In Australia, where water costs can be a concern, the running costs can add up. For most venues, an air-cooled machine is the way to go. However, hot kitchens or ones with limited space may be better off looking at a water-cooled unit.

Don't Forget the Storage Bin

Ice machine production capacity and storage capacity are two completely different numbers, and often trip up food venue operators.

Say you’re looking at a machine that can produce 80kg per day. It sounds like plenty of ice for a mid-sized restaurant, right? Well, not if the storage bin can only hold 25kg at a time. You may find you’re running out just as you hit peak capacity, even if the machine is running all day.

What you want to do is match your bin capacity to your peak demand window, not just your daily total. Think about when your venue needs the most ice and make sure the bin can cover that period without relying on the machine to catch up in real time. As a general rule, you want a bin that holds around 30% to 40% of your daily ice requirement to give you that perfect buffer.

Shop Commercial Ice Machines at AGC Equipment

AGC Equipment stocks a full range of commercial ice machines to suit any restaurant, bar, café or venue. Browse our complete range of commercial ice machines to find the right size for your needs, or check out our ice slicer range if you need block ice processing.

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