If you run a restaurant or cafeteria, one of the most important pieces of equipment you will have at your facility is your refrigeration unit. You are likely to have several units, whether they be walk-in freezers or refrigerators or standard reach-in refrigerated containers. If you’re looking to add new refrigeration options, you might be wondering whether a reach-in container or a cold storage room in Eugene, OR is the better way to go.

It’s important to note that one does not necessarily have to replace the other, and there are benefits to each type of system. Let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of refrigerated containers in particular.

Reach-in refrigeration: Advantages and disadvantages

The biggest benefit associated with reach-in refrigerated containers is that they will take up less space. You don’t have to dedicate nearly as much real estate to them as you do to walk-in units. Their very nature also makes them more flexible with regard to where you can place them. As long as there is a power source and enough space to put them there, you have versatile options for how you will lay out your kitchen spaces. Compare this to a walk-in freezer, where once you have it set up, there’s no moving it—it is a part of the architectural design of your space.

There are ADA-compliant models available for reach-in refrigeration units and freezers, and any unit you get will come with shelving already installed. You will need to consider, though, that reach-in units will give you much less storage capacity than what you’d get from a walk-in unit. This is why reach-in units are generally used in conjunction with walk-in units, and not as a replacement or substitute for them.

However, despite the less available storage space, accessing the items you’ve stored there is much more convenient. All you have to do is open up the door and reach in, rather than step in and walk to the area where your specific item is stored. While the self-contained nature of reach-in refrigeration units can add some heat and noise to the room, the level of extra convenience they provide cannot be understated, especially for items you use frequently in your commercial kitchen. They enhance the productivity of your kitchen space and ensure you spend less time hunting down ingredients and food items.

Reach-in refrigeration units also have more energy-efficient models than what you’d find from walk-in units. While walk-in units can use less power when used in place of multiple reach-ins, individual reach-ins have much better levels of efficiency and come in Energy Star models.

Installation is simpler, and most reach-in models are much more affordable than walk-ins.

These are just a few examples of some of the biggest pros and cons associated with the use of refrigerated containers and reach-in refrigeration units as opposed to cold storage rooms in Eugene, OR. For more information about the services we provide and the kinds of refrigeration you should seek for your commercial kitchen, contact American Refrigeration Inc. today.