Restaurant walk-in coolers and freezers

How to size a restaurant walk-in

1. Start from deliveries. A kitchen that gets produce and protein three times a week needs less box than one that takes a single large truck. Look at your biggest delivery and how many days it has to last.
2. Size for the peak week. Holiday weekends, catering orders and event days set the size, not an average Tuesday. If the box overflows on your busiest week, product ends up stacked on the floor.
3. Separate prep from storage. Batched sauces, portioned proteins and cut vegetables in hotel pans use shelf space differently than sealed cases. A scratch menu needs more shelving than one built on finished product.
4. Plan shelving before footprint. Lay out 18 inch shelving on the walls and keep a 30 inch aisle. Linear feet of shelving, not floor area, tells you whether a size works.
5. Measure the route. Panels arrive flat and go together in place, but they still pass through your narrowest doorway, tightest hallway turn and under your lowest ceiling obstruction.

The full method is in our walk-in cooler size guide. If you are torn between two sizes, list both in the notes on the quote form and we will quote both, usually the same day.

Cooler, freezer or combination

Most restaurants hold product at two temperatures: 35°F for produce, dairy and fresh protein, and 0°F to -10°F for frozen stock. You can buy two separate boxes or one combination box with a partition wall between them.

Every freezer includes an insulated floor, because a sub-freezing box over bare concrete freezes the moisture in the slab and the frost heave cracks it. A cooler floor is optional; our floor or no floor guide explains when you need one. See the combination cooler freezer and walk-in freezer pages for specs.

Inside the kitchen or out back

A box inside the kitchen is convenient, but it sits next to the hottest room in the building. The line, fryers and dish area raise the room temperature, and the refrigeration has to reject the heat it pulls out of the box somewhere.

With a remote indoor condensing unit or a self-contained system, that heat goes back into the space where the unit sits. A remote outdoor condensing unit on a pad or the roof sends it outside, which helps both the walk-in and the kitchen. Browse every system with BTU ratings and electrical in our refrigeration systems gallery.

Outdoor boxes get a rain roof and must meet your local wind uplift code. Where required, that means a wall 9 inches higher than the walk-in or a roof wire strap system (not supplied), and in Florida you may need an engineer to calculate compliance. The trade-offs are laid out in our indoor vs outdoor guide.

What the box does for your inspection

Your local health department runs the inspection, and the outcome depends on your inspector and your local code, not on us. What the box can do is give you surfaces and equipment that make that checklist easier to meet.

• NSF Listed panels. Tongue-and-groove panels with no wood perimeter, so nothing organic at the edge absorbs water or rots.
• NSF Listed floor. Smooth aluminum interior with a cove where wall meets floor, so the corner can be mopped clean.
• Cleanable skins. Stucco-embossed Acrylume standard, with stainless steel available.
• Visible temperature. A digital thermometer comes with the door, and the 35°F setpoint keeps you under 41°F.
• A door that seals. Perimeter magnetic gasket, self-closing hinges and an automatic door closer.
• Inside safety release. Nobody gets locked in, even with the key lock engaged.

If your jurisdiction does plan review, take the signed approval drawing to the reviewer before you order.

Layout tips for a busy kitchen

• Door near receiving. Deliveries should go from the back door into the box without crossing the line.
• Swing out of traffic. Choose the hinge side so the open door does not block a walkway. It is shown on your drawing.
• Raw below ready. Keep raw protein on lower shelves, under ready-to-eat food, and give each its own section.
• Wide door for carts or pallets. A 34 inch door will not pass a 48 x 40 inch pallet. Use a 48 or 60 inch door, or a sliding door.
• Headroom. A 7 ft 6 in box is about 86 inches tall inside without a floor and about 82 inches with one, and the evaporator takes some of that.

Ghost kitchens and commissaries

A ghost kitchen or commissary runs several menus out of one kitchen, so size the box for the combined peak, and plan a wide or sliding door and a pallet aisle if deliveries arrive on pallets. See real layouts in our approval drawings gallery.

Getting your restaurant quote

Send us the space dimensions, inside or outside, cooler, freezer or both, and where the door should go. Photos of the space help: text them to 954-237-6753. Our cost guide explains which choices add cost before you ask.

A standard box typically goes together in a day with two people and an Allen wrench; refrigeration and electrical are separate licensed trades. The steps are in our installation guide. We include free shipping on every walk-in we quote; delivery is to a commercial address, and a lift gate is not included unless your quote says so. More on how delivery works.

Ready? Request your free same-day quote.