Commercial Fridges

Find the Right Commercial Fridge for Your Business

Different businesses need different types of refrigeration. Rather than choosing on capacity alone, think about where the fridge will sit, what you're storing, and how often staff or customers need access to it. Our range of commercial fridges makes it easy for restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and other food businesses across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the rest of Australia to find the right model for their storage needs.

• Commercial Upright Fridges: Upright commercial fridges are a practical choice when you need plenty of chilled storage without using up much floor space. They're commonly used in restaurant kitchens, cafes, takeaway shops, bakeries and catering operations for storing ingredients, prepared food and beverages. Choose from single, double and multi door configurations, with solid or glass doors depending on whether storage efficiency or product visibility matters more to your business.
• Under Bench Commercial Fridges: Under bench fridges keep frequently used ingredients close to your prep or cooking area while making good use of the space underneath your workbench. They're especially handy in busy restaurant and cafe kitchens where staff need quick access to chilled ingredients throughout service.
• Commercial Display Fridges: Display fridges keep chilled products visible while holding a safe storage temperature. They're widely used for drinks, cakes, desserts, packaged food, deli items and grab and go products. Our range includes countertop display fridges, cake display fridges, deli display fridges and open display fridges suited to cafes, bakeries, supermarkets and convenience stores.
• Commercial Bar Fridges: Bar fridges are built to keep bottled and canned drinks cold and within easy reach behind the counter. Choose from compact under bench models, back bar fridges or upright glass door drink fridges, depending on what suits your pub, restaurant, club or cafe.
• Commercial Prep Fridges: Prep fridges combine refrigerated ingredient storage with a handy preparation area on top. They're commonly used for pizza, sandwiches, salads and other made to order food. Depending on your menu, choose from pizza prep fridges, sandwich prep fridges, countertop salad bars or noodle bar refrigeration.
• Chef Base Refrigerators: A chef base refrigerator sits under your cooktop, griddle or char grill, giving you refrigerated storage and a sturdy work surface in one unit. It's a smart option for kitchens short on floor space, since the fridge doubles as an equipment stand.
• Drawer Refrigerators: Drawer fridges give kitchen staff quick access to prepped ingredients without opening a full door, which helps the fridge hold its temperature during a busy service. They fit neatly under benches and suit prep areas where speed matters most.
• Fridge Freezer Combo: A fridge freezer combo gives you chilled and frozen storage in one cabinet, which is handy for smaller kitchens without room for two separate units. These suit cafes, food trucks and other compact commercial kitchens.
• Keg Beer Refrigerators and Beer Dispensers: Purpose built for pubs, clubs and bars, keg fridges and beer dispensers hold kegs at the right serving temperature and connect straight to your beer lines. Check the capacity, how many kegs it holds, and whether you need a dispensing tower included.
• Meat Aging Cabinets: A meat aging cabinet controls temperature and humidity so you can dry age beef and other meats safely, giving butchers and restaurants a way to develop flavour and tenderness in house. These units need tighter climate control than a standard fridge.
• Used and Second Hand Refrigerators: Setting up a new venue on a budget? A used commercial fridge is a good way to get reliable refrigeration without paying full price for new equipment. We check our second hand stock so you get a unit that still performs properly, not just a cheap fridge.
• Supermarket and Convenience Store Fridges: These larger format supermarket and convenience store fridges are built for retail environments, keeping packaged drinks, dairy and grab and go food on display while holding a steady temperature all day. They suit convenience stores, service stations and small grocers, and pair well with our remote chillers and freezers for larger retail fit-outs.
• Deli Display Fridges: Deli display fridges keep meats, cheeses and prepared foods visible and at a safe temperature for staff and customers alike. They're a common choice for delis, butchers and specialty food shops.

What Size Commercial Fridge Do You Need?

Capacity is one of the most common questions we get asked, and getting it right matters. Too small and you're overcrowding shelves and losing cooling performance. Too big and you're paying to run empty space. As a rough guide:

These figures are a starting point, not a hard rule. Your menu, delivery frequency and prep style will shift the number up or down. As a rule of thumb, leave 20 to 30 percent of stated capacity free for airflow and easy access rather than packing a fridge to its limit.

How to Choose the Right Commercial Fridge

Before you buy, work through a few practical points. Start with size. Measure the space you have, including door clearance and airflow room around the back and sides, since a fridge pushed too tight against a wall won't cool properly. Most units need 50mm to 100mm of clearance around the compressor, though larger models may need more, so check the spec sheet for your chosen model.

Think about how staff will use the fridge day to day. If ingredients need to come out constantly during service, an under bench or drawer fridge close to the cook line saves time. If you're storing bulk stock, an upright fridge makes better use of vertical space.

Check the door type too. Solid doors hold temperature better and suit general storage, while glass doors work better where staff or customers need to see what's inside, like drink fridges and cake displays.

If your fridge will sit near ovens, fryers or in a hot back-of-house area, look for a model with a higher ambient temperature rating. This means it's built to keep cooling properly even when the surrounding air is warm, rather than straining the compressor.

Under the Australian Food Safety Standard, cold food must be held at 5°C or below. Most commercial fridges are set between 1°C and 4°C to keep a safe buffer, even with the door opening constantly during service.

Since a commercial fridge runs 24 hours a day, small efficiency features add up over time. LED interior lighting, auto-defrost and modern refrigerants all help keep running costs down.

Finally, look at build quality and brand support. A commercial fridge runs all day, every day, so a reliable compressor and easy access to spare parts matter more than a low price tag.

Reliable Commercial Fridge Brands

We stock commercial refrigerators from established brands including Bromic, Turbo Air, FED-X, Atosa, Thermaster, Williams, Polar, AG Equipment and Hoshizaki.

Different brands and models suit different applications, budgets and kitchen conditions. When comparing commercial fridges, look past the brand name and check the cabinet dimensions, cooling system, ambient rating, warranty and parts support to see what actually matters for your operation.

If you're comparing several models and aren't sure which one suits your business, contact our team and we'll help narrow down the options.

Commercial Fridge FAQs

What's the difference between a commercial fridge and a domestic fridge?
Commercial fridges are built to run continuously and recover temperature quickly after the door is opened dozens of times a shift. Domestic fridges aren't designed for that duty cycle and tend to fail early in a busy kitchen.

What temperature should a commercial fridge run at?
Australian food safety standards require cold food to be held at 5°C or below. Most commercial fridges are set between 1°C and 4°C to maintain that safely.

Solid door or glass door, which one do I need?
Solid doors hold temperature more efficiently and suit back-of-house storage. Glass doors work better for front-of-house display, since customers and staff can see what's inside without opening the door.

Do I need a fridge with a higher ambient rating?
If it's sitting near ovens, fryers or in a warm back-of-house area, yes. A higher ambient rating means the fridge is built to hold its temperature reliably even when the surrounding air is hot.

Delivery for Commercial Refrigerators Australia

Buying a commercial refrigerator online also means planning how it will reach its final spot. Ben's Hospitality Equipment works with freight providers to deliver commercial fridges to businesses throughout Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and other locations across Australia.

Depending on your location, equipment size and site access, additional delivery services may be available, including positioning, packaging removal and removal of an existing unit. For large commercial fridges, contact us before ordering if you have stairs, narrow access, restricted loading areas or other delivery concerns.

Also upgrading your cold storage setup? Explore our commercial freezers for frozen food storage and commercial ice makers for bars, cafes, restaurants and hospitality venues.