Outfit each of your kitchen stations with commercial refrigeration

If space permits, dedicate one refrigeration unit to each cooking station. The sauté station, say, would benefit from its own reach-in cooler, as would a pizza station and a grill station.

I recommend: Commercial Refrigeration Services offers a large variety of commercial refrigerators, including reach-in coolers with a built-in prep area. Gala Source has a large inventory of upright and reach-in coolers, ideal for restaurant refrigeration both in and out of the kitchen.  

Select the right size walk-in cooler

Most restaurants need a walk-in cooler. They can be the size of a small closet or as big as a bedroom. Walk in coolers are ideal if your restaurant receives one or two large food orders a week, rather than several smaller deliveries.

I recommend: Refigerators-Freezers.com carries all the equipment you need for a well organized walk-in cooler, including food safe shelving and flooring. Supermarket Services Company offers cooler-freezer combos, ideal for old buildings that don’t have a lot of storage room for refrigeration.  

Decide what type of refrigeration you need for your bar

A restaurant bar has its own refrigeration requirements for storing beer, wine, juice, soda as well as citrus fruits and dairy products. You should also think about where you will store kegs of beer to keep them chilled. Upright wine coolers are an attractive option for displaying your beer or wine selections.

I recommend: Big Tray carries several different sized industrial refrigerators including glass front wine coolers. The Wine Enthusiast carries a wide variety of attractive wine coolers to compliment any restaurant décor.    

Think about buying used commercial refrigerators

Industrial refrigeration isn't cheap. Outfitting your entire restaurant with refrigeration equipment can chew through a start-up budget. Instead, look for gently used commercial refrigerators, at restaurant supply stores or auction houses.

I recommend: Jean's Restaurant Supply carries a wide variety of used commercial refrigerators, including walk-in and reach-in coolers. Find more used commercial refrigerators at Restaurant Equipment World, which has more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry.