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Ice plays an important role in virtually every corporate and institutional
facility. In the cafeteria, ice is used for water and beverage service,
in salad bars and displays, as well as for kitchen prep needs. A
cafeteria operation may have one ice maker and bin combination to
service all its ice needs, or it may have multiple units, either
centrally located or strategically placed near points of use.
Most cafeteria operations require an ice and beverage dispenser
for self-serve beverages. This dispenser may be manually filled
with ice from an ice maker in the kitchen or automatically filled
from either a Satellite-fill or top mounted ice maker. They may also offer
ice and water at no charge in the serving or seating area.
In addition, facilities looking to eliminate the inconvenience
of bottled water, and responding to employee requests for ice, are
installing ice and water dispensers in employee break rooms, lounges
and vending areas.
Cafeterias
Most cafeterias will have a modular ice maker/bin combination in
the kitchen. Depending on whether this ice maker will supply ice
for the beverage program, service catering operations, and/or fill
salad bars and displays, the capacity required can vary from very
small to quite large.
Modular ice makers
The section on modular
ice makers and ice
types provides an overview of the type
of equipment available and selection considerations.
Ice storage equipment
Because your company's employees continually interact with the ice
storage equipment, not the ice maker, the selection of the ice bin
may be even more important than the selection of the ice maker that
will fill it.
There are many types of ice storage equipment. Some are little
more than insulated storage boxes; others deliver a wide range of
labor-saving, sanitation and safety features. In increasing order
of operational benefit, the available types are:
We encourage you to use the above links for detailed information
about the different types of ice storage equipment and the benefits
each provide. A discussion of concerns specific to the restaurant
industry is provided below.
In reviewing the different types of storage equipment available,
keep in mind that:
- The average back injury costs employers $10,000 in direct costs
- Foodservice and bar employees hate to “do the ice”
- Labor not used for “doing the ice” is available
for other tasks
Important pre-purchase considerations should include:
- The ease or difficulty of ice removal
- Features that provide safety, convenience, or time-savings
for staff
- An assessment of how far ice will need to be transported from
the bin and how that can be safely accomplished
Cafeteria operators face a number of challenges related to ice.
The making and storing of the ice is the easy part. It’s the
difficulty of removing ice from the bin and the distance between
the production area the ice and beverage dispenser or other point
of use that present the challenge for employees and management alike.
Slope front bins
Slope front bins get their name from their angled (sloped) front.
Generally available in storage capacities ranging from 200 lbs to
1000 lbs, and widths from 22" to 52", these bins are little
more than insulated boxes on which an ice maker is placed.
Click here
to see an example of a slope front bin line.
In the past, cafeterias may have selected slope front bins for
use with their ice machines because of their low cost, however today’s
sanitation, safety and operational concerns are resulting in many
operators switching from slope front bins to more operationally-efficient,
problem-solving equipment. Slope front bins remain an alternative
for very low volume applications where a small amount of ice storage
is needed.
Although slope front bins are inexpensive,
they have a number of important drawbacks.
- Sanitation - In slope front bins, the last ice in is the first
ice out. This means that the most recently made ice is continually
removed from the top of the bin, leaving older ice accumulating
toward the middle and the bottom of the bin. This older ice will freeze
together as clumps and absorb kitchen odors, even harbor mold and bacteria.
When the older ice is finally used, it can have unpleasant taste, odor
and appearance.
- Safety - The need for staff to repetitively bend over the slope
front bin sill and scoop ice from the bin can result in employee
injuries. Scooping into pails is a messy operation, presenting
a spilled ice and slippage hazard on the floor. Finally, employees
normally scoop the ice into buckets that can weigh 30 lbs or more
when filled. These buckets must then be carried to the point of
ice use, which presents another opportunity for employee injury.
Some safety issues can be addressed by using an ice transport
cart to move the ice from the slope front bin to the point of
use. Staff will still be required to scoop the ice from the bin,
but it can be put into three 25-lb ice totes that fit in a castered
cart for easy transport to the front of the house. Click
here to see an example of this cart.
- Efficiency - With slope front bins, ice must be scooped from
the bin into containers, a time-consuming and inefficient method
for removing ice from a bin. For example, even using a 4 lb. scoop requires
250 repititions to remove 1000 lbs of ice.
- Capacity - Because the access door is at the top of the bin,
staff must bend over the door sill to access the ice. This limits
the total bin height to about 50" (with a maximum sill height
of 35") since anything taller would have a sill height too
high for proper access. This means that a 48" wide bin can
only provide about 900 lbs of storage, an amount well below the
capacity needed in many of today’s operations.
Upright ice storage bins
Upright ice storage bins are found in many cafeteria kitchens and
often service ice needs throughout the facility. Depending on the
design and features of the bins, they address some but not all of
the sanitation, efficiency and safety concerns faced by operators.
For example, some upright bins are equipped with features that
control ice flow into the bottom access area, making shoveling easier
and allowing staff to break ice bridges safely. Other safety features
can include polyethylene access doors that have no sharp corners
and that stay open until actively pulled closed. Click
here to see bins with these features.
But employees still have to shovel or scoop the ice from an upright
bin. And they will still be faced with moving ice, sometimes large
amounts, from the bin to the point of use. Some of the ice transport
issues can be addressed by using an ice transport cart. Carts are
available to allow the transport of large amounts of ice at one
time, making the filling of distant equipment much more manageable.
Some carts are equipped with ice totes that allow employees to pour
ice into the dispensers or salad bars. Click here to see examples
of ice transport carts.
Gravity-feed ice storage and transport
systems
A higher level of safety, sanitation and efficiency is provided
by gravity-feed ice storage and transport systems. Gravity-feed
ice storage and transport systems are elevated, insulated ice storage
bins with a front or bottom chute that allow ice in the bin to drop
by gravity into an ice transport cart or other receptacle when a
gate is opened.
Click here
to see examples of models that will gravity-dispense either cube
or flake ice.
Click here
to see models that are compatible with cube ice only.
Advantages of gravity-feed ice storage
and transport systems:
- Sanitation - Gravity drops ice directly into dedicated ice carts
or ice totes when an ice gate is opened, eliminating the potential
contamination point of shoveling or scooping ice. Dedicated ice
carts and totes ensure that delivered ice is clean and sanitary.
And because ice is dispensed from the bottom of the bin, the first
ice in is the first ice used. This ensures a constant turnover
and aeration of ice. That means there will be no old ice sitting
in the bottom of the bin developing an unpleasant taste, odor
and appearance.
- Efficiency - Gravity feed dispensing of ice is more than seven
times faster than scooping ice from a bin. A facility using 1000
lbs a day, for example, will save about 122 staff hours with gravity-feed
dispensing. Using an ice transport cart to move ice just 100 feet
will save another 95 hours for that same 1000 lbs of ice. The
total annual labor savings using this type of system, compared
with scooping ice and carrying buckets, is about 217 hours.
- Safety - The elimination of scooping, shoveling and carrying
buckets of ice reduces the risk of employee back injuries and
slippage. Ice transport carts enable employees to quickly and
safely transport up to 240 lbs of ice at one time from the point
of production to point of use.
Sizing the storage equipment
Today’s sophisticated ice maker market offers more ice machines
and bins from which to choose. And the selection of the right ice
maker/ice storage equipment combination is critical to the smooth
running of the operation.
Pound for pound, ice production is two to three times more expensive
than ice storage. By using this knowledge and properly sizing the
total “system”, a facility’s ice needs will be
met at minimum cost and maximum equipment efficiency. Sizing the
system - letting the ice maker meet the average daily ice usage
and sizing the bin to meet peak demands for ice - is the best way
ensure the right amount of ice at the lowest possible price.
In general, you will want to match the ice storage capacity to
the ice maker’s daily production only if the same amount of
ice is used every day of the week. This situation is rare. For most
operatings there are days when a larger
amount of ice is required than the average daily production of the
ice maker. To optimize ice production capacity, you will want to size
the storage equipment to meet those
“peak” days.
Sizing a bin too small will mean that your ice maker will cycle
off quickly. You may purchase a 1200-lb ice maker but only get a
fraction of its capacity because it fills the bin too quickly, losing
valuable production time. In applications where more ice is needed
during certain days you should size the bin so that the ice maker
can continue to produce ice and the ice storage equipment can act
as your “ice bank” for the peak need.
When coupled with the correct ice bin, this approach to sizing
- allowing the ice maker to run continuously to meet the average
daily demand and increasing the ice storage capacity to meet peak
demands - reduces equipment cost without compromising available
ice.
An interactive program is available to guide you through the proper
sizing of your ice maker and ice storage equipment. Click
here to go to that program.
Self-serve ice and beverage dispensers
Virtually all of today’s cafeteria operations have a dispensed
beverage program and promote it heavily because of the high profit
margins it delivers - 60% compared to about 30% for canned and bottled
sodas. Larger equipment, with more capacity and valves, has evolved
to support the increased importance of this category. Today’s
operators routinely offer eight or 10 valves.
And, faced with today’s tight labor market and concern for
labor-savings and employee safety, more operators are moving from
manually loading the dispensers to automatically loading them from
a top mounted or Satellite-fill ice maker.
Today’s operators have a number of decisions to make before
selecting the type of beverage dispenser that will best meet their
needs:
- Automatic versus manual load
- Storage capacity and number of valves
- Integral beverage cooling or separate, mechanical cooling system
- Location of dispenser in store
- What kind of ice is desired
Automatic versus manual load
While automatically loading ice and beverage dispensers has
become more popular with operators, manually loading these dispensers
is still preferred by many because automatic load units may not
have adequate storage for a cafeteria’s very high traffic
counts or be able to recover in time for the next service. With
manual load units, the operator can fill the dispensers as needed
to meet demand. With manual load applications, however, the dispenser
type should be evaluated carefully to maintain efficiency and safety.
Consider that a countertop ice and beverage dispenser can
be as tall as 38". When placed on a standard 36" high
counter, manual loading takes place at 74" (more than six feet)
above the floor. This obviously requires a step stool or ladder
and is potentially a safety hazard for staff. Employees will carry
a bucket with 20 lbs or more of ice up this ladder and more than
seven such trips would be required to fill a dispenser that stores
150 lbs of ice.
Operators who want a manual load beverage dispenser - perhaps because
they already have an ice maker in the kitchen - should investigate
beverage dispensers that sit in the counter rather than on it and
store ice below the counter rather than above it. This type of beverage
dispenser allows safe, easy manual loading at waist height, eliminating
the need for a ladder or stool. Click
here to view an ice and beverage dispenser with undercounter
ice storage. A cart to transport the ice from the kitchen should
also be considered to improve employee efficiency and safety. Click
here to view an ice transport cart that allows easy transfer
of 75 lbs of ice (in three 25-lb ice totes) at one time from the
back room ice machine to the ice and beverage dispenser.
Operators who want to eliminate the need to manually load the
ice and beverage dispenser have two ways to automatically load
the dispenser with ice. An ice maker can be mounted on top of most
countertop ice and beverage dispensers, or the operator can select
a Satellite-fill ice maker that can transport ice to a countertop or undercounter
dispenser from 20 feet or more away.
Ice makers that can be used on top of dispensers come in a wide
range of production capacities - producing from 200 to 1600 lbs
of ice in a 24-hour period. Some manufacturers of beverage dispensers
have their own line of cube ice makers that will work with their
beverage dispensers. Other ice dispenser manufacturers offer dispenser
top kits that allow another manufacturer’s ice maker to be
mounted on top. Ice made by the top mounted ice maker drops by gravity
into the storage area of the dispenser and is then dispensed when
the lever or button for ice is pushed.
While this seems to be an easy solution, there are some drawbacks.
Cleaning of the dispenser storage area is often very difficult since
the ice maker covers the majority of the dispenser top and there
is little room for cleaning access. A second drawback is size -
the combination of dispenser and ice maker together can result in
a unit with a height of 73" or more. When placed on a standard
36" counter, the unit towers 9 feet above the floor. This means
that the dispenser must be placed against a wall to avoid obstructing
the view within the cafeteria. This reduces the visibility of the
highly profitable dispensed beverages and may result in patrons
opting for less profitable bottle or canned offerings.
To avoid the problems associated with top mounted ice makers, operators
can select a Satellite-fill ice machine that can fill a dispenser from a
location under a counter, in the back room (with the bag-in-box
system, for example), or anywhere 20 feet or more from the dispenser.
This ability to remotely fill the dispenser provides a number of
advantages. Because the ice maker is not physically mounted on the
dispenser, the top of the dispenser is not obstructed and cleaning
of the dispenser storage area is much easier and faster. Without
an ice maker on top, the dispenser is not as tall and can be located
in a beverage island for high visibility without obstructing the
view. And finally, the heat and noise associated with making ice
is removed from the customer area.
Before selecting any ice maker to automatically fill your beverage
dispenser it is recommended that you review
the section on ice types. There are substantial differences
in operating costs and efficiencies between machines that make cube
ice and those that make compressed nuggets. These differences have
can have a significant impact on the bottom line of the operation.
Sizing the dispenser - capacity considerations
Sizing ice and beverage dispensers for cafeterias with heavy traffic
during certain times of the day presents some additional factors
to consider. Because a maximum of 360 people an hour can physically
use a dispenser without creating a bottleneck, one very large dispenser
may provide adequate capacity but not be able to physically serve
the number of people required. To find out how many dispensers are
needed, divide the number of patrons expected to use the dispenser
during the lunch or dinner rush by 360 and then size that number
of dispensers based on the average cup size to be used.
If you’ll be manually loading your ice and beverage dispenser
from an ice maker in the kitchen, the dispenser storage capacity
will probably be determined by how many valves you want and how
often you are willing to fill the dispenser. More valves require
wider dispensers and that means more storage. As long as your ice
maker capacity is adequate, you can refill the dispenser as many
times as necessary to keep up with demand. Be sure to consider other
uses for ice when deciding whether your current ice maker has enough
capacity to meet your needs.
You can calculate your ice consumption by determining your average
size cup and multiply its capacity by .40. Using this formula, for
a 24-oz cup you will use a little less than 10 oz of ice. Location
may affect the amount of ice used; for example, facilities in the
South generally show a higher usage of ice than those in the Northeast.
To estimate how much ice you'll need each day, multiply your average
cup size by the number of beverages you expect to sell and multiply
that figure by .40. Then multiply that figure by 1.2 to give yourself
a 20% “safety” factor. This will give you the amount
of ice that will be dispensed into customer cups each day.
But you’re not quite done…
You must cool the syrup lines to avoid foaming and to maintain
the quality of the delivered drink. Many operators choose ice in
the dispenser (integral beverage cooling) to cool their syrup lines
rather than a separate mechanical cooling system. (See
beverage cooling section) Keep in mind, however that an integral
beverage cooling system - whether a cold plate or an ice-waterbath
system - will use up to 50% of the ice in storage to cool the syrup
lines. So, if you will not be using a separate mechanical cooling
system you must double the amount of ice that will be used in the
cups to find your total ice needs for your traffic patterns. This
may be a particular problem for a high traffic count cafeteria.
For example, if you expect to sell 500 beverages, your average
cup size is 24 ounces, and you’ll be using dispenser ice to
cool your beverage lines:
- Ice for beverages = 24 x .40 x 500 = 4800 oz or 300 lb
- Safety factor = 300 lbs x 1.2 = 360 lb
- Integral beverage cooling = 360
- Capacity requirement = 720 lbs of ice
Location of the ice and beverage dispenser
The cafeteria appearance is important to the customer’s experience
and operators generally work hard to maintain the aesthetic appeal
of their décor. When considering the type of ice and beverage
dispenser to select, consider carefully where it will be located
and whether the size of the unit will compromise the aesthetic appearance
and/or restrict visibility to other areas in the cafeteria. Remember
that a countertop ice and beverage dispenser with a top mounted ice
maker can result in a height of 73" or more. When placed on
a standard 36" counter, the unit towers 9 feet above the floor.
To avoid the problems associated with top mounted ice makers, operators
can select a Satellite-fill ice machine that can fill a dispenser from a
location under a counter, in the back room (with the bag-in-box
system, for example), or anywhere 20 feet or more from the dispenser.
This ability to remotely fill the dispenser provides a number of
advantages. Because the ice maker is not physically mounted on the
dispenser, the top of the dispenser is not obstructed and cleaning
of the dispenser storage area is much easier and faster. Without
an ice maker on top, the dispenser is not as tall and can be located
anywhere in the cafeteria without detracting from its appearance
or obstructing the view. And finally, the heat and noise associated
with making ice is removed from the customer area.
Another alternative is to select ice and beverage dispensers that
sit in the counter rather than on it and store ice below the counter
rather than above it. Ice and beverage dispensers with undercounter
ice storage are available in manual and automatic load models and
can extend as little as 20" above the counter height. This
low-profile design allows the dispenser to be placed in an island
without compromising the appearance of the cafeteria or restricting
visibility to other areas. Click
here to view an ice and beverage dispenser with undercounter
ice storage.
Ice and water dispensers
Many cafeteria operators require dispensers for their no-charge
ice and water offering. In addition, facilities looking to eliminate
the inconvenience of bottled water, and responding to employee requests
for ice in the work area, are installing ice and water dispensers
in employee break rooms, lounges and vending areas.
Most ice and water dispensers today combine the production of nugget
or compressed nugget ice with the dispensing of that ice and water.
Models storing as little as 9 lbs up to 150 lbs of ice are generally
available, with most using an ice maker that produces
between 200 and 700 lbs of ice a day. Most have separate chutes
for water and ice. Most models are available with either air-
or water-cooled ice production. One manufacturer offers models with
a Satellite-fill ice maker that can be located 20 feet or more from the dispenser.
Ice and water dispensers provide a high level of sanitation, since
no one touches the ice as it is produced and dispensed. Open bins
in the customer area have long been eliminated from cafeterias and
many corporate facilities are now also eliminating open bins from
their break room and vending areas because of sanitation and security
concerns.
Configurations
Most manufacturers offer more than one model configuration in a
particular capacity to meet the varied needs within a facility.
Configurations include:
- Countertop
- Wall mount
- Freestanding or floor model
- Undercounter
Click
here to see examples of ice and water dispensers.
When equipped with an in-line filter, ice and water dispensers
using building make-up water can deliver refreshing, good-tasting
water at a fraction of the cost and with none of the inconvenience
of storing and changing bottles.
New features
- Infrared dispensing - Available in many models, infrared dispensing
can reduce the risk of cross-contamination because it eliminates
contact between the container and dispenser. Instead, an infrared
sensor “sees” the presence or absence of a container
below the chute and uses this information to automatically start
and stop dispensing. This makes it important for applications
where refills using the same cup will be common, such as in cafeterias
and employee break rooms.
- Chilled water - Another new feature available is a chilled water
accessory to deliver refreshing, chilled water even when ice is
not dispensed into the cup. Most ice and water dispensers dispense
ambient water, counting on the ice to chill the water in the cup.
In the summer months especially, the ambient temperature of the
incoming water could be as high as 70 or 80°F. For those customers
who want water only and no ice, the chilled water option will
drop the water temperature by as much as 30° and deliver a
refreshing, same-as-bottled offering.
Sizing ice and water dispensers
There are some general rules of thumb for determining what size
dispenser is required. Ice required for each serving will equal
the size of the average cup or container in oz x .40. Therefore,
someone filling a 16 oz cup would, on average, use about 6.5 oz
of ice. Add a 20% “safety factor” to this number to
accommodate changed usage patterns or growth.
Sizing ice and water dispensers for cafeterias with heavy traffic
during certain times of the day present some additional factors
to consider. Because a maximum of 360 people an hour can physically
use a dispenser without creating a bottleneck, one very large dispenser
may provide adequate capacity but not be able to physically serve
the number of people required. To find out how many dispensers are
needed, divide the number of patrons expected to want ice and water
during the lunch or dinner rush by 360 and then size that number
of dispensers based on the average cup size to be used.
Click on the appropriate link below to see
our ice and water dispenser sizing recommendations for different
applications.
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