Ice machines, reach-ins, and walk-ins seem to target a variety of audiences. In health care and institutional facilities as well as restaurant kitchens, they are seemingly just functional and no-frills, but they have to hold proper temperature, be energy efficient, and prove durable. Take the same type of equipment and put it in the front area of a restaurant, at a convenience store, or in a hotel hallway — and to that same functionality, efficiency, and durability must also be added a touch of pizzazz for impulse buying.
The most recent Food Marketing Institute Expo in Dallas and National Restaurant Association Restaurant-Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago brought out the very latest in ice-making equipment, storage bins, and walk-in freezers and coolers as well as reach-in versions. This roundup of the latest in equipment is culled from both shows.