Choosing a Refrigerated Beverage Dispenser

If you want to increase your business's revenue, adding a cold drink machine to your convenience store, buffet line, or juice bar can help. While most refrigerated beverage dispensers share many similarities, the cooling, mixing, and serving methods vary, so finding the right fit for the drinks you want to serve ensures your customers receive a quality beverage.

Key Terms

• Bubbler: A mixing method that uses a spray mechanism to move product from the bottom of the bowls to the top, producing a constantly moving product flow that looks like it is bubbling.
• Hopper: Also called a bowl, it holds product and is often made of clear plastic to increase product visibility.
• Pouring Valve: Dispenses product when the user pushes down on a lever or hits a button.
• Agitator: Mixes product, reduces foam, and ensures sediment and particles do not settle on the bottom.
• Cup Clearance: Refers to how much room is provided for filling cups underneath the pouring valve.
• Refrigerant: A substance used as a cooling mechanism in refrigeration systems that changes from a liquid to a gas and back to a liquid as it removes heat from the machine's contents.

How Many Bowls Do I Need?

The smallest commercial cold beverage dispensers have one drink bowl, while the largest offer four, so you can provide a variety of drinks. Determine how much counter space you can dedicate to your cold drink dispenser and how many drink varieties you would like to present to find the best size for your business. Depending on the unit's design and number of bowls, refrigerated beverage dispensers can be as narrow as 7 inches or more than 30 inches wide. The number of bowls a machine has correlates to how many different beverages you can dispense, so if you only want to serve one flavor, a unit with a single bowl would be best for you. A business looking to serve multiple beverage flavors would need a model with multiple bowls.

In addition to the number of bowls, you need to consider the size of the bowls, which can have capacities from 1 to 5.4 gallons. Some cold drink dispensers have two different bowl sizes in one unit, for your business to offer more of your most popular beverage. Estimating how much you will sell every hour and how often you will be able to refill the bowls can help you decide what size bowl or bowls your unit should have.

Another measurement to take into consideration is the size of the cups your drinks will be served in. Cup clearance on cold drink dispensers ranges from 7 to 9¹⁄₂ inches high, so make sure the largest cup size you offer will fit between the pouring valve and drip tray. If you decide to use your cold drink dispenser in a setting where customers can serve their own beverages, it's especially important to ensure the cups you provide fit underneath the dispensing valve, as this will help prevent wasted product and messes.

Our Top Shopping Tip: Decide how many beverage varieties you want to provide. If you're looking to serve just one type and expect a low demand, then a unit with one bowl would be best, but if you want to serve multiple varieties and have a high demand, go for a unit with three or four bowls.

Spray Hose or Agitator & Impeller?

Drink dispensers are designed with one of two standard methods for mixing product. The first, called a "bubbler," uses a spray hose mechanism to move product from the bottom of the bowls to the top. This produces a result that looks like a fountain, creating a dynamic, constantly moving display that grabs customer attention and increases product visibility. This keeps the drink mixed and prevents any sediment from settling on the bottom of the bowl. It is ideal for low-sediment products that do not foam, such as powdered, concentrated, and syrup-based drink mixes.

Other machines use agitators and impellers that spin in the bottom of the bowl to mix drinks. This type is better for dairy beverages, fresh juice that may contain pulp, and other high-sediment drinks. Units that are approved to dispense dairy products must comply with the NSF/ANSI 20 standard for "commercial milk dispensing equipment," indicating they are able to safely hold and dispense milk products. To do so, the model must get cold enough to keep the milk from spoiling, so unrefrigerated machines are not suitable for dispensing dairy products.

Beverages that produce foam when mixed too quickly, such as coffee and tea, are also recommended for use in a dispenser with an agitator or impeller to prevent frothing. Some models feature adjustable agitator speeds, so you can adjust the mixing tempo for the perfect consistency. Others feature a low-aeration mixing system, which helps keep product mixed without producing unwanted foam. Units without agitators or impellers will not be able to mix the milk-based product without producing unwanted foam.

Our Top Shopping Tip: Think about the type of beverage you want to serve. If you want to serve product made with low-foaming, syrup-based, powdered, or concentrated mixes, then a bubbler unit would be ideal. Any dairy-based beverages should be served from a unit with an agitator or impeller.

What Will My Cold Drink Dispenser Be Made of?

Many cold juice beverage dispensers feature clear polycarbonate bowls that allow the drink to be viewed from all sides. Typically, these feature visible measurement markings on the bowl, simplifying the tasks of tracking sales and knowing when to refill the unit. Lids cover the bowls to prevent spills, while also providing access for when the operator needs to refill the cold drink dispenser. Polycarbonate is durable and easy to clean, enabling it to last an extended period of time.

Some models feature bowls that are surrounded by a plastic casing, which house refrigeration components to cool the drink on three sides. This is more energy-efficient and means the blank side panels can be used for merchandising graphics. Graphics may be included with your unit, but you can also have them custom made. Merchandising graphics can increase product sales by drawing in customers using the brightened, colorful visuals.

While the majority of refrigerated beverage dispenser bowls are made of clear polycarbonate, the construction of the base varies between plastic, an economical option, and stainless steel, which is durable, rust resistant, and easy to clean.

Another thing to consider regarding construction is how easily the components of the cold drink dispenser can be removed for cleaning. Some models require the operator to reach down into the bottom of the bowl to remove it, while others have an easy bowl-release mechanism. The bowl, pour valve, and drip tray must be cleaned regularly, so a model that allows those pieces to be removed with minimal effort can help simplify maintenance.

Our Top Shopping Tip: Figure out if you want to attract customers to your business using transparent bowls, which allow mixing product to be showcased, or merchandisers, which use brightly colored pictures of the beverage to draw in customers.

How Is My Machine Refrigerated?

Commercial cold beverage dispensers are cooled using a refrigeration system that ensures product remains at the proper temperature – between 35 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit. The bowls are typically refrigerated from the bottom by using an ice core or an evaporator that cools on three sides of the unit. Compressors with evaporators maximize refrigeration, and the patented evaporators found in some units can help the user conserve energy and save money.

Other units use an evaporator and pump to cool the unit faster, enabling a quick startup. Models surrounded on three sides by plastic feature an evaporator with a three-sided cooling surface, helping cool product more efficiently and conserve energy. Most units are air cooled, meaning they pull ambient air from their surroundings to cool the refrigerant. Because air is pulled into the unit, these models require several inches of clearance from walls and other equipment.

Our Top Shopping Tip: To ensure an air-cooled refrigeration system runs properly, leave appropriate clearance when installing your unit.

KaTom's Quick Guide to Buying a Refrigerated Beverage Dispenser

Looking for a faster way to decide which refrigerated drink dispenser is best for you? Use our quick guide below!

• 1. First, decide how many product varieties you want to serve. Do you need just one hopper for dispensing a single beverage or multiple hoppers for dispensing multiple flavors of product?
• 2. Next, determine would mixing method would suit your needs. Will you serve a low-sediment product that doesn't foam, or a dairy-based product that need a mixing method that reduces foam?
• 3. Then, consider the look you want you beverage dispenser to have. Do you want to allow customers to have a 360-degree view of your product as it is mixing, or do you want to showcase your product using merchandising graphics?
• 4. Finally, ensure you leave adequate clearance to accommodate an air-cooled refrigeration system. Do you have available counterspace to avoid installing your unit directly beside a wall or another piece of equipment?