How Much Ice Should Your Commercial Ice Maker Produce?

Finding the right-size commercial ice machine is a crucial step toward success for any foodservice operation, from restaurants and bars to college and hospital cafeterias. While a grocery store that fills hundreds of cubic feet of fresh seafood, meat, and produce displays with flake ice may need a massive machine, a countertop commercial ice maker may suffice for most convenience stores.

Luckily, there are some trusted guidelines that can provide direction in creating an estimate of your ice production needs. The amount of ice you need will largely be dictated by what type of business you have, an estimation of the number of seats in your eatery, and the cubic feet of your cold bar. In addition to this guide, KaTom offers other resources that can make this math easier, including a Scotsman sizing tool that can help you find the right model from the brand's popular machines.

The good news is, if you overshoot and get a commercial ice maker that's too large for your needs, you have room to grow. A good rule of thumb is to add 20 percent to your estimate to allow room for growth and especially busy days. If you undersell yourself, you may have to supplement your production capacity by sending employees to purchase bags of ice at a convenience or grocery store.

For sizing an ice bin, you'll typically want one that can hold about 75 to 80 percent of what the ice machine can produce. For example, a "head" unit, as the production part of large floor-model commercial ice makers is called, with a capacity of 560 pounds per day would work well with a bin with a 420 to 440 pound capacity. However, this may not be the case for applications where the ice is not constantly being used, such as an event hall. In these cases, a bin that holds 1.5 times the daily production amount might be preferred, as ice will typically have more time to build up in those situations.

The Right-size Commercial Ice Maker for a Restaurant

Sizing an ice machine isn't an exact science, but the type of service your business offers can help you determine how much ice you will need. If you offer a mixture of these services, you may be able to use past sales, if available, to determine the ice production requirements for each, then add those together for your total. Depending on your restaurant's layout, you may be better served by having separate ice production in certain areas, like the bar. Remember to add 20 percent to your estimate to allow for growth and especially busy days.

• Standard: The standard suggestion for most restaurant operations is 1.5 pounds per customer.
• Cocktails: While beer doesn't require ice, if your bar will serve mixed drinks like margaritas and daiquiris, you should plan for about 3 pounds of ice per customer.
• Water: If you bring each customer a glass of water before taking drink orders, your operation will require more ice. Add 5 ounces for every 7- to 10-ounce glass of water.
• Self-service: If your restaurant includes a self-service beverage station with an ice dispenser, you will need more than the standard 1.5 pounds per person, as customers are more likely to get refills and take drinks to go. Plan for 2 to 3 pounds per customer from a self-serve dispenser.
• Drive-thru: Because customers coming through a drive-thru will not get refills, they will typically use less ice than the standard 1.5 pounds. Calculate your drive-thru ice machine needs based on the number and sizes of drinks you sell or expect to.
• 7- to 10-ounce cups: 5 ounces per drink
• 12- to 16-ounce cups: 8 ounces per drink
• 18- to 24-ounce cups: 12 ounces per drink.

Sizing a Commercial Ice Maker for...

Quick Reference Ice Guidelines