Running a cafe, restaurant or shop may require you to present stock in a commercial fridge or retail fridge. If this is the case, it’s important to ensure yours looks as good as possible in order to make your goods look tasty and maximise sales. Whether you stock freshly baked goods, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat or any other food or drink, making sure it looks good is an essential part of persuading people to buy the products. After all, your display fridge is what people are going to look at to decide what they’d like to buy.
From commercial fridge servicing to marking products, here’s how you can make your retail fridge look great to increase sales and profit.
Store meat at the bottom
As per food and hygiene standards, it’s important that any meat in your fridge is stocked on the bottom shelves of your retail fridge. This not only makes cleaning simpler, but also significantly reduces the risk of cross-contamination. If meat is kept on higher shelves, there is a greater chance that juices or marinades from the meat could come into contact with other items in the fridge. It is also going to give non-meat eaters peace of mind knowing their food won’t have come into contact with any meat.
Leave space between items
There’s nothing less pleasing to the eye than a crowded retail fridge. If you have many different types of items being displayed in your fridge, make sure there is adequate space between each item. This gives the fridge more chance to circulate cool air, maintaining the correct temperature and avoiding inefficient cooling. It’s also helpful in the case of freshly made food that isn’t sold in packing, as it helps stop the foods from touching and ending up with a mixture of flavours.
Don’t use the floor of the fridge
Even if you are tight on space, only store items on designated shelves. This is because water or foreign substances may pool on the bottom of the fridge in between cleans, meaning your items may become contaminated. It’s important to invest in a retail fridge that has satisfactory racking so you aren’t left having to store items on the floor of the fridge during a rush of customers. Train all your staff to upkeep these standards so that there is consistency throughout the workplace.
Keep delicate produce away from fans
The fans in your retail fridge are there to keep the temperature consistent, but it can damage your food if you put it too close to them. Fresh produce like fruits and vegetables can be damaged by these fans meaning your display won’t look appealing to customers. This is why it’s important to keep your food or drinks organised so that there is plenty of space.
First in, first out
This standard rule is all about stock rotation. The last thing you want is food or drink to expire just because you didn’t keep track of your stock rotation process. When you are restocking your retail fridge with fresh products, take out any items that are still remaining and put the new stock to the back so that it will get sold last. At this point you should also check any sell-by dates or prepared food labels and remove any produce that can no longer be sold. Make it clear for other staff members to know which should be sold first and make any use-by dates bigger if they aren’t very visible.
Mark everything
Making everything clear will not only help you keep on track with produce and ordering, but it will also help other members of staff, particularly new recruits who may not be accustomed to your fridge layouts just yet. This is particularly important if you sell fresh produce that has been sold on site as all staff members will need to be aware of allergens and be able to inform customers that may be allergic to certain ingredients. If you run a cafe or restaurant, each staff member should be aware of the correct way to label food. Keep pens and stickers available at all times and have a folder with each item’s ingredients so that staff members can check if necessary.
Clean out your fridges regularly
You should be cleaning your fridges on a regular basis. Depending on the products stocked in the fridge and how busy your business is, you may choose to deep clean your fridges every day, every week or every month. It’s worthwhile taking all the stock out and giving your fridges a wipe down every day, if you have the time. If you only stock drinks, for example, it won’t necessarily need cleaning every day. This ensures there is no leftover mess that will put customers off buying your products and it will look clean and inviting the following day. If you sell fresh baked goods, for example, these can cause quite a mess so you’ll want to make sure it’s cleaned up at the end of every day.
Invest in commercial refrigeration services
Keeping your commercial or retail fridge well maintained is the easiest way to ensure hygiene and food safety within your food business. If you notice any problems or your retail fridge isn’t functioning as it should be, contact commercial refrigeration specialists who will be able to repair damaged or broken fridges or install a brand new one. It’s vital that your fridge is cooling efficiently, as otherwise, this could lead to food being spoiled, wasted or even causing illnesses such as food poisoning.
Commercial refrigeration services can offer bespoke refrigeration systems, professional design and installation, ongoing maintenance and support and fully qualified engineers. This will help give you peace of mind that your retail fridges are working as they should be and you aren’t running the risk of wasting food or losing custom.
The benefits of keeping your retail fridge organised
It’s important to keep your retail or commercial fridges organised in order to make your products look appealing to your customers. This also helps save you money by reducing the amount of waste and ensuring customers are satisfied. Here’s why you should stay on top of your fridge’s organisation.
- Ensure you are compliant with food safety and hygiene regulations. Infringement of these regulations may leave you with fines or even the risk of closure. By keeping on top of your retail fridges, you’ll ensure you are selling food that is fresh and not at risk of cross contamination.
- Having a well organised retail fridge will ensure you can adequately stock products. It will look more appealing and customers will be tempted by how good everything looks.
- It will increase productivity in the workplace. Clearly marked foods and drinks will mean that your staff are able to serve customers much faster and move on to the next task at hand.
- Sufficient maintenance will make your fridges last longer. The better you look after your fridge, the longer it will last. This will save you money on repairs and replacement in the future.
- Restocking is quicker and more efficient when you know where everything goes and everything has its own spot.
- It saves you time. When things aren’t organised you’ll spend a significant amount of time searching for items or putting it back where it needs to go.
Mitchell’s: Commercial Fridge Services in Gloucester
Are you looking for retail fridge services in Gloucester? Mitchell’s is here to help your business. Whether you run a catering business, cafe, farm shop or restaurant, keeping track of your stock is imperative. At Mitchell’s, we provide installation and repair services to keep your catering fridge in Gloucester well maintained. We can help repair and service retail fridges, supermarket refrigeration systems, catering fridges, cold rooms, product display refrigerators and walk-in freezers. No job is too big or too small, so get in touch with Mitchell’s today by calling us on 01452 302206 or visit our website for more information.