At your restaurant, you rely on an in-house machine to supply ice for all of your needs. However, you know that others in your industry also keep a reputable ice vendor on speed dial. At first, this may seem like an unnecessary arrangement. However, that’s far from the case. In reality, every restaurant will benefit from access to a dependable ice company. Here are some of the most common reasons why.

Coping With Power Failures

No matter where your restaurant is located, power failures can strike without warning. If you’re lucky, a failure will only last for a short period. In this scenario, your business may continue to function without serious interruption. However, the picture changes if you lose power for hours at a time, or even longer. In these circumstances, you may start to experience major issues with spoiled food. If that happens, your expenses for restocking can do quick damage to your hoped-for profits.

The best full-service ice companies provide emergency services for their customers. Even in a large, congested urban area, they can reach your business in a hurry. They can also deliver their product in quantities large enough for the needs of any operation.

Compensating for Appliance Breakdowns

In addition to ice machines, restaurants count on appliances such as refrigerators and freezers for their cooling needs. The appliances made for commercial operations can hold up to heavy-duty use for years at a time. Despite this, they can still fail when you least expect it. Naturally, you can call on a repair service to get your devices up and running again. But what do you do in the meantime? After all, it can take repair personnel hours or even days to reach you. By then, you may be dealing with both food spoilage and some very unhappy customers.

With a single phone call, your dependable ice vendor can arrange timely assistance while you await your appliance repair. You can customize that assistance for your specific situation. Only need help for a few hours? Just schedule a single delivery. Need help for days, or even longer? Schedule multiple deliveries in your desired quantities.

Coping With Air Conditioning Failures

When hotter weather rolls around, restaurants tend to go through more ice than they do in colder months. You may have the capacity to deal with this increased need. But can you cope with a failure in your air conditioning or HVAC system? If you’re experiencing this type of failure, you already run the risk of losing customers to other restaurants. Those risks rise even higher if you can’t provide enough ice for beverages.

When AC failure increases your ice use and threatens your business traffic, just call your trusted ice suppliers. They can deliver the products you need, just like they do during power and appliance failures. The best operations in your region can handle tight turnaround times and help you stay in business.

Covering Your Needs for Large-Scale Events

Crowd sizes at most restaurants naturally change from day to day. Your in-house ice production may be sufficient to cope with these normal swings in customer traffic. But what happens if your business hosts a large-scale event such as a banquet or a major celebration? In this situation, you can easily find yourself scrambling to keep up with the large influx of patrons.

If you have a relationship with a reputable ice company, you’ll never have to worry about accommodating large gatherings. In advance or on short notice, you can arrange to have all the ice you need delivered to your door. With this basic requirement covered, you can turn your attention to other pressing matters.

Stocking Various Ice Products

Many restaurants have ice product needs that extend well beyond stocking up on cubed ice. Depending on your business, other products you may need include:

  • Cocktail ice
  • Crushed ice
  • Block ice
  • Dry ice

Chances are, you don’t want to supply all of these options on your own. And there’s no need to if you’re working with a full-service ice vendor. All you have to do is place your order and wait for your scheduled or emergency delivery.

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits to finding a dependable local ice vendor. You may only make periodic use of your chosen service. On the other hand, you may decide to rely on them for regular deliveries. In either case, you’ll find it much easier to keep your ice-related needs under control. What’s more, top suppliers will offer additional benefits such as low prices and well-trained personnel.