Salad Bar & Sandwich Prep Fridges

What a prep fridge actually is

Two things in one cabinet: refrigerated storage underneath, and a chilled rail of gastronorm pans on top where you build the food. The point is that the cook never leaves the station — everything for the sandwich, salad or burger is within reach and held at temperature while the lid is open. That is why a prep bench costs more than a plain under-bench fridge of the same size, and why an under-bench fridge with a cutting board on it is not the same thing.

Sizing by GN pans, then by width

Work out how many gastronorm pans you need across the top first — that is the number that decides whether service flows — then check the width fits. This range runs 435 mm to 2,400 mm wide and 32 L to 1,000 L of under-storage, with the middle of it a 379 L bench at 1.5 m. Benchtop models sit on an existing counter; the rest are floor-standing.

Doors or drawers underneath

Doors are cheaper and hold more; drawers are faster to work out of and stop the cold falling out every time you open them. A common setup in a busy sandwich bar is drawers at the working end and doors at the stock end. Decide by how often that compartment gets opened in a shift, not by the price difference.

Salad bars and benchtop units

A salad bar fridge is the customer-facing version of the same idea — pans out front for self-serve or assembly rather than behind the line. If you want one that sits on an existing counter rather than standing on the floor, the benchtop models in this range are the ones to look at.

Temperature

45 of these hold 2 °C to 8 °C, which is the band for dressed salads, sliced meats and cheese. The number that matters more is how well the top rail holds while the lids are off through a lunch rush — an ambient-rated well behaves very differently from a refrigerated one, so check what the rail itself is rated to, not just the cabinet.

If you are making pizza

A pizza bench is a different cabinet: deeper top, a raised ingredient rail sized for toppings, and a work surface for dough. See our pizza prep fridges for that range. If you want refrigerated storage that doubles as an equipment stand under a grill or fryer, that is a chef base.

What we carry

Atosa, Turbo Air, Thermaster, FED-X, Besttop, Skipio and Bromic, alongside three benches built under our own name. All 131 are in stock, from $642 to $10,504 ex-GST.

Prices shown are ex-GST trade rates. Every unit is fully tested before it leaves us — which is why we don't promise same-day on everything. Sydney metro is next day; we deliver Australia-wide.