Commercial Ice Makers & Ice Machines

Commercial ice machines keep restaurants, bars, hotels, coffee shops, healthcare kitchens, and grocery operations supplied with clean, food-safe ice for drinks, cold-food display, prep, and service. A commercial ice maker is engineered for continuous production, higher daily output, NSF-certified sanitation, and the harder duty cycle a foodservice kitchen puts on it every hour of every shift.

The right ice machine for your operation depends on four decisions: how many pounds of ice you use per day, the ice type your drinks and food service actually need, the space and utilities you have available, and the storage capacity that keeps you from running out during peak service. This guide walks each decision, matches it to the models we stock, and shows the water, drain, and electrical requirements installers will ask about before they schedule.

Commercial Ice Machine Types We Stock

We carry three commercial ice-machine brands. Each targets a different price point and duty profile. The right pick depends on how many pounds per day you need, the type of ice, and how much you want to spend up front.

• Atosa Ice Machines — undercounter, modular, and hotel dispenser units from 140 lb/day to 800 lb/day. Best price-to-output ratio in the catalog, one-year parts and labor warranty on most models, and free freight to the commercial dock. The Atosa lineup is the default recommendation for independent restaurants and bars where the machine has to earn its keep on day one.
• ITV Ice Makers — Italian-engineered cube, nugget, and flake machines from 80 lb/day to 2,700 lb/day. ITV Delta and Spika lines produce gourmet cube for high-end bars and restaurants; Ice Queen flake machines cover healthcare, seafood display, and produce. The Spika NG plug-in line is popular for cocktail programs that want cube quality above Atosa's price bracket without stepping to a premium American brand.
• Brema Nugget and Flake — automatic pebble nugget and flake ice makers from 216 lb/day to 540 lb/day, sold as bin-included units or head-only for pairing with a larger storage bin. Brema is the value pick when a coffee shop or quick-serve concept wants nugget ice on a budget the Chick-fil-A crowd expects to pay.

Ice Type Decides the Machine

Every commercial ice machine is built to make one shape of ice. Choose the ice type first — the chassis, the price, the storage strategy, and the follow-on maintenance all get decided by that one choice.

Half-Dice Cube (the restaurant default)

Half-dice is the most versatile cube. It fits soda glasses, iced tea pitchers, and short pours; it melts slowly enough for table service; and it packs tightly in a storage bin. Half-dice is the default in about seven of ten commercial kitchens. Every Atosa modular head we stock (YRM0450A, YRM0600A, YRM0800A, YRS0350A, YRS0450A, YRS0600A) produces half-dice, along with every Atosa undercounter unit (YR140-AP, YR280-AP, YR450-AP, YR800-AP, YRU0140A, YRU0280A). Pick half-dice unless your beverage program specifically requires a different shape.

Full-Cube (cocktail bars, spirits, longer melt)

Full cubes are twice the size of half-dice and melt about 40% slower. They dilute a spirit-forward cocktail less over a fifteen-minute service window, which is why craft cocktail bars almost always request full cube on the ice program. The ITV Delta NG and Spika American-style lines produce clear gourmet cube for cocktail service and high-end restaurants.

Nugget (Chick-fil-A ice, sonic ice, healthcare, coffee)

Nugget ice — sometimes called pebble ice, chewable ice, or Sonic ice — is soft, chewable, and absorbs the flavor of whatever drink it sits in. That's why Chick-fil-A built its beverage program around it, why healthcare facilities use it for patients with chewing or swallowing restrictions, and why third-wave coffee shops choose it for iced lattes and specialty drinks. Nugget is the fastest-growing category in commercial ice. We stock Brema and ITV nugget ice machines including the Brema TB852A-HC (216 lb/day), TB1404A-HC (333 lb/day), TM140A-HC (304 lb/day), TM250A-HC (540 lb/day), and the ITV IQN 700 (714 lb/day).

Flake (food display, seafood, healthcare)

Flake ice is small, soft, and moldable. It packs around whole fish on a display case without bruising them, it chills salads and produce on a bed of ice, and it fills therapeutic and medical bags without hard edges. Every ITV Ice Queen unit we stock (200C, 300, 500, 900, 1300, 2700) makes flake at rates from 220 lb/day to 2,700 lb/day. Brema's GB903A-HC pairs a 253 lb/day flake head with a built-in bin for smaller operations that need flake occasionally.

Gourmet / Top-Hat Cube (high-end bars and hotels)

Gourmet cube — a clear top-hat cube slightly taller than full cube — is used in luxury bar service and hotel banquet programs where cube presentation matters. The ITV Delta NG 80, NG 120, and NG 150 produce gourmet cube in 80–150 lb/day formats for the specific setting where cube shape drives guest perception.

Sizing Your Ice Machine by Business Type

The most common ice-machine mistake is undersizing. Running out of ice at 8 PM on a Friday costs more than the up-front difference between a 400 lb and a 600 lb head. Use the table below as a starting point, then add 20% for summer, patio, or catering days.

Two rules from the field: (1) The rated production number on the spec sheet is for 70°F ambient and 50°F inlet water. In a real kitchen at 90°F ambient the same machine produces 15–25% less. Size up. (2) The storage bin is the second half of the sizing decision. A 600 lb/day head paired with a 300 lb bin runs out at lunch rush. Match the bin to your peak two-hour draw, not your daily average.

Undercounter vs Modular: Which Chassis

Two chassis formats cover almost every commercial ice-machine installation.

Undercounter (self-contained, plug-and-play)

An undercounter ice machine is a single self-contained cabinet that fits under a 34-inch bar or prep counter. The head unit and the storage bin are integrated. Production runs 100 lb/day to 460 lb/day. Undercounter is the right pick when floor space is at a premium, when the ice point is at the bar, or when the machine plugs into a standard 115V outlet without dedicated electrical. Every Atosa YR- and YRU- series unit and the ITV Spika NG line up to 460 lb/day is undercounter.

Modular (head unit sits on a separate bin)

A modular ice machine is a 22-inch or 30-inch head unit that sits on top of a matching storage bin sold separately. Modular gives you two advantages: the head produces more ice per day than any undercounter chassis can fit, and you can pair the same head with a larger bin as your volume grows without buying a new machine. Modular is standard above 500 lb/day. Atosa YRM- and YRS- heads pair with CYR400P (395 lb), CYR700P (700 lb), BYR0300 (300 lb), and BYR0400 (400 lb) bins. ITV heads pair with S-series bins from S-300 (282 lb) to S-1050 (1,048 lb).

Hotel Dispenser (guest self-serve)

A hotel ice machine is a modular unit with a built-in front-load dispenser designed for guest self-service in a hallway or ice room. The dispenser prevents guests from scooping into open ice. The Atosa HD350-AP-161 and YDS0350A-161 and the ITV DHD 130-22 and DHD 200-30 are the four models we stock for that intent.

Air Cooled vs Water Cooled

Every commercial ice head unit condenses on either air or water. The choice affects your electrical, your ambient temperature tolerance, your water bill, and your noise level.

• Air cooled is the standard. A fan pulls kitchen air across the condenser coil and rejects the heat back into the room. Air-cooled units cost less to run, install faster, and don't add to your water bill. They lose 15–25% production above 90°F ambient, and they add heat to the space they sit in. Every unit in our catalog under 800 lb/day is air cooled by default.
• Water cooled uses a dedicated water line to reject heat instead of air. Water cooled runs quieter, holds full production in hot kitchens, and is often required in enclosed rooms without ventilation. The trade is a much higher water bill (many local codes now restrict water-cooled installs because of that) and a plumbing bill up front for the dedicated line and drain. Water cooled is a specialist pick above 800 lb/day or for installations where the machine sits in a mechanical room without adequate airflow.

Rule of thumb: air cooled unless the site inspection forces water cooled. If your local jurisdiction restricts water-cooled ice machines under a plumbing efficiency code, that answer is made for you.

Water, Drain, and Electrical Requirements

Every commercial ice machine has three utility requirements the installer will ask about before quoting a job. Get these answers before you buy so the machine doesn't sit on your dock waiting on plumbing.

• Cold water inlet — a dedicated 1/4-inch cold-water line with a shutoff valve within six feet of the machine. Water pressure between 20 psi and 80 psi. Undercounter units plumb through the back panel; modular heads plumb through the top.
• Floor drain — every commercial ice machine needs a gravity floor drain within six feet, or a pump-fed drain kit for installs without one. The drain carries away melt water from the bin and condensate from the head. Air-cooled units drain about 10–15% of daily production as melt; water-cooled units drain that plus the condenser rejection water.
• Electrical — undercounter units up to 460 lb/day run on 115V/20A plug-in circuits. Modular heads from 600 lb/day up require a dedicated 208-230V/20A circuit. The nameplate on the back of the machine shows exact amperage; the electrician will size the breaker off that.

Water filtration is not optional in commercial service. Hard water builds scale on the evaporator plate inside every ice machine and cuts production by 20% or more within six months. We stock 3M ICE120-S high-flow carbonless filtration systems for higher-volume machines and 3M HF20-S replacement cartridges for the units that already have a head installed. Add a filter to the quote and change the cartridge every six months.

Featured Atosa Undercounter Ice Machines

Featured Atosa Modular Heads and Bins

Featured ITV Cube, Nugget, and Flake

Featured Brema Nugget and Flake

Hotel Ice Machines

Hotel ice machines are a specialty within the category. They sit in a guest corridor or ice room and dispense ice on demand without the guest touching stored ice. That matters for sanitation and for avoiding the corridor-full-of-melt-water problem an open bin creates.

Cleaning and Maintenance Schedule

Every commercial ice machine fails the same way: scale builds on the evaporator plate, the sensors read the plate the wrong way, and the machine either stops cycling or drops production without any obvious warning. A cleaning schedule catches that failure before it costs you a service call.

• Weekly (5 minutes) — wipe the exterior, check for melt water on the floor, listen for compressor short-cycling, and confirm the bin curtain closes fully.
• Monthly (15 minutes) — inspect the water filter, wipe the door gasket, and vacuum the condenser fins on air-cooled units. Condensers clog with kitchen grease and dust and cost you production the moment airflow drops.
• Every 3 to 6 months (2 hours, out of service) — full descale with the manufacturer's cleaner, sanitize the ice contact surfaces, and replace the water filter cartridge. Hard-water sites cycle at 3 months; soft-water sites can stretch to 6.
• Annual (service call) — full technician inspection, refrigerant check, evaporator plate inspection, and gasket replacement as needed.

If a machine stops making ice, the four-step field check almost always tells you the answer before you call for service: (1) confirm power at the outlet and the control-panel display, (2) confirm the water inlet valve is open and flow is present, (3) confirm the bin thermostat curtain is closed and the bin is not full, (4) inspect the water filter for a blocked cartridge. See our commercial ice machine troubleshooting checklist for the full diagnostic tree.

Why Buy Your Commercial Ice Machine From The Restaurant Warehouse

• Free freight to a commercial dock on every ice machine we stock. Shipping a 400-pound modular head is expensive; we build the number into the list price so you don't get surprised on the invoice.
• One-year parts and labor warranty on Atosa units, with the manufacturer's service network handling on-site repairs. ITV and Brema carry their factory warranties direct.
• Rent-Try-Buy on Scotsman and Hoshizaki — if you need premium-brand ice while you evaluate whether the volume justifies the price, we rent Scotsman ice machines and rent Hoshizaki ice machines weekly. Try before you buy, and the rental credits toward purchase if you convert.
• Ice-machine specialists on the phone, not a call center. If you don't know whether you need half-dice or nugget, or whether a 22-inch or 30-inch head fits your line, call and we'll walk it with you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Commercial Ice Machines

How much ice does a restaurant need per day?

Most full-service restaurants need 1 to 1.5 lb of ice per customer per day. Bars and beverage-heavy operations run 2 to 3 lb per customer during peak service. A 200-cover restaurant should size to at least 300 lb/day and add 20% for summer or patio traffic.

What size commercial ice machine do I need?

Coffee shops and small cafes fit 100–300 lb/day undercounter units. Small to mid-size restaurants fit 300–500 lb/day undercounter or modular. Full-service restaurants and busy bars fit 600–1,000 lb/day modular heads. Above 1,000 lb/day you're in high-volume territory that usually pairs a modular head with an oversize storage bin.

What type of ice is best for restaurants?

Half-dice cube is the versatile default and fits about 70% of commercial kitchens. Full cube is better for cocktail bars and spirits. Nugget is preferred for sodas, iced coffee, and healthcare. Flake is the pick for seafood, produce display, and therapeutic use.

What is the difference between air cooled and water cooled ice machines?

Air cooled uses a fan and kitchen air to reject compressor heat. Water cooled uses a dedicated water line. Air cooled is standard, cheaper to run, and loses 15–25% production above 90°F ambient. Water cooled runs quieter and keeps full production in hot rooms but adds a significant water bill and often requires plumbing code approval.

What is the difference between a modular and undercounter ice machine?

A modular ice machine is a head unit that sits on a separate storage bin, designed for high daily production. An undercounter ice machine is a self-contained cabinet with the head and bin integrated, designed to fit under a 34-inch counter. Modular scales higher; undercounter installs faster.

How much does a commercial ice machine cost?

Undercounter units in the 140–450 lb/day range run about $1,850 to $3,300. Modular heads from 350–800 lb/day run $3,000 to $4,500 before the bin. Storage bins add $900 to $2,600 depending on capacity. Premium brands like Hoshizaki and Scotsman price 40–80% above equivalent Atosa units.

What brands of commercial ice machines do you carry?

Atosa, ITV, and Brema. Atosa is the value pick for independent restaurants and bars. ITV covers gourmet cube, nugget, and flake in Italian-engineered chassis for higher-end programs. Brema is the value pick specifically for nugget ice programs.

Do I need an NSF certified ice machine?

Yes. Most local health departments require NSF-certified equipment for commercial foodservice. NSF certification confirms the unit meets sanitation and materials-safety standards inspectors check. Every ice machine in this collection is NSF certified.

What is an ice machine with bin?

An ice machine with bin is a modular head unit paired with a separate storage bin sold as a set or matched individually. The bin sits on the floor and the head sits on top of the bin. Bins are also sold with add-on kits for connecting to different head widths.

How long do commercial ice machines last?

A well-maintained commercial ice machine lasts 7–10 years. Skipping descaling and filter changes cuts that to 4–5 years and cuts production for years before the machine actually dies.

How often should a commercial ice machine be cleaned?

Full descale and sanitize every 3 to 6 months. Hard-water sites cycle at 3 months. Soft-water and filtered sites stretch to 6 months. Wipe and vacuum the condenser fins monthly.

Do commercial ice machines need a water filter?

Yes. A water filter protects the evaporator plate from scale and sediment, keeps ice clear and neutral in taste, and extends machine life. Replace the cartridge every 6 months. We stock 3M ICE120-S high-flow systems and HF20-S replacement cartridges.

What ice machine is best for a coffee shop?

A coffee shop with 100–300 covers per day needs 100–300 lb of ice. An undercounter half-dice unit like the Atosa YR140-AP-161 or a Brema TB852A-HC nugget unit is the common fit. Third-wave coffee programs increasingly choose nugget because it matches the specialty-drink positioning.

What ice machine is best for a bar?

Neighborhood bars fit 300–500 lb/day undercounter half-dice or full cube. Cocktail bars fit 400–700 lb/day modular gourmet cube like the ITV Delta NG line. Match the bin to your peak two-hour draw, not your daily average — an underbuilt bin is the fastest way to run out at 8 PM Friday.

Do commercial ice machines need a drain?

Yes. Every commercial ice machine needs a gravity floor drain within six feet, or a pump-fed drain kit. The drain carries melt water from the bin and condensate from the head. Water-cooled units drain additional condenser rejection water and need higher-capacity drainage.

What ice machine does Chick-fil-A use?

Chick-fil-A serves pebble nugget ice. To replicate that ice type in a commercial setting, our commercial nugget ice machine collection covers 216 lb/day to 714 lb/day nugget from Brema and ITV. Our ice-machine-like-Chick-fil-A guide walks the model choice in detail.

Can I buy a used commercial ice machine?

You can, but used ice machines carry hidden risk — a used evaporator plate covered in scale looks fine on inspection and cuts your production in half within weeks. Our used ice machine buying guide covers what to inspect, and shows where a new Atosa with warranty and free freight often beats used-market economics.

Related Ice Machine Guides

• Commercial Ice Makers Buying Guide — the deep buying-decision walkthrough
• Ice Maker for Restaurant — restaurant-specific sizing and installation
• Bar Ice Machine Tips — cube choice, storage, and bar-service ice programs
• Atosa Ice Machine Review — the Atosa lineup, warranty, and free-freight economics
• Troubleshooting: Commercial Ice Machine Not Making Ice
• Ice Machines on a Budget: Used vs New
• Ice Machine Like Chick-fil-A (Nugget Ice)
• Hoshizaki Ice Machine Review
• Scotsman Ice Machine Guide