Refrigerated Display Case Buying Guide: Deli, Gelato and Grab-and-Go

Display first, holding second

A refrigerated display case does two jobs at once: it shows product to customers and keeps it cold. Those jobs pull against each other. Glass, lighting and open fronts sell product, and every one of them lets heat in.

That is why a display case is designed to hold food that is already cold, not to cool it down. Load it with pre-chilled product, keep within the load lines marked inside, and expect it to need more care than a closed storage cabinet in the same room.

Canadian food safety guidance generally calls for cold-held food at 4°C (40°F) or colder. Check with your local public health unit, and probe the food itself rather than relying on the case display.

Service case or self-serve

The first split is who reaches in. That decides the door arrangement, the depth of the case and how much floor space each side needs.

Service cases are usually deeper, to leave the server a work shelf, and the server's side needs room for staff to move. Self-serve cases need aisle space in front for customers and, on doored models, space for the doors to swing or slide.

• Service cases are loaded and served by staff from the back, usually through sliding rear doors, with fixed glass on the customer side. They suit deli counters, butchers, bakeries and gelato shops where staff portion or weigh product.
• Self-serve cases open to the customer through front doors, a lift-up front or an open front, and suit packaged grab-and-go food and drinks.

Deli, meat and cheese showcases

Fresh meat, fish and cheese lose moisture and colour when fast-moving cold air passes over them. Showcases for these products handle that in one of two ways.

Lighting matters as much as cooling. LED lighting adds less heat than older lamps, and some cases offer lighting tuned to show meat in its natural colour, so ask about lighting options if red meat or fish is the main product. Also look at the deck: sloped or flat, with or without shelves, and whether it takes the trays or pans you already use.

• Gravity-coil, or static, cooling lets cold air fall gently from a coil at the top of the case with little or no fan, which keeps humidity higher and slows drying. It is common in butcher and fresh-meat cases.
• Forced-air cooling moves air with fans for a more even temperature through the case. It suits deli salads, packaged product and mixed displays, and many cases use baffles to soften the airflow over the product.

Gelato and ice cream cases

Frozen dessert cases hold product in pans behind glass for scooping. Gelato is usually served warmer and softer than hard-scoop ice cream, so a case built for gelato holds a different range than an ice cream dipping cabinet. Check that the temperature range on the spec sheet suits what you serve, and whether it can be adjusted.

Count pans the way you count flavours: most shops want every flavour visible at once, plus spare pans in storage. Check the pan size the case takes, since gelato pans are sold in several formats, and whether the case has a storage compartment underneath.

Glass fogging is a common complaint in humid summer weather. Heated or treated glass reduces it, and so does keeping the case away from doors and air vents. Frozen cases also need regular defrosting, automatic or manual, so ask how the model handles it.

Open-air and grab-and-go merchandisers

Open-air merchandisers have no doors. A curtain of cold air flowing down across the front keeps product cold while customers reach straight through it. They sell well because nothing stands between the customer and the product, but placement affects them more than almost any other refrigerated case.

Grab-and-go coolers with doors hold temperature better and use less energy, at the cost of a small barrier to the customer. For a space that is hot, humid or drafty, a doored merchandiser is usually the safer choice.

• Keep open-air cases away from entrance doors, HVAC vents, ceiling fans and sunny windows; a draft breaks the air curtain and the case cannot keep up.
• Check the room conditions the case is rated for. Many are designed for a space kept at moderate temperature and humidity and struggle in a hotter, more humid room.
• Load only to the marked load line. Product past it sits in the air curtain's path, warms and pushes warm air into the case.
• Use night curtains or covers after hours if the model has them.
• Stock packaged food and drinks; open trays of food belong in a service case.

Countertop and specialty cases

Countertop refrigerated cases put a small display at the till or on a service counter: pastries, desserts, sandwiches or bottled drinks. They save floor space but still need air around them, and many plug into a standard receptacle. Check the counter height, the depth of the case and where its condenser exhausts.

Sushi cases are long, narrow and shallow, built to sit on the sushi bar in front of the chef. Floor display cases are larger, floor-standing merchandisers, often for bakery and pastry, with several shelves. Dry and heated display cases look similar but do not refrigerate at all, so read the product type before comparing sizes.

Curved or straight glass, self-contained or remote

Curved glass gives a classic, open look and a wide viewing angle. Straight glass gives cleaner lines and suits modern counters. Both hold product the same way, so the choice is mainly about the look of the counter and the availability of replacement glass, which is worth asking about for large curved panes.

Most small and mid-sized cases are self-contained, with the compressor built in. Installation is simple, but the case puts its heat and compressor noise into the room. Larger lineups can use remote condensing units outside or in a mechanical room, which keeps heat and noise off the sales floor but brings in a refrigeration contractor and refrigerant piping.

Check the power as well. A lineup of cases along one wall can need more circuits than the room has.

Cleaning, placement and ordering

A display case is judged by how it looks, so cleaning is part of the job, not an extra. A short routine keeps the glass clear and the case holding temperature.

Before ordering, measure the counter run, the path to it and the power at the location, and confirm dimensions, voltage and door arrangement. Special-order and freight equipment is not returnable once it has been delivered in good condition. Display cases ship by freight carrier, and a liftgate, a delivery appointment or inside delivery needs to be arranged with Norpex before paying. Glass is the most fragile part, so inspect it before signing, note any damage on the delivery receipt and call Norpex the same day. Larger and configured cases are priced on a quote with freight included, and quotes come back within one business day.

• Clean glass inside and out with a cleaner that is safe for any coating on it.
• Empty and clean decks, pans and the drain trough on a schedule; a blocked drain leads to water on the floor or ice in the case.
• Clean the condenser on the manual's schedule, especially on self-contained cases close to a kitchen.
• Check rear door and front gaskets for gaps.

Common questions