Not every event needs a hired fridge, but outdoor catering, large drink volumes and any food with a cold chain requirement almost certainly do. This guide explains when you need one and how to choose the right type.
Not every event needs a hired fridge, but outdoor catering, large drink volumes and any food with a cold chain requirement almost certainly do. This guide explains when you need one and how to choose the right type.
Whether you need to hire a fridge for an event depends on three things: whether you are serving food that requires chilling, the volume of drinks being served, and the ambient temperature on the event day. Get any of these wrong and you either have a food safety problem or warm drinks all evening.
If the catering at your event includes any of the following, a hired fridge is not optional: raw meat being cooked on-site, dairy-based dishes, prepared salads with dressings, anything with mayonnaise, or cold desserts. These foods need to stay below 5°C until they are cooked or served. A cool box or domestic fridge is not adequate for a service serving more than 20 or 30 portions.
For outdoor events in warm weather, a hired fridge is needed even if the menu is entirely from ambient or dry-store ingredients. Bottled beer, white wine, and soft drinks at a summer garden party need chilling. A domestic fridge cannot handle the volume, and a cool box requires constant ice management.
Upright bar fridges are the most common type for events. They hold 80 to 120 litres, fit under a bar counter, and run on a standard 13-amp socket. Two or three upright bar fridges behind a busy bar are the standard setup for a 100 to 200 guest event with a full drinks service.
Display fridges have glazed doors and are designed to show the contents. They suit events where guests serve themselves from the fridge, such as self-serve drink stations or grab-and-go catering setups. They use slightly more energy than solid-door units but avoid the need for staff to manage individual requests.
Undercounter fridges are used in professional kitchen setups where worktop space is needed above the chilled storage. They suit catering operations with a proper prep and service layout rather than a simple bar setup.
For very large events or multi-day festivals, a cold room trailer provides a walk-in chilled space on-site without requiring the venue to have a built-in cold room. Browse our fridge and freezer hire range for available options.
One standard case of 24 cans or 12 bottles takes up approximately 15 to 20 litres of fridge space. An 80-litre bar fridge holds four to five cases with space for bottles on the shelves. For a 100-guest event with beer and wine, plan for two bar fridges at minimum: one for beer, one for white wine and soft drinks.
Factor in restocking. If the fridges will be refilled during the event from stock stored elsewhere, the active fridge capacity can be smaller than the total drinks volume. If all drinks need to be chilled at the start of the event and there is no restock space, the active fridge capacity needs to match the full drinks inventory.
A hired fridge runs on a standard 13-amp UK socket. For outdoor events, this means you need a mains supply or a generator. Plan the power drop for the fridge position before the event, not on the day. A fridge that does not reach temperature because it was connected to a full circuit two hours before service is a problem that is difficult to fix quickly.
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