Now, I’m not going to send you on a wild goose chase across the city. The good news is that Sheffield has a bunch of suppliers who sell used and new small ice machines. Check out local catering equipment shops or online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree. You’d be amazed at what people are selling after they decide to open a yoga studio instead of a pub.
Some places even offer delivery and installation. Because let’s face it, wrestling a 50kg machine up a flight of stairs is not how you want to spend your Saturday. Trust me, I tried it once. I lost. The stairs won.
Commercial Ice Machines for Sale | Ice Maker Supply – ICE MAKER SUPPLY
Pro tip: Always ask if the machine has been descaled recently. Sheffield water can be a bit hard, and nobody wants an ice machine that’s clogged with calcium. It’s like a bad hair day, but for appliances.
Size Matters (But Smaller is Often Better)
Don’t be tempted to buy a massive ice beast if you only have a tiny café. A small under-counter model can produce 20 to 40 pounds of ice per day. That’s enough to fill hundreds of glasses. Unless you’re running a marathon and handing out free slushies, you’ll be fine.
Measure your space first. I know, I sound like your mum, but seriously. Nothing hurts more than buying a machine that sticks out like a sore thumb (or doesn’t fit at all). You want it to sit quietly under a counter, not block the doorway to the loo.
And here’s a little secret: the smaller the machine, the easier it is to clean. And cleaning an ice machine is like flossing—annoying, but you’ll regret skipping it. Dirty ice tastes like regret and old fridge smells. Yuck.
