Outfitting Your Break Room

Have you ever thought “I need equipment and supplies for my break room, but there are too many options and I don’t know where to start.”?

When outfitting your break room, there are many factors to consider including company size, refrigeration, ice & water, coffee, cooking/reheating options, cleaning dishes, tables and chairs, smallwares, storage, and available space in your break room.

The vast options available when outfitting your break room might seem overwhelming and maybe even a little confusing, but we’re here to help you get the equipment and supplies best suited for your company’s break room needs.

Outfitting Your Break Room

Break Room Refrigeration

A small company with minimal food storage needs can likely use a residential refrigerator, but a larger company is usually better off stepping up to a commercial refrigerator for their break room.

Most commercial refrigerators are separate from their freezer counterparts, so you’d have to buy a refrigerator and a freezer for your break room unless you opt for a dual-temp refrigerator/freezer from Turbo Air. Just like a residential refrigerator, dual-temp units combine a refrigerator and freezer into one unit & save space.

If you need more flexibility that what’s available in dual-temp units, standard commercial refrigerators and freezers are available in a wide variety of sizes and configurations from a single door reach-in up to a six-half door configuration for large company break room needs.

Select refrigerators and freezers from True and Turbo Air now include a standard 5 year parts & labor/7 year compressor warranty so you can rest easy knowing you have a long warranty from these manufacturers.

Pro tip for outfitting your break room – to help keep the refrigerator from getting cluttered with leftover food, consider creating a schedule for cleaning it out so any old food is thrown away before it turns into a science experiment.

Break Room Ice & Water

Depending on the size of your company and available space, you may want to consider adding an ice machine when outfitting your break room.

With sizes starting around 20” wide and ice storage capacities going up to 130 lbs, a Manitowoc undercounter ice machine makes for a perfect break room ice machine. With such a large selection in a variety of sizes and storage capacities, Manitowoc is sure to have an ice machine that meets your company’s needs.

If you want ice, but your break room is too small for an undercounter ice machine, look no further than countertop ice and water dispensers. While taking up a small footprint, these dispensers are still capable of holding up to 24 lbs of ice while being able to dispense cold water – perfect for water bottles.

We highly recommend a water filtration system for any ice machine or ice and water dispenser to filter impurities from the water and extend the life of the machine.

Undercounter Ice Machines

Break Room Coffee Brewers

Thomas Jefferson once said “Coffee, the favorite drink of the civilized world” so, in the spirit of the former President, we feel like every break room needs a coffee brewer and we think your employees will agree.

Bunn coffee brewers are suitable for any break room, large or small. You can choose from a standard pourover model with a single warmer all the way up to automatic models with multiple warmers, so coffee is readily available for those employees who need multiple cups to get their day started.

Not everyone likes coffee so, for those employees who want a hot drink, but prefer something different, some Bunn models include a faucet capable of providing hot water for drinks like tea or hot chocolate. Outfitting your break room with equipment that can perform multiple functions is a great way to save money.

If you have employees who believe coffee is a hug in a mug, add a Bunn coffee brewer to your break room to make their day.

Break Room Cooking & Reheating

When outfitting your break room, a microwave should be a break room no-brainer. No one wants to eat a cold salad every single day so, whether it’s a can of soup, last night’s leftover chili, or a frozen prepared meal, your employees need to be able to heat their food. Think about adding a paper towel dispenser close to the microwave so the microwave interior can be wiped down after that leftover chili explodes.

Small in size, but big on power, Midea commercial microwaves work in any size break room. With 1000 watts of power, these microwaves quickly heat food preventing a line of hungry employees waiting to use the microwave. No one wants to be in that line so skip a cheap residential microwave and add a commercial microwave to your break room. Large companies might even consider purchasing two microwaves to further minimize wait time.

What do slices of bread, bagels, and maybe even waffles and English muffins in your new commercial freezer need? A Waring commercial toaster. With the ability to sit on a counter or store away in a cabinet when not in use, a toaster is a perfect addition to a break room of any size.

4 Slice Toaster

Break Room Dishwashing

Like some of the equipment mentioned above, the options available here also depend on the size of your company.

For smaller companies, a single residential style sink or dishwasher could be all that’s needed for cleaning dirty dishes.

When outfitting your break room at a larger company, you can take advantage of commercial sinks in a wide variety of sizes or even a commercial dishmachine which holds a huge advantage over a residential model. Unlike a residential dishwasher which can take an hour or longer to complete a washing cycle, a commercial dishmachine can complete a wash cycle in a short 2-3 minutes allowing for dishes to be washed very quickly in large company break rooms.

A commercial dish machine requires different racks depending on the dishes that need to be washed. We stock a large variety of racks for glasses/cups, plates, and flatware. When not in use, dish racks can be stored out of the way on slant racks specifically designed for storing dish racks when not in use.

Break Room Seating

The number of tables and chairs you need relies heavily on the size of your company and break room.

Packing in as many tables and chairs that’ll fit into your break room can impede walkways or make your employees feel cramped together. On the flip side, not having enough tables and chairs will lead to employees eating at their desks or in their cars.

We sell square, rectangular, and round reversible table tops in multiple sizes. Table bases are sold separately to provide different options depending on your needs.

When choosing seating, consider stack chairs. Not only are they a great option for any break room, but as their name implies, they can be stacked together for storage if needed. Booths are a great addition to break rooms and they’re available in a wide variety of options. Durable stack chairs and booths won’t tear easily and, thanks to using solid surfaces, they’re very easy to clean.

If your company has an outdoor patio area, consider adding outdoor tables and chairs when outfitting your break room. Your employees will thank you for being able to enjoy their lunches outside on a nice day.

Break Room Chairs - Outfitting Your Break Room

Break Room Smallwares

Beyond the equipment and furniture, you might need to purchase plates, bowls, glasses, mugs, flatware, and maybe some kitchen utensils like knives or tongs when outfitting your break room.

Be sure to be ready for spills with brooms/dustpans, mops, mop buckets, and to prevent slips on wet floors, yellow caution signs.

Trash cans are necessary for any break room, large or small.

We carry a large selection of smallwares from some of the top manufacturers in our industry giving us the ability to assist you when outfitting your break room with quality smallwares in addition to the equipment.

Break Room Storage

You’ve finished outfitting your break room, but with all the new equipment and smallwares, you might notice you’re short on counter or cabinet space and need more storage options.

One easy way to free up some counter space is to install a stainless steel microwave shelf. The shelf will allow you to place your microwave just about anywhere as long as it’s still close to an outlet.

A lack of cabinet storage can be remedied with your choice of shelving options. We stock complete composite shelving unit kits from Cambro in a variety of sizes. While light enough to easily move around when assembled, these units are strong and are capable of holding up to 2000 lbs. In addition to composite shelving, we carry a wide variety of sizes and styles of wire shelving allowing you to choose the size and number of shelves you need. If you intend on moving the wire shelving units, casters can be added to the posts allowing the units to be easily moved as needed.

Microwave Shelves

Delivery and Installation

We can deliver and install all equipment we sell so leave the heavy lifting to us. Our professional delivery and installation teams will have your equipment up and running in no time and you can rest easy knowing everything was installed correctly keeping factory warranties intact.

You can purchase all your break room needs at Dine Company – The Restaurant Store. We have it all from refrigeration to storage options and everything in between you’ll need when outfitting your break room.

Give us a call at 502-637-3232 for more information or visit our Louisville, KY store to shop in-person.

Call Now Text Now
(502) 637-3232