A restaurant group opening a new site in Shoreditch brought us in three weeks before the planned opening date. The kitchen fit-out was behind schedule, the original refrigeration contractor had pulled out, and they needed a complete cold chain installed from scratch — two walk-in cold rooms, one walk-in freezer, a blast chiller, six undercounter prep fridges, and a bottle cooler for the bar. Three weeks. Working around electricians, plumbers, tilers, and a chef who kept changing the kitchen layout.

We made it. Just. The walk-ins were commissioned on the Thursday, the reach-ins installed on the Friday, and the first delivery of fresh produce went into the cold rooms on Saturday morning, 48 hours before the soft launch. The chef bought our lead engineer a bottle of whisky. The restaurant is still a client three years later.

Commercial refrigeration installation is a different discipline from AC work. The stakes are higher — a fridge that doesn’t work on day one means stock losses, health inspector concerns, and potentially a delayed opening. The tolerances are tighter, the operating environment is harsher, and the equipment has to run 24/7 from the moment it’s commissioned.

From Foster, Williams, and Bitzer to specialist systems, ADK engineers have hands-on experience with the equipment our London clients rely on every day.

What We Install

• Walk-in cold rooms — modular panel construction from 1.5m x 1.5m up to 10m+ bespoke builds. Floor-standing or built into existing structures. Standard and low-temperature models. Remote or integral condensing units.
• Walk-in freezers — insulated to -25°C. Heated door frames, automatic defrost, and heavy-duty floor panels to handle pallet traffic.
• Blast chillers and blast freezers — Foster, Williams, and Polar units for HACCP compliance. We size them to match actual production volumes, not guesswork.
• Reach-in fridges and freezers — Foster EcoPro, Williams Jade, True, Polar. Undercounter, upright, pass-through, and prep counter configurations.
• Display cabinets — open-front and glass-door merchandisers for retail, deli counters, sushi cases, patisserie displays.
• Bottle coolers and bar refrigeration — back-bar coolers, wine fridges, and draught beer systems.
• Cellar cooling systems — glycol beer cooling, wine cellar temperature control, keg room conditioning.
• Ice machines — Hoshizaki, Scotsman, Manitowoc. Cube, flake, and nugget ice. We size to peak demand, not average.
• Rack systems — multi-compressor Bitzer and Copeland rack systems for supermarkets and large food production facilities.

Design Considerations for Commercial Refrigeration

Refrigeration design isn’t just about picking a unit from a catalogue. The details matter:

• Heat load calculation — what product goes in, at what temperature, and how much? How often are the doors opened? What’s the ambient temperature of the room? An undersized system runs constantly and fails early. An oversized system short-cycles and wastes energy.
• Condenser location — remote condensers need to be accessible for maintenance, compliant with noise regulations, and positioned for adequate airflow. In central London, roof space is often the only option, which means crane access planning.
• Pipework routing — refrigerant pipe runs affect system performance. Excessive length or elevation changes require careful sizing and the addition of oil traps. We calculate every installation against manufacturer specifications.
• Electrical supply — a busy commercial kitchen can easily require 60-80 amps just for refrigeration. We assess existing supply capacity and coordinate with electricians for any upgrades needed.
• Drainage — every fridge and cold room produces condensate. Defrost water from freezers comes in bursts. We design drainage routes that handle peak flow without backing up, including pump systems where gravity drainage isn’t possible.
• Food safety compliance — the installation must facilitate safe operation from day one. That means temperature monitoring points, easy-clean surfaces, adequate lighting inside cold rooms, and door configurations that don’t create cross-contamination risks.

Brands We Work With

We install and commission equipment from all major commercial refrigeration manufacturers:

We provide commercial refrigeration installation services across the capital, including Central London, South London, and every borough in between. Fast response times are built into our service model.

• Foster — the UK market leader. EcoPro, EPREM, Xtra ranges. Walk-in cold rooms and freezers. Blast chillers.
• Williams — Jade, Amber, and Garnet ranges. Strong in the UK casual dining and pub sectors.
• Hoshizaki — premium ice machines and undercounter refrigeration. Exceptionally reliable.
• True — American-built reach-ins and prep counters. Popular in hotel and fine-dining kitchens.
• Polar — value-oriented range for startups and smaller operations.
• Gram — Danish manufacturer with a strong commercial range.
• Bitzer — semi-hermetic compressors and rack systems for larger installations.

New Build vs. Retrofit

About 40% of our refrigeration installations are new builds — restaurant openings, shop fit-outs, kitchen refurbishments. The other 60% are replacements for equipment that’s either failed beyond economical repair or is running on obsolete refrigerants (R404A and R22 in particular). Retrofit work comes with its own challenges: working around an operating kitchen, managing the changeover without stock losses, and adapting new equipment to existing pipework routes and electrical supplies.

We’ve done same-day cold room swaps where we install the new panels and condensing unit in the morning, transfer the stock during the quiet afternoon period, and decommission the old room by the evening. It takes planning, but it’s entirely doable when the logistics are right.

Among the issues our engineers see most frequently are commercial fridges not cooling and cold room compressors running constantly. Addressing these early saves our clients thousands in lost stock and downtime.

After Installation

Every installation comes with a full commissioning report, manufacturer warranties, and F-Gas documentation. We strongly recommend a PPM contract for all commercial refrigeration — the equipment runs 24/7 in demanding environments and regular maintenance dramatically extends its lifespan. Most of our installation clients roll straight into a maintenance contract because they’ve seen what happens to equipment that doesn’t get serviced.

Get a Quote

Whether you’re opening a new restaurant, refitting a commercial kitchen, or replacing a failing cold room, call 020 3974 1419 or get in touch online. We’ll survey the site, design the system, and give you a fixed price. Free survey, no obligation.