Restaurant Shelving:
The Ultimate 2024 Buying Guide

Restaurant Shelving: Overlooked but Critical

Ever think about how much ‘heavy lifting” your restaurant shelving does for you on a nightly basis? 

Where do your dry goods go? 

It’s probably on shelves in your backend storage spaces. 

Where do you store your equipment? 

Again, probably on shelves, ready to be grabbed at a moment’s notice in the heat of another packed night for your back-of-house and front-of-house team members. 

Restaurant shelving, while critical, is an often overlooked component of running a busy foodservice business. 

From organizing your equipment and ingredients to helping you create efficient workflows in your kitchen, the effective use of restaurant shelving can make all the difference to the overall success of your day-to-day operations. 

If you have been in the foodservice industry for any length of time, you know that when a kitchen is running efficiently, it directly impacts the overall quality of service, food preparation, food safety, and ultimately the customer experience to a great degree. 

In this guide, we introduce an overview of restaurant shelving and how you can use it to maximize the efficiency of your commercial kitchen. 

We’ll also guide you to some of the most popular shelving solutions we have here at Channel Manufacturing, including our customized standard sizes for a variety of our shelving solutions. 

So join us as we explore one of the commercial foodservice’s most unsung heroes, restaurant shelving.

What’s so important about Restaurant Shelving?

In the world of high-demand, fast-paced commercial foodservice, efficiency is key! 

And one of the most effective ways to make immediate increases in efficiency in your restaurant comes down to organization. 

That’s where restaurant shelving offers foodservice operators a systematic storage system to create a more orderly and accessible workspace. 

Restaurant shelving that is setup in an efficient manner can help commercial foodservice businesses with the following: 

• Maximizing Space: Shelving helps utilize more of the valuable space in your restaurant’s back-of-house and storage spaces. The maximization of square footage is priceless for commercial kitchens no matter how small they may be, helping business owners and operators capitalize on more effective storage of ingredients, equipment and more behind the scenes.
• Improved Food Safety: Proper storage makes all the difference in maintaining food safety. Utilizing shelving systems help foodservice operators store food that stays off the floor, away from contaminants and at the right temperatures, helping food last longer, more safely.
• Increased Organization: Using restaurant shelving keeps your kitchen well-organized, which makes it easier for team members to find and use ingredients, tools and equipment which helps both the speed and efficiency of your restaurant.
• Increased Durability:Quality shelving units are specially built for use in commercial foodservice applications and are built to withstand the constant rigors and demands of a fast-paced kitchen environment, making them fixtures for years.

 Now that you have an overview of restaurant shelving, let’s dive into some of the various styles and types of restaurant shelving solutions that are commonly used in the world of commercial foodservice.

Restaurant Shelving Types:

As you begin your search for quality restaurant shelving, it’s important to understand some of the primary types of restaurant shelving and the most common categories you will find in commercial kitchens.

1. 1. Wall-mounted Shelving – Wall-mounted shelving systems are the primary and most basic form of shelving available to foodservice professionals. Wall-mounted shelves are perfect for locations in your kitchen with limited or vertical spacing that can be accessed effectively. These shelves are commonly installed near prep and work stations, and are the perfect complement to anything in the kitchen that you could need at arm’s length.
   2. Freestanding Shelving Units – Perfect for storage rooms and walk-in coolers, freestanding shelving units provide shelving solutions that can be easily manipulated to solve common storage issues for bulk ingredients, cleaning supplies, and kitchen tools and equipment. A great option is to choose shelving units with adjustable shelving that can more easily accommodate your storage goals.
   3. Overhead Shelving – Found commonly above work and prep stations, this style of shelving is great to help to maximize space in crowded foodservice environments. Overhead shelving offers great solutions for lighter items like containers, towels and smaller kitchen equipment, and provide organization to keep countertops clear and clean.
   4. Under-shelf Storage – Where do you store your heavier equipment like pots, pans and large bulk ingredients? Chances are an organized undershelf storage system is a perfect solution for storage without having the extra floor space. Great for high-demand locations that demand easy and quick access.
   5. Mobile Shelving – The final shelving type provides a quick solution for kitchens that need a more adaptable shelving solution. Mobile Shelving units are usually mounted on heavy-duty casters that allow team members to easily transport and move the shelves where and when they are needed. Mobile shelving solutions can be perfect for smaller commercial kitchens that need to maximize space while having a more flexible storage solution.

Restaurant Shelving Materials:

As with any piece of equipment, the material that a shelving unit is manufactured in can make all the difference in determining its durability, strength and longevity in a high-demand kitchen.

Some of the more popular shelving materials include:

1. Aluminum – Aluminum is one of the leading options for the creation of high-quality, heavy-duty restaurant shelving. Aluminum provides a lightweight, durable solution for food-service operators that usually come in at a lower price than stainless steel equipment. Aluminum shelves still provide straightforward maintenance, are easy to clean, and last for years, as it is a rust-proof and corrosion-resistant solution.
2. Stainless Steel –Another popular material is Stainless steel. Not only is stainless steel durable and corrosion resistant, but it is non-porous and extremely easy to keep clean.
3. Chrome Wire – Easy to assemble, and providing excellent ventilation, many shelving solutions for foodservice businesses are created in chrome wire. The open wire design provides stored goods with better airflow, which can help with both food safety standards and storage longevity. However, it can be prone to damage.
4. Epoxy-Coated Wire – A common solution for foodservice locations is the epoxy-coated wire shelving solution. These shelving systems can be prone to damage as well, but they can also be easily color coded for more efficient back-of-house organization.
5. Plastic–Plastic shelving offers foodservice operators another option for restaurant shelving needs. Plastic shelving is lightweight, corrosion-resistant and highly durable, making it a great option for busy kitchen environments. 

What to consider when Buying Restaurant Shelving

Now that you have a better idea of the types of restaurant shelving available for foodservice businesses, you’re ready to start planning shelving for your unique business location.

Purchasing effective restaurant shelving is not as straightforward as simply buying the first and cheapest shelves you see. As the saying goes, the cheapest shelving you buy tends to be the most expensive.

Planning for shelving that increases your operational efficiency means evaluating your unique kitchen’s demands to make sure that the restaurant shelving you select will support your operations effectively.

Some of the most important issues to consider when selecting your new shelving include: 

Weight Capacities

When planning for new shelving in your restaurant the first consideration comes down to knowing your application, the way in which the shelving will be used, what you will be storing and how much those items weigh. Knowing the sizes and weights of the items that you will be storing will help you choose more effective shelving options. Since shelves usually are expected to store heavy items, it’s important to choose shelving options that have a higher weight capacity from the manufacturer. However, your specific application is key. 

Space & Layout

Before purchasing your new shelves, measure and plan for the new shelving in your location. This includes planning for both vertical and horizontal spacing that you can take advantage of in your unique location. Plan shelving that is out of the way of your team members’ normal workflow, installing shelves in areas that are easily accessible, but out of the way of normal day-to-day operations. 

Adjustability

In busy kitchen environments, flexibility can be key to operational efficiency. If you’re kitchen regularly stores items of different sizes and weights, having an adjustable shelving solution can be a lifesaver for both your team members and the overall efficiency of your kitchen. Adjustable shelving provides foodservice operators with the flexibility to reorganize storage as demands change throughout the night, or as you define new processes and workflows. 

Ventilation

Airflow is critical to storage in commercial kitchen environments. Not only does airflow keep stored items fresher for longer periods of time, but also helps to increase food safety standards. Shelving solutions that provide for better circulation can help to extend the shelf life of critical ingredients and also helps to prevent moisture buildup in static storage spaces. 

Mobility

Need to easily move your shelving solutions around your commercial kitchen? For foodservice operations that require more flexibility and versatility, movable shelving units with casters can be a powerful solution for foodservice operators. Moveable shelves allow commercial kitchens to adjust and change storage configurations, or to more easily clean and maintain shelving. 

Durability & Maintenance

Restaurant shelving will be exposed to serious wear and tear in the world of a fast-paced commercial kitchen. Choose restaurant shelving solutions that are made to withstand the intense conditions present in busy foodservice environments. Further, it’s important to consider shelving solutions that provide easy maintenance to ensure that food safety standards are easily met within your establishment. 

Food Safety Standards

In a commercial kitchen, one of the most important considerations for any new equipment is how it will affect food safety standards. When purchasing new shelving solutions, food safety should be at the top of your list. This includes choosing shelving that falls under National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) guidelines that have been tested and approved for use in food service environments. 

Budget & Affordability

The final consideration with restaurant shelving comes down to something that all foodservice operators must consider with any equipment. The budget and affordability of different shelving types are critical because they define what a unique location can afford to spend for the highest quality materials and equipment. Making sure that you choose equipment that gives you the best “bang for your buck” can help foodservice operators plan kitchen workflows that will last for the life of your foodservice operation. But as previously stated, the cheapest shelving can turn out to be your most expensive.  So be conscientious about your application and the use and “abuse” our shelving will take.

Effective Management of Restaurant Shelving

Once you have selected the best-fit shelving to meet your foodservice business’ unique objectives, effective management and organization of your shelving will help you get the most out of your new equipment.

Some of the tips to help maintain an organized and efficient kitchen include:

• Plan around Workflows: While obvious, planning your new shelving around your kitchen’s unique workflows can make all the difference for your team members in high demand and peak times in the kitchen.
• Label Everything: Take the time to clearly label your new shelving and any of the containers you intend on storing. This will help your staff more easily find and access items quickly and easily.
• First In, First Out (FIFO): Utilize a FIFO approach for your stored goods within your shelving solutions. Be sure that your older stock is used first to help extend the shelf life of your items overall, helping to reduce waste and ensuring freshness for your valued guests.
• Group Items by Type: Use your new shelving systems to easily group similar items together. Keeping your ingredients, equipment and other groups of items separated by type can help your kitchen be more efficient and optimized for the most peak-demand times.
• Regularly inspect and clean shelving: Like everything in your foodservice operation, regular maintenance is critical. Routinely inspect shelving for any signs of damage, rust or contamination to ensure a long “shelf” life for the new equipment itself.

Shelving options from Channel Manufacturing

At Channel Manufacturing, we assist foodservice operators with top-of-the-line commercial shelving options that are built to last for the foodservice industry.

Some of our most popular models include:

Wall Mounted Aluminum and Stainless-Steel Shelving

Aluminum and Stainless-steel wall mounted knockdown shelving and microwave wall shelving.

• Furnished with a 1 1/2″ downward front edge and 1 1/2″ turn up edge on back and 1/2″ return edge
• Shipped knock-down, easy to assemble
• No drip front countertop edge

Mobile Multi-Purpose Shelving

Our mobile shelving solutions are multi-purpose racks perfect for holding, storing and transporting of boxes, containers and various food service items.

• 1-1/2″ square, heavy-duty, high tensile extruded aluminum tubing.
• Lifetime guarantee against rust.
• Standard 5″ full swivel non-marking casters.

Cantilevered Shelving

Free-standing heavy-duty aluminum cantilevered shelving (no front posts) for unobstructed storage of heavy or large bulky items.

• Heavy duty, high tensile extruded aluminum
• Increases your usable storage space.
• Lifetime guarantee against rust
• Shipped knock-down, easy to assemble

Adjustable Shelving

Aluminum shelving keeps products organized and off of the floor. Adjustable height to meet all sanitary health codes. Made to measure for walk-in freezers, refrigerators and dry storage areas.

• Heavy duty, high tensile extruded aluminum
• Great value-added alternative to cheap wire shelving.
• Lifetime guarantee against rust
• Shipped knock-down, easy to assemble 

Conclusions on Restaurant Shelving

At the end of the day, your restaurant shelving solutions are far more than simply a storage solution in your kitchen. Shelving is a critical part of your kitchen’s overall efficiency and safety. 

By choosing the right restaurant shelving options, you can optimize your kitchen’s overall space, workflow and food safety, which have a major impact on the overall efficiency of your commercial space. 

Whether you are planning your new restaurant shelving for a new restaurant, or optimizing existing space, careful consideration of restaurant shelving options can have a significant impact on your business’ efficiency and overall bottom line. 

With the right shelving solution, your commercial kitchen will run smoother, cleaner and more efficiently, allowing you to focus on what matters most – delivering an excellent experience for your valued customers.