Selecting High-Capacity Ice Machines for Restaurant Operations Running out of ice during a Friday night rush teaches you something no equipment brochure ever will. The scramble to find backup, the drink tickets piling up, the kitchen crew shooting looks your way—it stays with you. That experience tends to sharpen how you think about ice machine selection. Getting the capacity right matters more than most people realize until they’ve lived through the alternative. The decision involves matching production output to actual daily patterns, understanding which machine type fits your space and service style, and factoring in the long-term costs that don’t show up on the price tag. Figuring Out How Much Ice Your Restaurant Actually Uses