Sometimes, but check two things first. The FDA Food Code lets you keep cold food in any refrigerator that holds it at 41 F or below and has a thermometer you can read, and the unit itself must be suitable for food storage, which is something to confirm on its listing and with your health department before you load garnishes or bar snacks into it.
Shop the equipment in this article: undercounter worktop refrigerators, sandwich and salad prep tables and reach-in refrigerators. Freight is included on every order.
Back bar coolers, like the commercial beer coolers we carry, are sold for bottles, cans and kegs. Many bars still want to keep cut fruit, dairy for cocktails or packaged snacks in the same cabinet. Whether that works depends on the rules below and on how the cooler is used during service. Your local health department has the final say.
What the Food Code asks of any cooler that holds food
- Temperature: food that needs time and temperature control for safety must be held at 41 F or below (Food Code 3-501.16).
- Thermometer: cold holding equipment for that food must have a temperature measuring device you can read easily, placed to measure the warmest part of the unit (4-204.112).
- Capacity: refrigeration must be sufficient in number and capacity to keep food at the required temperature (4-301.11).
- Storage: food must be kept in a clean, dry place, not exposed to splash, dust or other contamination (3-305.11). In a back bar cooler that means covered containers, not open trays under dripping bottles.
- Equipment: equipment certified or classified for sanitation by an ANSI-accredited program is accepted as meeting the code’s materials and design rules (4-205.10). If you plan to store food, check the listing on the unit’s data plate or spec sheet, and ask your inspector whether that unit is acceptable for the food you have in mind.
What our back bar coolers hold
The temperature range is the first thing to look at, because a cooler set for beer can still hold food below 41 F.
| Line | Temperature on the product page | Notes from the page |
|---|---|---|
| True back bar coolers (TBB series) | 33 F to 38 F | Stainless steel floor, galvanized steel walls |
| Dukers back bar coolers (DBB series) | Holds 33 to 38 F | Digital temperature control with LED display, automatic defrost |
| Coldline CBB series | Not stated on the page | CBB-48: 13 cu. ft., 4 PVC coated wire shelves, ETL listed |
A stated range is what the unit can reach, not what it holds with the doors opening every few minutes. During a busy service the doors of a back bar cooler can open far more often than a kitchen refrigerator’s, so check the thermometer during your busiest hour before deciding.
When a back bar cooler works for food
- Sealed, packaged items such as bottled juice or packaged snacks that only need to stay cold.
- A small, covered container of garnish prep that is used up within the shift, kept on a shelf away from wet bottles, with the thermometer reading 41 F or below at peak.
- A dedicated door or shelf for food, so staff are not reaching past it for bottles all night.
When it does not
- Large amounts of prepared food, or anything that still needs to be cooled down. Back bar coolers are sold for drinks, so use a unit sold for food when food has to come down to temperature.
- A cooler that reads above 41 F during service, even if it reads 36 F before opening.
- Food stored loose next to bottles and cans that come in wet from the ice bin.
If you need real food storage at the bar, an undercounter worktop refrigerator or a small refrigerated prep table is the usual choice, because those are sold for food from the start.
How to check your own cooler
- Put a thermometer on the top shelf near the doors, which is usually the warmest spot.
- Read it before service, at the busiest hour and at close for a week.
- If it stays at 41 F or below, ask your inspector whether the unit is acceptable for the food you plan to keep, and have the spec sheet ready.
- Label and date what goes in, and keep food in covered containers on its own shelf.
What to buy
If the cooler is for drinks, choose by width, door style and depth from our back bar refrigeration range. The CBB-48 page, for example, lists 48.8 W x 24.4 D x 35.6 H in. and tells you to measure the height under your bar top first. If the bar also needs food storage, add a separate undercounter refrigerator. Freight with liftgate delivery to the 48 contiguous states is included in the price, powered equipment has a 7 day return window from delivery, and lease-to-own financing is offered on items from 500 dollars.