Ice can be like oxygen to a food and beverage operation. It’s used every hour of the day, so you might not give it a second thought. But if you don’t pay attention to how it’s used, it can melt away your bottom line through increased labor, wear and tear on equipment, higher energy costs, damaged meat or produce, unstable food safety temperatures, lower inventory levels of alcohol and soft drinks, and below average customer satisfaction.

“It’s an afterthought. Most of the time people don’t think about ice and the ice form,” says Terry Toth, marketing communications manager, Scotsman Ice Systems.

Not all ice is created equal. Sure, it’s all frozen water, but there are several sizes and shapes that fit specific needs in a food and beverage operation. Four of them make up most of the usage: cubed, flake, gourmet, and chewable.

Saving cubed
Cubed is the most common and is a great way to increase beverage profits because of its high liquid displacement. However, because cubed ice is so ubiquitous, it may be tempting to use it for everything from seafood displays to blended drinks. The result could be a bruised fish or a burned-out blade. “A large cube can do some damage to the blender,” says Toth. The square edges can also make any display with fragile fish, meat, or produce a lesson in damaged food. “You shouldn’t use cubed ice for seafood or salad displays,” Toth says.

Take a flake
Luckily, there’s an ice shape that can solve the display dilemma and lower the wear and tear on blenders: flake ice. “It doesn’t abuse the blenders as much if you’re making a blended drink or a smoothie,” says Toth.

Another benefit to using flake ice is speed. “It blends faster, and because you’re doing it quickly it doesn’t break down the fruit that you’re putting in,” says Kris Beck, director, brand operations support, Embassy Suites Hotels.

Flake ice can also be an excellent solution for food displays or temporary storage of fish or meat.

“Flake ice does a good job of creating a seal around whatever you’re chilling. For example, containers of yogurt display nicely lined up in flake ice alongside fresh fruit in bowls set down into the ice,” Beck says.

A glass of gourmet
When customers order something “on the rocks” they expect to see gourmet ice cubes, not regular cubes from a machine in the kitchen.

“They look good in a clear glass. If you think about the advertising industry, they use ice cubes that are about as uniformly perfect as possible,” Beck says.

Gourmet cubes are thick, perfectly round on the sides, flat on the top and bottom, and crystal clear. They are created in machines that filter minerals and impurities out of the water, then freeze the purified water into gourmet cube molds.

“A lot of Scotch drinkers like one cube of ice and let it sit until it melts halfway. They want it slightly diluted so that more of the flavors of the Scotch come out,” Beck says.

Re-chewable resouyrces
Chewable ice is a tiny, pellet-sized shape that looks frosted, is compact, and absorbs the liquid around it. “It’s one of the few ice forms people have an emotional attachment to. They like the chewable aspect to it,” Toth says.

Chewable ice has high liquid displacement, and just like cubed ice, it can increase beverage profits. As a bonus, chewable ice is slow melting and softer than other ice forms, which means it has the versatility to fill other ice needs.

“It’s ideal for blended cocktails, salad bars, and produce displays,” Toth says.

Energy star
How old are your ice machines? Do you ever wonder if they’re using excessive amounts of energy to meet daily ice needs? The Environmental Protection Agency is wondering the same thing.

“There has never been an Energy Star specification for commercial ice machines. The EPA is working toward developing an Energy Star specification for commercial ice machines that would go into effect in the next few years,” says Rachel Schmeltz, Energy Star Product Development, EPA.

If you weren’t paying attention to how much energy your ice machines use, now could be a good time to make sure the “oxygen” of your food and beverage operation is an asset to your bottom line.

“Our industry probably has a lot of catching up to do in terms of energy efficiency from a heating and a cooling standpoint,” Beck says.

Michael Costa is a frequent contributor and industry relations editor for HOTEL F&B.