Ice machine for a bar (cocktail lounge / nightlife)
A bar is pounds per busy night plus a bin that survives the rush, not a gourmet-cube brochure. Beer-and-wine seats, a shaken well, bottle-chill dumps, a patio, blender drinks, and presentation rocks are separate published lines. Putting a 90-seat Saturday on a 38 lb crescent leftover, or expecting a CU50 to cover the whole well, is how the stick buys bags at 10 p.m.
This page is venue sizing (lbs/day, form factor, storage). Ice type and melt — gourmet vs nugget vs sphere vs half-dice — live on best ice for a cocktail bar. Do not treat those as the same worksheet.
This is a planning page from published application factors and current OEM sheets. It is not a dealer quote, not a review score, and not a health-code opinion. Confirm electrical, plumbing, clearance, and sanitation with the people who inspect the building.
Who this is for
- Cocktail lounges / nightlife rooms sizing a service-ice plant from a published seat or patron factor.
- Neighborhood beer-and-wine bars that should not copy the 3 lb cocktail row onto every pint guest.
- Restaurant bars treated as an add-on line on the restaurant 1.5 lb cover sheet, not stacked on the same people.
- Brewpub / taproom wells that are actually shaken drinks — the brewery page already splits beer-and-wine 1 lb from cocktail 3 lb.
It is not an ice-shape page. Gourmet, sphere, crescent, half-dice, and nugget physics stay on best ice for a cocktail bar and cube vs half-dice vs nugget vs flake.
Published lb/seat and lb/person factors
Foodservice charts do publish bar, nightclub, and cocktail rows. They do not all print the same number. Those are dealer / buyer-guide / OEM-planning rules of thumb, not a manufacturer warranty and not a lab measurement. We do not invent a VenueIce average in the middle.
| Published line | Factor | What the source is talking about |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Store Equipment, bar or nightclub | About 3 lb per seat on a busy night | Increase for “cocktail-intensive menus, multiple wells, bottle chilling, and outdoor service.” FAQ repeats about 3 lb per seat as “a common starting estimate for a busy bar.” Dated Jul 15, 2026. |
| The Kitchen Spot, cocktail bar | 3 lbs per person | Same application table as restaurant 1.5 lb/guest and beer & wine 1 lb/person. Table marked +20% for a safe margin of error. |
| GoFoodservice, cocktail service | 3 lbs per seat | Same buying-guide table as restaurant 2 lb/person. Their worked “Bar/Cocktails (3 lbs/seat)” row is that arithmetic. |
| HVACDirect, bar | 3 lbs. per customer | Business-type table next to restaurant 1.5–2 lbs. per customer. |
| Manitowoc Ice, lodging / planning table | 3 lb per person cocktail | OEM quick-reference row next to restaurant 1.5 lb and catering 1 lb. Planning table, not a warranty. |
| Light Soda On Tap, bars and cocktail lounges | 3 to 4 pounds per customer per day | “High-volume bars, particularly those running happy hour traffic through late-night service, can consume significantly more.” Dated June 4, 2026. |
| Ice Machine Sales, cocktail bar | 3 lbs per person | Bar/nightclub chart. Their FAQ repeats 3 lbs per patron for a cocktail bar (150 guests → 450 lb in their example). |
| Ice Machine Sales, beer & wine bar | 1 lb per person | Same chart. Kitchen Spot prints the same 1 lb beer-and-wine row. |
| Ice Machine Sales, nightclub | 2 lbs per person | Same chart. Not their cocktail row. Their nightclub FAQ band is 400–1,000+ lb per night depending on capacity and drink mix. |
| Ice Machine Sales, craft cocktail bar | 4 lbs per person | Same chart. A published higher cocktail-forward row — not a number we invented. |
| Naixer, cocktail-forward bars | 3–5 lbs per seat on mixed-drink-heavy menus | Manufacturer buyer guide (they sell their own machines). Their default bar line is still 3 lbs per seat per day; the 3–5 band is the cocktail-forward sentence. Dated May 22, 2026. |
| The Kitchen Spot, beer & wine bar | 1 lb per person | Neighborhood pour room. Do not copy this onto a shaken well, and do not copy 3 lb onto every pint. |
| The Kitchen Spot, coffee / smoothie bar | 2.5 lb per person | Frozen / blender tickets only. Same row already on the smoothie page. Do not stack it on the 3 lb cocktail seat. |
| Atlantic, reserves | 15–25% seasonal restaurant / busy bar / growth; 25–30% outdoor / event / highly variable summer | Patio and beer-garden nights sit on the outdoor band if that is the actual risk. |
| The Kitchen Spot, reserve / hot room | +20% on the application table; 15% or more less make in a 90° kitchen with ~70° water | Their surplus-maker rule: buy about 20% more production than daily need (10% once you are past 1,000 lb/day). |
| Light Soda, bar buffer | 15–20% on their FAQ formula | Same page’s summer-market sentence is at least 15–25%. |
The VenueIce sizing table already starts a cocktail bar at about 3 lb per seat and notes that some guides use 3–4 lb per customer. Use 3 lb when the source that matches the room is Atlantic, Kitchen Spot, GoFoodservice, HVACDirect, Manitowoc, or Ice Machine Sales’ cocktail row. Use 3–4 lb when the source is Light Soda. Use Ice Machine Sales 4 lb only on their craft-cocktail row. Use Naixer 3–5 only as that manufacturer page’s cocktail-forward band — it is not a fourth VenueIce factor. Use Kitchen Spot / Ice Machine Sales 1 lb for beer-and-wine seats. Use Ice Machine Sales 2 lb only on their nightclub row. Do not average 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 into a new number.
Separate lines — do not stack the same people
A pint room, a shaken well, a bottle dump, a patio, a blender, and a sphere program are not one stacked factor.
- Beer / wine–heavy neighborhood bar vs cocktail-intensive well. Kitchen Spot and Ice Machine Sales print 1 lb and 3 lb on the same charts. Atlantic’s 3 lb seat line is the bar/nightclub starting point and tells you to increase for cocktail-intensive menus. Pick the row that matches what that seat actually drinks. Do not add 1 + 3 on one body.
- Bottle-chilling / well dumps. Atlantic names bottle chilling and multiple wells as add-ons to the 3 lb seat line, not as a published lb-per-bottle table. Their 90-seat worked example puts 35 lb on “patio and specialty chilling” as their figure. Weigh a well fill and count refills on a peak night if you can — Atlantic’s FAQ says that measurement is more reliable than the seat factor alone. We do not invent pounds per unlabeled dump.
- Patio / outdoor service. Atlantic’s adjustment column and their 25–30% outdoor reserve are the published patio bump. Do not also invent a second patio lb/seat.
- Frozen / blender drinks. Kitchen Spot’s 2.5 lb/person coffee/smoothie line replaces the 3 lb cocktail row for those tickets, it does not sit on top of it. See smoothie / juice.
- Presentation gourmet / sphere. Atlantic’s 90-seat note: if the bar uses large-format or gourmet ice for selected drinks, “that specialty demand should be calculated separately rather than assuming one machine can produce every required ice style.” Kitchen Spot’s “multiple units” paragraph is the same split (access + ice type). That second cabinet is the best ice for a cocktail bar plant — CU50 / CU0415 / IM-50 class — not the service-ice leftover.
- Restaurant dining room. The restaurant page already runs 1.5 lb/guest plus a 3 lb well as its own line. Do not also multiply those diners by 3.
- Brewery taproom. Kitchen Spot beer-and-wine 1 lb is the brewery default. A shaken well in that room is this page’s 3 lb row on those seats only.
Cube, half-dice, crescent, gourmet, sphere, and nugget shape math lives on best ice for a cocktail bar and cube vs half-dice vs nugget vs flake.
Worked 40-seat room
Same peak-day method as the sizing page: count the seats (or the people who actually take ice), pick a published factor, add the reserve the source uses. One well. No restaurant covers, no patio line, no blender.
40 seats, busy night.
Cocktail / mixed-drink starting points (do not stack these on each other):
- Atlantic / Kitchen Spot / GoFoodservice / HVACDirect / Manitowoc / Ice Machine Sales cocktail 3 lb: 40 × 3 = 120 lb
- Kitchen Spot +20% on that 120 lb: 144 lb
- Atlantic busy-bar reserve 15–25% on 120 lb: 138–150 lb
- Light Soda 3–4 lb per customer if tonight’s headcount is about 40: 120–160 lb
- Ice Machine Sales craft-cocktail 4 lb: 160 lb; Kitchen Spot +20% → 192 lb
- Naixer cocktail-forward 3–5 lb/seat (their manufacturer page): 120–200 lb. We do not treat 5 lb as a VenueIce default.
Beer-and-wine / nightclub rows on the same 40 seats — only if that is actually the room:
- Kitchen Spot / Ice Machine Sales beer & wine 1 lb: 40 lb; +20% → 48 lb
- Ice Machine Sales nightclub 2 lb: 80 lb
The 120–150 lb Atlantic / Kitchen Spot 3 lb band is past every compact 26–38 lb leftover in this directory (CU50 26 lb; CU0415 36 lb; IM-50BAA-Q 36 lb; C-80BAK 27 lb; KM-81BAK 38 lb). It fits the larger undercounter bins if they start full: KM-161BAK stores 78 lb; UYF-0140A / UYF-0190A store 90 lb. Those are service cube / half-dice / crescent cabinets. They are not the gourmet plant.
The 40–48 lb beer-and-wine band can live on a KM-81BAK 38 lb leftover only if the bin is full and almost entirely scoopable. Hoshizaki’s current KM-161 copy still says the 156 lb crescent cabinet is “perfect for small bars, hotel lobbies, and office break rooms.”
Add-ons still as their own rows. Do not fold them into 3 lb/seat:
- Bottle wells / chilling: weigh a fill. Atlantic’s 90-seat example is the only published “specialty chilling” pound figure we use below, and it belongs to that example.
- Frozen / blender tickets: Kitchen Spot 2.5 lb/person on those guests only.
- Gourmet / sphere rocks: second machine — see the presentation table.
Worked 90-seat cocktail-focused bar (Atlantic’s example)
Atlantic’s published cocktail-focused example is a 90-seat bar with high cocktail volume, three wells, and a summer patio. We use their steps. We do not invent a fourth seat factor.
Atlantic’s arithmetic (Jul 15, 2026 article):
- Starting estimate: 90 × 3 lb = 270 lb
- Patio and specialty chilling: 35 lb (their figure)
- Peak-day subtotal: 305 lb
- 25% seasonal reserve: 76.25 lb
- Target: 381.25 lb/day — they say compare models around 400 lb/day
Same 90 seats on the other published cocktail rows, labeled:
- Kitchen Spot 3 lb + +20%, no patio add-on: 270 × 1.20 = 324 lb
- Atlantic busy-bar 15–25% on 270 lb (seat line only): 311–338 lb
- Light Soda 3–4 lb/customer on 90 people: 270–360 lb before their 15–20% buffer
- Ice Machine Sales craft-cocktail 4 lb: 360 lb; Kitchen Spot +20% → 432 lb
- Ice Machine Sales nightclub 2 lb if you wrongly copy that row onto a cocktail lounge: 180 lb — that is their nightclub line
- Kitchen Spot beer & wine 1 lb if you wrongly copy the pint row onto a shaken 90-seat room: 90 lb
381–400 lb on Atlantic’s own target is past every undercounter bin in this directory (largest built-in is 90 lb on the NEO 140/190 sheet). It is also past the 90/70 columns we have on those cabinets (UYF-0190A 140 lb; ICEU150HA 130 lb). That is a modular cube head + bin job for service ice. Atlantic’s own next sentence: gourmet / large-format ice is a separate calculation. See best ice for a cocktail bar.
A restaurant that adds this 90-seat well on top of dining-room 1.5 lb covers is two lines, not one 3 lb room.
The rush window (bin vs 24-hour make)
A 24-hour rating is not a bucket. Bar ice is taken in a short window — happy hour, then the late rush — not as 5 lb every hour for 24 hours. Busy bars die on the leftover, not the brochure “up to.”
Atlantic’s own bin example (restaurant page of the same article) is 240 lb during a three-hour dinner rush on a 600 lb/day machine. They divide 600 by 24 to get a theoretical 25 lb/hour, subtract 75 lb of make during the window, and still need stored ice plus opening stock. See ice bin sizing for the modular-head version of that formula.
Take the 40-seat Kitchen Spot / Atlantic 3 lb line (120 lb before reserve). If even half of that is scooped in 2.5 hours:
- Rush pull: about 60 lb in 2.5 hours
- KM-81BAK stored ice: 38 lb. Make during the window at the sheet’s 76 lb @ 90/70 is 76 ÷ 24 ≈ 3.2 lb/hour × 2.5 h ≈ 8 lb. On paper: ~46 lb against a 60 lb pull. The leftover is empty before last call.
- KM-161BAK stored ice: 78 lb. The current HTML page (retrieved 2026-09-13) still does not print a 90/70 production cell, so we do not invent hourly make. On stored ice alone the 78 lb bin covers a 60 lb pull if it is actually full at 5:30.
- UYF-0140A stored ice: 90 lb. Make during the window at the sheet’s 100 lb @ 90/70 is 100 ÷ 24 ≈ 4.2 lb/hour × 2.5 h ≈ 10 lb. On paper: ~100 lb against a 60 lb cocktail-only pull.
- Add bottle-chill dumps to the same window and the 90 lb undercounter bin is the constraint, not the 24-hour column.
Take Atlantic’s 90-seat target (~381 lb after their 25% patio reserve). If even half hits in three hours (~190 lb):
- Largest undercounter bin here: 90 lb. You are short before anyone opens a well.
- A modular head on a B-300SF (300 lb application capacity) is the storage class that rush is talking about — if the bin is actually full and usable. Ice can bridge; Atlantic says nominal bin pounds are not perfectly scoopable inventory.
That hourly split (24-hour rating ÷ 24) is arithmetic, not an OEM hourly guarantee. Harvest is cyclic. A boxed-in well alcove will not even give you the 90/70 column. See how to size and air-cooled vs water-cooled.
Kitchen Spot’s usual bin rule is 10–20% larger than daily make, except the church / one-or-two-days-a-week pattern. A bar turns the leftover every open night. Do not park a week of ice in a sealed bin. Follow the clean/sanitize interval on the machine sheet. We are not writing a health-department letter.
Scotsman HID525 stores 25 lb in a dispenser hopper. That is not a dump bin. It has to keep making ice during the rush.
Well / back-bar heat derate
Manufacturer “up to” numbers are a 70°F air / 50°F water comparison point. The machine that lives in a closed well, next to a glass washer, or on an unconditioned patio closet is not in that room.
- Kitchen Spot: if the machine is in a 90° kitchen with ~70° water, “you can expect less ice production by as much as 15% or more.” Ice-O-Matic, Scotsman, and Manitowoc “all publish output for various models at different ambient temperatures.”
- Atlantic: a hot, poorly ventilated room is not the DOE test. Do not pick a machine whose advertised capacity exactly equals peak demand with no margin.
- GoFoodservice: listed capacities are under ideal conditions; “actual output may be 10–15% lower in hot environments.”
- Light Soda: real-world output varies with ambient temperature, water quality, and usage. Size for peak, not average.
Cited 70/50 → 90/70 drops on sheets we opened (air-cooled unless noted):
| Model | 70/50 | 90/70 | Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotsman CU50 | 65 lb | 49 lb on the current Scotsman page (retrieved 2026-09-13) | 25% |
| Scotsman CU0415 | 60 lb | 40 lb on the Scotsman product page already cited on that directory page | 33% |
| Manitowoc UYF-0140A | 137 lb | 100 lb | 27% |
| Manitowoc UYF-0190A | 193 lb | 140 lb | 27% |
| Ice-O-Matic ICEU150HA | 185 lb | 130 lb | 30% |
| Hoshizaki KM-81BAK | 98 lb (“up to” on the product page) | 76 lb on the KM-81/116 BAK sheet already cited on that directory page | 22% |
| Hoshizaki KM-161BAK | 156 lb | Not on the HTML product page we opened 2026-09-13 — omitted | — |
| Hoshizaki IM-50BAA-Q | ~50 lb / 500 spheres | Not on the HTML product page we opened 2026-09-13 — omitted | — |
| Hoshizaki C-80BAK | 92 lb “approximately” | Not on that HTML page — omitted | — |
| Ice-O-Matic CIM0430A | 435 lb | 320 lb on the Webstaurant CIM0430 PDF already cited on that directory page. A 2025 depot reprint is flagged there as 310 lb — treat 90/70 as labeled / uncertain until you open the current Ice-O-Matic PDF | 26% on the 320 lb cell |
| Scotsman C0330MA-1 | 400 lb | 288 lb AHRI (Rewonline listing already cited on that directory page) | 28% |
| Manitowoc IYT0450A | 490 lb on the URI listing | 378 lb AHRI @ 90/70 already cited on that directory page | 23% |
| Hoshizaki KM-520MAJ | ~556 lb | Not on the HTML product page already cited on that directory page — omitted | — |
| Scotsman HID525 | 500 lb | 380 lb on the current Scotsman page (older 02/21 PDFs listed 365 lb air-cooled @ 90/70 — directory page already flags the spread) | 24% on the 380 lb cell |
Compare the 90/70 column to the peak-night target when the sheet has one. A 400 lb “up to” head that makes 288 lb in a 90° well closet is a 288 lb machine that Saturday.
Air-cooled cabinets also dump heat into that hole. KM-520MAJ heat rejection is 7,000 BTU/h on the current product page. KM-161BAK is 2,800 BTU/h. KM-81BAK is 1,800 BTU/h. IM-50BAA-Q is 1,500 BTU/h on the page we opened 2026-09-13. CU50 is 1,965 BTU/h on the current Scotsman page. NEO U-140 / U-190 family sheet: 2,150 average / 2,600 peak. CIM0430A sheet: 5,100 BTU/h. Those BTUs become room cooling load on an air-cooled cabinet behind the stick. See air-cooled vs water-cooled.
Form factor: undercounter well vs modular head + bin
Atlantic, GoFoodservice, Light Soda, and HVACDirect all draw the same line: undercounter when demand is low-to-moderate and the built-in bin covers the rush; modular head + bin when production is high or storage has to be chosen separately. Ice Machine Sales’ bar page puts undercounters at 50–350 lb/day “behind the bar” and modular cube plants at 300–2,000+ lb/day.
| Job | Typical form | Do not use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Beer-and-wine well, Kitchen Spot 1 lb × ~40, 115 V | Compact undercounter (KM-81, AM-50) | 40-seat cocktail 3 lb night; three-well 90-seat |
| 40-seat cocktail, Atlantic / Kitchen Spot 3 lb × 40 (~120–150 lb), bin covers the rush | Large undercounter cube / half-dice (KM-161, UYF-0140/0190, ICEU150) | Atlantic’s 90-seat ~400 lb target; gourmet rocks for every glass |
| Presentation gourmet / sphere | Second undercounter at the stick (CU50, CU0415, IM-50) — ice type page | High-volume service ice; packing every tin |
| Frozen / blender / chewable highball | Cubelet undercounter (C-80) or nugget dispenser (HID525) on those tickets | The half-dice well; ice baths |
| 90-seat cocktail / nightlife, Atlantic ~400 lb or Ice Machine Sales 200-guest 3 lb (600 lb) | Modular cube head + bin sized to the rush | A 90 lb undercounter leftover |
| Restaurant bar as an add-on | Same 3 lb well line on the restaurant sheet | Stacking 3 lb on 1.5 lb covers |
| Brewery taproom beer pour | Brewery 1 lb row | Copying 3 lb onto every pint |
| Nightclub, Ice Machine Sales 400–1,000+ lb FAQ | Modular + bin; their copy also allows undercounter at each station plus a back-of-house head | One 78 lb crescent leftover |
Undercounter is one 115 V cabinet with a built-in bin. HVACDirect calls undercounter machines “ideal for offices, cafes, and smaller establishments with constrained space.” GoFoodservice’s most popular undercounter sentence is bar service, “where bartenders need quick, easy access to ice without leaving the service area.” Their undercounter band is 50–500 lb/day make with 7–250 lb built-in storage; their “typical commercial output” sentence for standard bar/restaurant use is 100–250 lb per day. Light Soda’s published bands put under 300 lb/day in compact undercounter / countertop territory and 300–600 lb/day in “mid-range undercounter or small modular.” This directory’s largest undercounter bin is 90 lb. Once the rush needs more stored ice than that, you have left undercounter class even if a brochure still says “under 300 lb/day.” Form-factor background: undercounter vs modular vs countertop.
Modular head + bin is how you get Atlantic’s rush-window storage and Kitchen Spot’s 10–20% larger bin than daily make. Production and storage are separate SKUs. Order the bin (and any top kit) from the head’s compatibility list. GoFoodservice’s modular line starts at 250 lb/day. The smallest modular cube heads in this directory are the 400–550 lb class. That is a back-of-house plant, often hardwired, not a 15″ well plug-in.
Do not put presentation gourmet / sphere on the same machine as high-volume service ice. CU50 makes 65 / 49 lb. IM-50BAA-Q makes ~50 lb / 500 spheres. A 40-seat 3 lb night is 120 lb before reserve. Those cabinets cannot be the service plant. See best ice for a cocktail bar.
Current service undercounters (OEM sheets)
Figures are manufacturer ratings. Full citations live on each directory page. Street prices omitted. These cabinets are well and small-lounge tools unless you also have a dump bin for a 90-seat Saturday.
| Model | Ice | Cited make | Bin | Cabinet / power | Bar note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoshizaki KM-81BAK | Crescent | 98 lb “up to” on the current product page; 76 lb @ 90/70 on the KM-81/116 BAK sheet | 38 lb (AHRI 820; 1.3 ft³ × 30 lb/ft³) | 17.75″ × 24″ × 39″; 115/60/1, 2.4 A, 15 A max fuse, 6.5 ft NEMA 5-15P | Hoshizaki copy: small bars / hotel lobbies / office break rooms. 39″ H will not fit a 36″ counter. 1,800 BTU/h. Beer-and-wine 40-seat leftover, not a 120 lb cocktail night. |
| Hoshizaki KM-161BAK | Crescent | 156 lb on the current product page (retrieved 2026-09-13). 90/70 not on that HTML page | 78 lb (2.6 ft³, AHRI 820 method) | 23.75″ × 28″ × 39″; 115/60/1, 3.5 A, 15 A max fuse, 6.5 ft 5-15P | Current Hoshizaki copy: “perfect for small bars, hotel lobbies, and office break rooms.” Bin that can cover a 40-seat 3 lb rush half if it starts full. 2,800 BTU/h. Front-in / front-out. R290. |
| Manitowoc UYF-0140A | Half-dice | 137 / 100 lb (NEO 140/190 family sheet, 6/22) | 90 lb | 26″ × 28.50″ × 38.50″ (height includes 6″ legs on that sheet); 115 V, 5 A, 15 A max fuse, 6 ft 5-15P | Biggest undercounter bin in this directory. Dice sibling is UDF-0140A on the same table. Family sheet lists R-404A — confirm the data plate. |
| Manitowoc UYF-0190A | Half-dice | 193 / 140 lb (same NEO sheet) | 90 lb | Same 26″ cabinet family; 115 V, 6 A, 15 A max fuse, 6 ft 5-15P | More make, same 90 lb bin — overnight refill is faster; 5:30 scoop capacity does not grow. |
| Ice-O-Matic ICEU150HA | Half cube | 185 / 130 lb on the circulated ICEU150 sheet | 70 lb | 24.54″ × 26.27″ × 39″; 115 V. 9.7 A on one distributor sheet — confirm the current OEM PDF | Directory page already says verify the model has not been superseded. ENERGY STAR on the cited sheet. |
KM-81BAK and KM-161BAK are R290 on those current Hoshizaki pages. A Hoshizaki AM-50BAK (54 lb, 27 lb bin) is a suite / office / garnish cabinet. It is not a 40-seat cocktail plant.
Current presentation / gourmet cabinets (own machine)
These are the stick cabinets already on best ice for a cocktail bar. They are not the 3 lb/seat service plant.
| Model | Ice | Cited make | Bin | Cabinet / power | Bar note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotsman CU50 | Gourmet cube | 65 / 49 lb on the current Scotsman page (retrieved 2026-09-13) | 26 lb | 14.9″ × 22″ × 34.4″; 115/60/1; 15 A max fuse; R290; 1,965 BTU/h | Outdoor use stated on that page. 11.0 kWh/100 lb, 29.8 gal/100 lb. A 26 lb leftover empties if you pack tins from it. |
| Scotsman CU0415 | Medium cube | 60 / 40 lb on the Scotsman product page already cited on that directory page | 36 lb | 15″ × 24″ × 38″; 115 V; 15 A max fuse on the family reprint | More storage than CU50, slightly less make. Family brochure also lists “up to 58 lb” — directory used the product-page 60/40 pair. |
| Hoshizaki IM-50BAA-Q | Sphere | ~50 lb or 500 spheres / 24 h on the current product page (retrieved 2026-09-13). 90/70 production omitted | 36 lb (AHRI 820 method on that page) | 24.75″ × 20.75″ × 39.5″; 115/60/1, 5 A, 15 A max fuse, 6.5 ft 5-15P | 15 spheres per harvest. 15.7 kWh/100 lb @ 90/70, 69 gal/100 lb, 1,500 BTU/h. Front-in / back-out (not front-out). R-134a (7.1 oz). |
| Hoshizaki C-80BAK | Mini cubelet | 92 lb “approximately.” 90/70 not on that HTML page | 27 lb | Same 15″ family as AM-50; 115/60/1, 2.8 A, 15 A max fuse, 6 ft 5-15P | Chewable / blender leftover. Same tiny 27 lb bin. Not a 120 lb well. |
Current modular heads + bins (OEM sheets)
Pair the head with a bin from the compatibility list, not with an undercounter leftover. Bar logic is the same as restaurant F&B once the leftover is too small: storage for the service window.
| Model | Ice | Cited make | Cabinet / power | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoshizaki KM-520MAJ | Crescent | ~556 lb (“approximately” / “up to 556” on the current product page). 90/70 not extracted from that HTML | 22″ × 27.375″ × 28″; 115 V hardwire, 10.6 A, 20 A max fuse; 7,000 BTU/h | Compatible bins on the page include B-250 through B-1300 and DB/DM dispensers. Slim-line; two heads side by side is a documented Hoshizaki layout. ENERGY STAR stated on the page. |
| Manitowoc IYT0450A | Half-dice | 490 lb/day on the URI listing already cited on that directory page (no 90/70 cell on that HTML). Directory page already cites 378 lb AHRI @ 90/70 | 30″ × 24.5″ × 21.5″ on that URI page (some earlier copy 24″ D — use the current cut sheet); 115 V, MCA 11.9 A, 20 A max fuse. Cord vs hardwire: confirm the current sheet | Head only. URI copy suggests D400 / D570 bins and marks the head not stackable. R410A on that page. |
| Ice-O-Matic CIM0430A | Half cube | 435 / 320 lb on the Webstaurant CIM0430/0435/0436 PDF already cited on that directory page. A 2025 reprint is flagged there as 310 lb @ 90/70 | 30.25″ × 24.25″ × 21.25″; 115/60/1; min. circuit 11.0 A, 15 A fuse; 5,100 BTU/h on that PDF | ENERGY STAR mark on the sheet. Head only; B25–B1660 on that PDF. Dual exhaust; 6″ intake/exhaust clearance. Water-cooled CIM0430W is a different water-use story (169 gal/100 lb condenser water on the same PDF). |
| Scotsman C0330MA-1 | Medium cube | 400 / 288 lb (70/50 and AHRI 90/70 on the Rewonline listing already cited on that directory page) | 30″ × 24″ × 23″; 115/60/1, 14.3 A. Often hardwired on Prodigy Plus copy — confirm the current sheet | ENERGY STAR on that listing. Common bins in circulated copy include B330 / B530. Atlantic’s 90-seat “around 400 lb/day” shopping sentence is this class at 70/50 — the 90/70 cell is 288 lb. |
Hoshizaki bins already cited on the restaurant, catering, and ice-bin pages (application capacity = volume × 30 lb/ft³ on each page; height includes 6″ legs; top kits sold separately):
| Bin (current OEM page) | Application capacity | Width × depth × height | Why a bar looks at it |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-300SF | 300 lb (11.51 ft³) | 22″ × 32.5″ × 46″ | Same width as KM-520MAJ. Covers a 40-seat 120–150 lb night only if the bin is actually full and usable. Tight on Atlantic’s 90-seat 305 lb subtotal. 3/4″ FPT drain. |
| B-500SF | 500 lb (16.33 ft³) | 30″ × 32.5″ × 46″ | Kitchen Spot’s “bin 10–20% larger than daily make” idea on a 400–450 lb head, or Ice Machine Sales’ 200-guest 3 lb (600 lb) example if you are not already past this leftover. 22″ head needs the top kit on the sheet. |
A 200 lb-class head is not in this directory today. Do not assume a 22″ head drops onto a 30″ or 44″ lid without the top kit on the current sheet.
Scotsman HID525 current product page already cited on that directory page: 500 / 380 lb, 25 lb hopper (dispenser, not a dump bin), 21.25″ × 24.38″ × 35″, 115 V. Older PDFs listed 365 lb air-cooled @ 90/70 — treat the 90/70 cell as labeled / confirm SKU. A 25 lb hopper has to keep making ice during the rush. That is a chewable / soda-gun chute, not the 270 lb cocktail leftover.
Power, drain, air, filter (well realism)
Many bar ice rooms are a tight hole: one circuit, a glass-washer drain, a closed cabinet, and a louver someone boxed in. Read the sheet before the quote.
- 115 V cord-and-plug on the compact cabinets above (KM-81, KM-161, UYF-0140/0190, CU50, IM-50, C-80). A KM-520MAJ is a hardwired 115 V / 20 A-class head. CIM0430A’s cited sheet is 115 V, 11.0 A min. circuit, 15 A fuse — confirm cord vs junction box on the current PDF. Two cabinets plus a blender on one well circuit is an electrician question.
- Drain. Gravity to a nearby floor drain or sink tail if the sheet’s fall and fitting work (KM-81 / KM-161 / KM-520 / IM-50: 3/4″ FPT on those current pages; NEO family sheet: 1/2″ FPT ice-making drain and 1/2″ FPT bin drain). Hoshizaki accessory HS-5061 is the listed drain pump on AM/C/KM compact units. CU50’s current page lists a factory drain-pump option. Melt water is not optional.
- Air / well. Front-in / front-out cabinets (KM-81BAK, KM-161BAK, C-80BAK) exist for tight holes. IM-50BAA-Q is front-in / back-out on the page we opened — it needs the rear discharge the sheet shows. Modular heads still need the clearance on the sheet (CIM0430A PDF: 6″ intake and exhaust). A boxed-in louver is a derate. Use the 90/70 column if you have it.
- Water-cooled condensers dump heat into condenser water. CIM0430W on the same Ice-O-Matic PDF lists 169 gal/100 lb condenser water. Many cities restrict once-through cooling. Do not pick water-cooled to hide a closed well without a mechanical reason.
- Filter. Ice-machine filter, not the soda-gun cartridge. See filters and descalers.
- Water pressure. Hoshizaki KM compact and KM-520 pages list about 10–113 psig. IM-50BAA-Q lists 7–113 psig on the page we opened 2026-09-13. Manitowoc NEO and the CIM0430 sheet list 20–80 psi. Too little pressure and harvest fails.
- Sanitation (short). Ice in a glass is food. Use a scoop, keep the bin door closed, and follow the clean/descale interval on the machine sheet. NSF marks are on the sheets. This is not health-code legal advice; the inspector’s sheet wins.
- Do not use a household countertop nugget machine as if it were NSF commercial equipment unless the listing says it is.
What this page is not
- Not an ice-type page. Gourmet vs nugget vs sphere vs half-dice stays on best ice for a cocktail bar. This page is lbs/day, bin, and form factor.
- Not a restaurant cover count. Dining-room 1.5 lb/guest stays on the restaurant guide. The well is an add-on line there.
- Not a country-club campus. A 19th-hole cocktail well uses this 3 lb seat line. The grill, the ballroom, and a pool fountain are separate lines on ice machine for a country club.
- Not a stadium suite. A cocktail well in a bar uses this 3 lb seat line. Arena VIP guests at Ice Machine Sales 3 lb per guest, plus concessions, are ice machine for a stadium. Do not add the two 3 lb rows.
- Not a brewery glycol page. Beer-pour 1 lb and process cooling stay on the brewery guide.
- Not a smoothie / blender page. Kitchen Spot 2.5 lb/person frozen tickets stay on the smoothie guide unless those tickets are the only thing this well does.
- Not a code letter. NSF marks and manuals are on the sheets. We do not say an install “meets” a health department.
- Not a review. No scores, no invented “we installed N of these behind bar Y.”
- Not a price list.
- Not a nightclub. Ice Machine Sales prints a separate nightclub row at 2 lb per person, with a 400–1,000+ lb FAQ band and undercounter wells plus a modular back-of-house head. That worksheet is ice machine for a nightclub. This page’s 40-seat and 90-seat examples stay on the cocktail 3 lb line (or beer-and-wine 1 lb).
- Not a fourth invented lb/seat. Published cocktail starting points we opened are 3 lb (Atlantic / Kitchen Spot / GoFoodservice / HVACDirect / Manitowoc / Ice Machine Sales cocktail). Published ranges on other rows are Light Soda 3–4, Ice Machine Sales craft 4, Naixer cocktail-forward 3–5, Ice Machine Sales nightclub 2, and beer-and-wine 1. We show the methods. We do not average them.
Sources
- Atlantic Store Equipment, Commercial Ice Machine Sizing Guide — bar or nightclub about 3 lb per seat, increase for cocktail-intensive menus, multiple wells, bottle chilling, and outdoor service; FAQ “How much ice does a bar need?” repeats about 3 lb per seat; worked 90-seat cocktail-focused example (270 + 35 patio/specialty + 25% → 381 lb, shop ~400); gourmet / large-format ice calculated separately; reserves 15–25% (busy bar) and 25–30% (outdoor); dinner-rush bin example; two ice forms → two systems. Dated Jul 15, 2026 (retrieved 2026-09-13).
- The Kitchen Spot, Ice Machines: Sizing for Application — cocktail bar 3 lbs per person; beer & wine bar 1 lb per person; coffee/smoothie 2.5 lb per person; table marked +20%; select a maker that produces about 20% more than daily need; 90° kitchen / ~70° water can cut make by 15% or more; bin usually 10–20% larger than daily make; multiple machines for backup / access / ice type (retrieved 2026-09-13).
- GoFoodservice, Commercial Ice Machine Guide — cocktail service 3 lbs per seat; Bar/Cocktails worked row at 3 lb/seat; undercounter “most popular application” is bar service; undercounter 50–500 lb/day, “typical commercial output 100–250 lbs per day for standard bar/restaurant use”; modular 250–2,500 lb/day; actual output may be 10–15% lower in hot rooms (retrieved 2026-09-13).
- HVACDirect, Commercial Ice Machine Buying Guide — bar 3 lbs. per customer; undercounter “ideal for offices, cafes, and smaller establishments with constrained space”; modular heads “perfect for large production volumes”; gourmet ice “great for cocktails and fine dining” (retrieved 2026-09-13).
- Light Soda On Tap, How Many Pounds of Ice Does a Restaurant Need Per Day? — bars and cocktail lounges 3 to 4 pounds per customer per day; FAQ bar example 80 customers → 240–320 lb; form-factor bands under 300 / 300–600 / 600+ lb/day; summer 15–25%; size-up buffer 15–20%. Dated June 4, 2026 (retrieved 2026-09-13).
- Ice Machine Sales, Bar & Nightclub Ice Machines — cocktail bar 3 lbs per person; beer & wine 1 lb; nightclub 2 lbs; craft cocktail 4 lbs; example 200 cocktail guests → 600 lb; nightclub FAQ 400–1,000+ lb per night; undercounter 50–350 lb/day; modular 300–2,000+ lb/day; nugget 80–500 lb/day (retrieved 2026-09-13).
- Manitowoc Ice, Quick Reference Guide — cocktail 3 lb per person on the lodging / planning table already cited on the catering guide (retrieved 2026-09-11; same asset).
- Naixer, How Big of an Ice Machine Do I Need for a Bar? — default 3 lbs per seat per day; cocktail-forward 3–5 lbs per seat; 20–25% buffer; 40-seat worked example 120 → 150 lb. Manufacturer page (they sell their own machines), not an OEM application table. Dated May 22, 2026 (retrieved 2026-09-13).
- Hoshizaki, KM-161BAK product page — 156 lb, 78 lb bin, 23.75″ × 28″ × 39″, 115 V, 3.5 A, 2,800 BTU/h; “perfect for small bars, hotel lobbies, and office break rooms.” 90/70 production not on that HTML (retrieved 2026-09-13).
- Hoshizaki, IM-50BAA-Q product page — ~50 lb / 500 spheres, 36 lb bin, 24.75″ × 20.75″ × 39.5″, 115 V, 5 A, 1,500 BTU/h, 15.7 kWh/100 lb @ 90/70, 15 spheres/harvest, front-in / back-out (retrieved 2026-09-13).
- Scotsman, CU50 product page — 65 / 49 lb, 26 lb bin, 14.9″ × 22″ × 34.4″, 115 V, R290, outdoor-rated, 1,965 BTU/h (retrieved 2026-09-13).
- Hoshizaki, KM-81BAK product page — 98 lb, 38 lb bin, 17.75″ × 24″ × 39″, 115 V, 2.4 A, 1,800 BTU/h (already cited on that directory page).
- Hoshizaki, KM-520MAJ product page — ~556 lb, 22″ × 27.375″ × 28″, 115 V hardwire, 10.6 A, 20 A max fuse, 7,000 BTU/h, compatible B-250–B-1300 (already cited on that directory page).
- Hoshizaki, C-80BAK product page — 92 lb, 27 lb bin, same 15″ family, 115 V, 2.8 A (already cited on that directory page).
- Hoshizaki, B-300SF and B-500SF product pages — 300 / 500 lb application capacity; 22″ / 30″; top kits sold separately (already cited on restaurant / ice-bin pages).
- Manitowoc, NEO 140/190 family sheet — UYF-0140A 137 / 100 lb; UYF-0190A 193 / 140 lb; 90 lb bin; 26″ × 28.50″ × 38.50″ on 6″ legs; 115 V, 5 A / 6 A, 15 A max fuse, 6 ft 5-15P; 2,150 / 2,600 BTU/h (sheet 6501D 6/22; already cited on those directory pages).
- URI, IYT0450A listing — 490 lb/day, 30″ × 24.5″ × 21.5″, 115 V, MCA 11.9 A, 20 A max fuse, R410A, suggested D400 / D570, not stackable (already cited on that directory page).
- Ice-O-Matic, CIM0430/0435/0436 spec PDF — CIM0430A 435 / 320 lb, 30.25″ × 24.25″ × 21.25″, 115/60/1, 11.0 A / 15 A, 5,100 BTU/h, 6″ clearance; CIM0430W condenser water 169 gal/100 lb (already cited on that directory page).
- Rewonline, Scotsman C0330MA-1 listing — 400 lb @ 70/50, 288 lb AHRI @ 90/70, 30″ × 24″ × 23″, 115 V, 14.3 A (already cited on that directory page).
- Scotsman, HID525 product page — 500 / 380 lb, 25 lb hopper (already cited on that directory page).
- Scotsman, CU0415 product page — 60 / 40 lb, 36 lb bin (already cited on that directory page).
- Directory pages already citing the same OEM language: KM-81BAK, KM-161BAK, UYF-0140A, UYF-0190A, ICEU150HA, KM-520MAJ, IYT0450A, CIM0430A, C0330MA-1, CU50, CU0415, IM-50BAA-Q, C-80BAK, HID525, AM-50BAK.
If two sheets disagree, we say so and prefer the latest OEM page or PDF.