How do I adapt Unifrost freezer and deli counter workflow in a small or unconventional space?

In tight cafés, the goal is to eliminate cross-traffic and keep doors from being blocked.

Prioritise a straight-line route: site the upright freezer so staff can reach it without passing the customer queue, and place the DCF so restocking can happen from the staff side with minimal turning.

Use a micro-staging surface: even a small stainless shelf or a parked trolley gives you a “landing zone” for checked and labelled product. This prevents trays being set on customer-facing counters.

Split storage by frequency: keep high-turn items in the most accessible freezer shelves and push slow-moving items to harder-to-reach zones. In small spaces, this alone can save minutes per shift.

Plan for door swing and ventilation: make sure the freezer door can open fully and isn’t fighting with another door, bin, or cupboard. Poor siting often looks like a “performance problem” when it is really an access problem.

Reduce SKUs rather than overfilling equipment: if you are running one upright freezer and one DCF, a tighter menu with fewer frozen SKUs usually improves service speed and reduces waste more than adding extra pans to the DCF.

If you are working in a kiosk, container café, or unusually shaped unit, sketch the staff steps for your busiest 15 minutes and then move equipment on paper until you remove backtracking. That exercise typically reveals the best position faster than measuring alone.

Read the full guide: Optimizing Workflow Between Unifrost Upright Freezer and DCF Deli Counter: A Guide for First-Time Irish Café Owners.