If you need to store a large volume of food or drink out of sight, chiller trailer hire is usually the right choice. If you need guests or customers to see and help themselves to cold drinks, a glass-fronted display fridge or bottle cooler is better. Many events across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire use both: the trailer as the cold store behind the scenes and a display fridge out front.
Key facts at a glance
- Chiller trailers are for bulk cold storage and stock you keep out of view.
- Display fridges and bottle coolers are separate hire items with glass fronts, so people can see the drinks and pick them up.
- Chest freezers come in small and medium sizes and suit smaller frozen loads.
- Display fridges, bottle coolers and chest freezers all run from a standard 240V socket, so you don’t need any special installation or an engineer.
- We deliver and collect across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and the wider East Anglia region, working from our depot at Fundenhall near Norwich.
- We quote every hire individually.
What is the difference between a chiller trailer and a display fridge?
A chiller trailer is a towable cold room. It is built to hold a lot of stock at a steady temperature, such as cases of drinks, trays of prepared food or produce waiting to go out. You load it, close the door and go back to it when you need to restock.
A display fridge does a different job. It is a glass-fronted unit you put where people can see it, at a bar, a buffet, a farm shop counter or a marquee drinks station. It is not a trailer. It is a separate piece of kit that we deliver either alongside a trailer or on its own.
When is chiller trailer hire the better choice?
A trailer makes the most sense when you need volume and want it kept out of sight. Typical examples are:
- Weddings and parties where the caterer needs somewhere to keep courses cold before service.
- Festivals and fetes with several bars drawing on one central drinks store.
- Farms and growers who need extra cold storage at harvest.
- Pubs, restaurants and butchers covering a busy period or a breakdown in their own cold room.
Our trailers are GPS-tracked, and we deliver and collect them for you. You can see the sizes and layouts on our fridge trailer hire page. If you are not sure which size fits your site, just ask and we will help you work it out.
When do display fridges, bottle coolers or chest freezers make more sense?
If what you need is cold drinks people can see, a display unit usually works better than a trailer, and it takes up far less room. Here is what we hire:
- Double-door display fridge: holds up to 1,584 x 330ml cans, 1,008 x 500ml cans, or 720 bottles. It has a lit interior and adjustable shelving.
- Upright single-door bottle fridge: holds up to 441 x 330ml cans, 308 x 500ml cans, 272 x 330ml bottles or 238 x 500ml bottles.
- Back bar bottle cooler: a counter-height unit with twin sliding glass doors, holding up to 276 x 330ml cans, 188 x 500ml cans, or 143 bottles.
- Chest freezers: available in small and medium sizes, for ice, ice cream or smaller amounts of frozen food.
All of these run from a standard 240V socket. If a venue, village hall or marquee has mains power, you can plug them in and they are ready to use. You can find out more on our display fridge and chest freezer hire page.
Can you use a chiller trailer and display fridges together?
Yes, and at bigger events this often works best. The trailer holds the bulk of the stock out of sight, and the display fridges or back bar cooler keep drinks cold and in view where they are served. Bar staff restock from the trailer during quieter spells, so the fridges out front stay full.
Because we supply both, we can deliver everything in one trip and collect it together afterwards. That means one booking and one point of contact for the whole job.
How to work out what you need
Before you call us, it helps to have a rough idea of these:
- How much stock you need to keep cold, and whether any of it is frozen.
- Whether people serve themselves or staff fetch drinks from the back.
- Where the kit will go, and whether there is level, accessible ground for a trailer.
- What power you have. Display units only need a standard socket.
- Your dates, including when you need delivery and when we can collect.
Even if you only have rough answers, we can usually suggest a sensible mix of kit. If we think a trailer is more than you need, we will tell you.
Frequently asked questions
Is a display fridge a type of trailer?
No. Our display fridges, bottle coolers and chest freezers are separate hire items. We deliver them alongside a trailer or on their own.
Do display fridges need an electrician to set up?
No. Display fridges, bottle coolers and chest freezers run from a standard 240V socket, so there is no special installation and no engineer needed.
How many drinks does a double-door display fridge hold?
Up to 1,584 x 330ml cans, 1,008 x 500ml cans, or 720 bottles, depending on what you are storing.
How much does it cost to hire?
We quote every hire individually, because the price depends on the kit, your dates and where you are. Tell us what you need and we will send you a quote.
Whether you need a chiller trailer, a few display fridges or a mix of both, we are happy to talk it through and help you get it right. Take a look at our display fridge and chest freezer hire options, or contact us for a quote. We will get back to you quickly.