How a San Francisco school meals processor doubled its space with a walk-in freezer

A school meals processor in San Francisco, CA was already using single refrigerated containers for frozen storage, but had no room to pick orders inside them. A ZSTORE 2XL freezer doubled the space to 640 ft² and gave the team a walk-in where they store and prepare orders in one place. For any team weighing walk-in freezer rental or purchase, it shows what the right layout changes.

The challenge

A single reefer container is built to hold product, not to work in. Once it is loaded, there is little room left to move, sort or build orders.

For a school meals processor, orders have to be picked and prepared, not just stored. With single containers, the team had its frozen product, but no practical space to work with it inside the cold.

The processor needed more frozen space, and a layout where its team could store and pick in the same place.

Adding more single containers would have added storage, but not solved the real problem. More boxes means more doors, more moving product in and out, and still no room to work inside.

The solution

ZGROUP supplied a ZSTORE XL modular cold storage freezer in a 2XL configuration. Two XL modules connect side by side into one open walk-in with 640 ft² of floor space.

Unlike a row of separate containers, the 2XL is one continuous room. The team can walk in, move around and build orders inside the freezer, instead of pulling product out to work on it.

Because XL modules share the space, fewer refrigeration units are needed per square foot than with single containers.

The results

• 640 ft² of floor area
• Freezer: frozen storage
• 2× space vs. a single reefer

The team now stores and prepares orders in one walk-in, with twice the space it had in a single container.

The change is as much about workflow as capacity. Storing and picking in the same cold room means less handling and fewer trips in and out of the freezer.

Walk-in freezer rental or purchase: what to consider

ZSTORE XL walk-in freezers are available to rent or to buy. Before choosing, it helps to think about how you will use the space, not just how much of it you need.

• Size for work, not just storage. One XL unit is 320 ft² with about 20 pallet positions. A 2XL gives 640 ft², a 3XL 960 ft², and so on. If your team picks inside, leave room to move.
• Mix temperatures if needed. Zones can run at different temperatures, so a cooler and a freezer can share one structure. The line covers -40°F to +104°F.
• Rent for flexibility. A walk-in freezer rental suits growing, seasonal or uncertain demand.
• Buy for the long term. For steady, permanent needs, owning makes sense. ZGROUP equipment comes with a 5-year warranty.

Either way, installation is simple. Units are delivered in under 60 days and installed in 2 to 5 days, with no civil works and minimal site prep. They run on Thermo King refrigeration, ZTRACK monitors temperature and alarms remotely, and modules can be moved and reinstalled at another site.

What is a walk-in freezer?

A walk-in freezer is a frozen-storage room you can walk into, typically held at 0°F or below, for frozen food, ice cream, seafood, meat or bakery products. Rather than building one, ZGROUP delivers walk-in freezers ready to run: a refrigerated container that works as a portable walk-in freezer down to -40°F, or a ZSTORE XL modular freezer of any size, like the 2XL in this project. Rent or buy, indoors or outdoors, with no construction.

See every option on our walk-in freezer page, and more cold storage projects in California.

Is it right for your operation?

If your team is outgrowing single containers or needs room to pick inside the cold, a walk-in may be the upgrade. See how ZSTORE XL modular cold storage works, or talk to our team about renting or buying.