It’s the first thing almost everyone asks when they call us, usually right after “how fast can you get it here?” So here’s the straight answer, and then the parts of the answer that actually matter.
Most of our customers pay somewhere between $3 and $18 a day to lease a commercial ice machine. Where you land in that range depends almost entirely on how much ice you need. A small undercounter unit behind a coffee bar sits at the low end. A 1,300-pound modular machine feeding a busy restaurant or a hotel sits at the high end.
What you pay to get started
With Avalanche Ice you pay the first and last month’s lease payment, and that’s it. There’s no installation fee. For most businesses that comes to less than $400 up front, and the machine is usually in and making ice within 48 to 72 hours of signing.
Compare that to buying. A new commercial ice machine, the storage bin it sits on, a water filter and the install add up to a real check, often several thousand dollars before you’ve made a single cube. For a new restaurant that’s already paying for a hood system, walk-in and a POS, that’s money you’d probably rather keep in the bank.
What’s included in the monthly price
This is the part people underestimate. The lease payment isn’t just rent on a box. With our leases, the monthly price covers:
- The Hoshizaki machine itself
- Installation
- Service calls and repairs from normal use, at no extra charge
- Routine maintenance, including cleaning the inside of the machine
That last one is worth a second look. Ice machines need regular internal cleaning and sanitizing, and it’s one of the things health inspectors pay attention to. On a lease, that’s our job. Your staff wipes down the outside and keeps the area around it clean. We handle the rest.
Why the repair coverage matters so much here
Jacksonville is hard on ice machines. From May through September a lot of kitchens and back rooms run hot, and an air-cooled machine working in a hot room has to work harder and makes less ice. Compressors and evaporators are the parts that tend to fail under that kind of load, and replacing either one on a machine you own is a four-figure repair. Usually on a Friday night in July.
When the machine is leased, that call comes to us and the repair is on us. That’s the real value of leasing. The daily rate is predictable, and so is everything after it.
What makes one lease cost more than another
- Daily ice production. Bigger machines cost more per day. Sizing correctly is the single biggest lever on price.
- Type of ice. Standard crescent cubes are the most common. Cubelet (nugget) ice and ice dispensers are specialty equipment and price accordingly.
- New vs. previously leased. We also lease previously-leased Hoshizaki machines at a lower monthly rate than brand-new ones, with the same installation and service. If you’re watching every dollar, ask about our Previously-Leased Specials.
A few honest caveats
Leasing is for commercial customers only, and every business is reviewed individually (most qualify without any trouble). We don’t offer lease-to-own, so if you know you want to own the machine outright someday, buying may be the better fit for you, and we’ll tell you that.
And don’t size down just to save a dollar a day. A machine that’s a little too big shuts itself off when the bin is full. A machine that’s too small runs out of ice on your busiest night, and that costs a lot more than the difference in lease price.
Get an actual number
The fastest way to get a real quote is a two-minute phone call. Tell us what kind of business you run and roughly how much ice you go through, and we’ll tell you which machine fits and what it costs per month. Call (904) 620-9813, Monday through Friday, 7:00 to 3:30, or send us a message and we’ll call you back within one business day.
