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Revolutionizing Ice Machine Hygiene Across SUBWAY® Franchises with Icezone

April 16, 2026 by
Revolutionizing Ice Machine Hygiene Across SUBWAY® Franchises with Icezone
Biozone Scientific


Biozone Scientific partnered with the Rottinghaus Company - the world’s largest SUBWAY® franchisee - to take on a costly, persistent challenge: keeping ice machines clean, safe, and inspection-ready across hundreds of restaurants.

Based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Rottinghaus operates more than 400 SUBWAY® locations across the Midwest. With scale came a major issue - ice machine maintenance was eating up time, money, and staff resources.


  The Problem

Commercial ice machines were becoming a significant operational and maintenance burden across hundreds of restaurant locations.

Despite frequent cleanings, machines suffered with:

  Buildup
  Mold
  Yeast

That led to further issues such as: 

  Constant maintenance cycles
  Risk of health code violations
  Concerns over beverage quality

And the process wasn’t simple. Every cleaning meant shutting machines down, tearing them apart, using harsh chemicals, and throwing away usable ice—all while staff were already stretched thin.


  The Solution

After testing multiple approaches with limited success, Rottinghaus discovered Biozone Scientific’s Icezone system at a SUBWAY® franchise event.

Icezone uses advanced Photoplasma™ technology to provide continuous automated ice machine hygiene, helping reduce mold, biofilm, and microbial buildup between scheduled cleans. The system runs automatically, requires no chemicals, and reduces the need for constant deep cleaning.


Ice machine hygiene improvements during Icezone trial at SUBWAY® franchise location


  The Results

The first trial was simple, but eye-opening.

After five weeks of operation, the commercial ice machine remained in a condition comparable to immediately following a professional deep clean.

That result changed everything.

Rottinghaus quickly expanded testing to eight additional locations. The performance stayed consistent, and the decision was made to roll out Icezone across all ice machines in their system.

The impact was immediate and measurable:


  Cleaner machines with fewer sanitation concerns
  Lower maintenance and cleaning costs
  Fewer service interruptions and emergency calls

  Longer-lasting equipment across locations


The Challenge of Managing Ice Machine Hygiene Across Multiple Locations

Maintaining consistent ice machine hygiene across a large restaurant network can be difficult. Cleaning standards, staffing levels, maintenance schedules, and operational pressures often vary from site to site.

For franchise groups and multi-location operators, recurring issues such as mold, biofilm, scale buildup, and equipment downtime can create significant costs when multiplied across dozens or hundreds of locations.

Automated ice machine hygiene solutions help create greater consistency by supporting cleaner conditions between scheduled maintenance cycles.


Quick-Fire Questions

Why do restaurant ice machines require frequent cleaning?

  Commercial ice machines operate in environments where moisture, organic matter, and microbial contamination can lead to mold, biofilm, and scale buildup over time.

What are the costs of poor ice machine hygiene?

  Poor hygiene can increase maintenance costs, equipment downtime, labor requirements, service callouts, and potential food safety concerns.

How can multi-site restaurant operators improve ice machine hygiene?

  Many operators use a combination of preventative maintenance, regular cleaning programs, and continuous hygiene technologies to maintain consistency across locations.

What are the benefits of automated ice machine hygiene?

  Benefits can include reduced cleaning requirements, improved hygiene consistency, lower maintenance costs, fewer service interventions, and extended equipment lifespan.


Conclusion

What started as a single-store trial turned into a system-wide transformation.

With Biozone Scientific’s Icezone system, Rottinghaus dramatically simplified ice machine maintenance across hundreds of SUBWAY® restaurants, cutting costs, reducing labor, and raising hygiene standards at scale.

It’s a clear example of how the right technology doesn’t just improve cleaning - it changes the entire way operations run.