Appliance or equipment breakdown can be a nightmare in the restaurant business. Here are some tips on how you can maintain some essential appliances and equipment to protect your restaurant!
When you run a restaurant, you realize how reliant your business is on the different appliances and equipment you own. Whether it be your refrigerator, stove, fryer, chimney, or even lighting, even a single malfunction can lead to many problems. While it’s not possible to predict when you might face such problems, it’s always wise to prepare for them.
That’s what we’re here to help you with. This blog will discuss a variety of safety measures you can take to ensure that all your appliances and equipment break down less often. We will also discuss some countermeasures you can take if one of them still manages to break down on a busy working day.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride. Read this blog to learn how you can reduce equipment breakdown incidents and manage your appliances better!
Refrigerator/Freezer
We all know how important it is to have a working refrigerator and freezer in your restaurant. They help you store important ingredients and other prepped-up dishes that you need for the delicacies that you serve. So ensuring that they are always running efficiently is a must for every restaurant owner.
So here are the steps you need to follow to ensure that your refrigerator and freezer are always functioning properly:
- Clean your refrigerator regularly to avoid any decontamination and sanitation issues. It’s like they say, one bad apple can ruin the whole bunch, and it stands true for the food store in your refrigerator as well.
- Clean the refrigerator’s cooling coil at least twice a year. The coils help you remove the heat and maintain the temperature in the refrigerator. But with prolonged usage, they may accumulate dust that may make them less efficient and cause a breakdown.
- Always ensure that your refrigerator and freezer are sealed tightly. The door seals play an important role in making sure that the appliance stays cool on the inside and doesn’t retain too much moisture from the outside. If you see your freezer frosting up or less cooling in your fridge, it might be time to change the door seals.
- Avoid placing any heating appliances around your fridge or freezer. If you place an oven or a live stove beside your appliance, then it will have to run twice as hard to ensure that the heat outside doesn’t affect the cooling inside. And it’s never wise to push the limits of your refrigerator, especially when it’s so important to your business.
Food Preparation Appliances
As a restaurant owner, you can’t imagine how your business would function if your cooking appliances malfunctioned. Especially if such incidents occur during a busy weekend dinner period. The amount of profit you would lose can be unimaginable.
So if you want to ensure that your cooking and heating appliances are always working efficiently, there are a few precautionary steps we advise you to take:
- Check oven gaskets and seals to ensure that there is no place for heat to escape from.
- Replace or fix any missing knobs in appliances so that everyone is aware whenever those appliances are switched on.
- Only have appliances with a high Energy Star rating. They may be expensive, but in the longer run, they drastically reduce your electricity and gas consumption.
Lighting
The importance of a properly lit restaurant cannot be understated. It not only helps the kitchen staff work in a clear and safe environment, but it’s also important for both servers and guests to deliver and enjoy the food properly.
So, as a restaurant owner, it’s your duty to ensure that your restaurant is efficiently lit. You can do so by following this routine:
- Upgrade to high-efficiency LED bulbs and tubes that help you save money on electricity and brighten up the place a lot more.
- Install automatic brightness systems to have more control over the consumption of light.
- Having automatic timers and motion sensors in certain areas of your restaurant like bathrooms, storage, and other low traffic areas increases their life and helps you reduce the bills.
- Outdoor lighting should be upgraded to solar-powered options for reduced electricity consumption.
- Label every lightbulb and tube with its date of purchase and check them every six months so that you can change the bulbs whenever they are due.
Sanitation
Properly functioning sanitation appliances like dishwashers allow you to keep the business rolling even during a busy evening. So it’s important to ensure that such appliances don’t malfunction. Here are the steps you can follow to ensure they don’t breakdown in the middle of a service:
- It’s highly advisable for you to regularly check the pressure gauge of the dishwasher. It should be maintained at around 20 PSI. If it’s more than 25 PSI, then it’s probably overclocking and needs maintenance.
- Make sure that the seals of the dishwashers are tightly gripped.
- Turn off your dishwasher every night after usage.
Effects On Restaurant Insurance
Once you follow all these steps and keep your appliances and equipment well-maintained, they will last longer. And with reduced malfunctions and breakdowns, the cost of Equipment Breakdown Coverage and overall Restaurant Insurance coverage is also reduced.
Also, it’s easier for you to get Equipment Breakdown Coverage claims with fewer incidents. Managing equipment and appliances will also get a lot easier for you. If you’re looking for more tips on machine maintenance and managing equipment breakdown, you can refer to the instructions provided with them.
For further tips on Equipment Breakdown Insurance, Restaurant Insurance policy, Restaurant Insurance premiums, and Restaurant Insurance costs, you can get in touch with Exceed Insurance agents at 855-539-2333 or write to us at info@exceedinsurance.com!
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