How to Extend the Life of Your Restaurant Kitchen Equipment?
Restaurants are some of the most expensive small businesses to open due to equipment costs. Depreciation of equipment means having to replace appliances over the years. That’s why extending the life of your kitchen equipment is vital for achieving a good return on investment.
The best way to ensure your equipment costs don’t bog down your balance sheet and cash flow is to keep everything running smoothly. Let’s look at a few ways to extend the life of your kitchen equipment.
Table of Contents
1. Preventative Maintenance Is Better Than Repair
It’s easy to get caught up in the everyday routine of running your business and neglect equipment maintenance. However, just as with your car, regular maintenance of your kitchen equipment will translate to seamless operation and greater longevity.
The best way to keep up with equipment maintenance is to create a checklist. Your checklist shouldn’t be a piece of paper stashed away in a desk drawer. The goal of a checklist is to keep you honest with your equipment maintenance.
You can create a spreadsheet that you can refer to regularly. You can also pin a checklist on a bulletin board in a visible spot. Alternatively, you can schedule the service dates on your mobile.
2. Clean Equipment Thoroughly
Restaurants are messy places where debris is constantly being created from the cooking process. Crumbs, food clippings, and spilled sauces tend to get everywhere.
Make sure equipment is cleaned daily. Furthermore, you might want to schedule regular general cleaning days where your staff cleans every small part of each appliance. This will reduce the probability of even the smallest leftover piece of grime causing deterioration or rust.
3. Use the Appropriate Cleaning Agents and Methods
Make sure you’re using the right cleaning agents for the job. You don’t want to encourage corrosion by using harsh cleaners. You should choose mild detergents and soft cloths and sponges.
4. Avoid Do-It-Yourself Repair
If something breaks down or isn’t functioning to its full capacity, the temptation may be to just open it up and try to repair it. This might seem like an appropriate action, especially if your restaurant is busy and you need your equipment up and running. However, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you may end up causing more harm and costing yourself more money.
Get in touch with a reliable technician that can repair the item as soon as possible. If you do, however, end up going the do-it-yourself route, make sure to consult the equipment’s manual.
One of the biggest problems of taking a piece of equipment apart is putting it back together. Without the manual, you may end up with an extra bolt or washer that should’ve been returned to its rightful place.
5. Stick to the Intended Use of Equipment
You may be tempted to use a piece of equipment for something it wasn’t originally intended for. This practice will only increase the frequency of breakdown while shortening your equipment’s lifespan. It’s always better to purchase the appropriate item necessary for the job than to improvise with a different piece of equipment.
Keep Your Restaurant Kitchen Equipment in Top Shape
If you take care of your kitchen equipment, you’ll reduce your expenses while keeping your energy consumption low. Check out Lightspeed’s restaurant kitchen equipment list to populate your kitchen with all the items that’ll make your restaurant the talk of the town.
