Why Routine Maintenance Matters for Restaurant Food Warmers
The data is quite compelling: restaurants spend quite a bit of their annual budget on maintenance.
The amount of money spent on maintenance and repair in restaurant facilities nationwide is on average about 2.5% of total sales for a full-service restaurant operation (Krost).
However, 2.5% is merely the average. There are proven methods of shrinking that figure and thereby increasing your bottom line, allowing you either to invest that money elsewhere or write yourself a larger paycheck at the end of each fiscal year. One way in which to drive down maintenance costs is, ironically, by investing more time in maintenance—that is, by making sure that you're spending more time on routine maintenance than responsive maintenance.
Responsive Maintenance
As the name indicates, responsive maintenance is work done in response to time-sensitive problems requiring immediate action. A freezer breaks, a fryer goes on the fritz, or a pipe springs a leak. These maintenance issues, while critical, can be greatly decreased by practicing consistent preventative maintenance.
Preventative Maintenance
Rather than responding to problems, preventative maintenance seeks to prevent them. By scheduling regular cleaning, checks, part replacements, and so forth, businesses that take the time to invest in preventative maintenance enjoy very specific outcomes.
Companies with well-planned preventive maintenance (PM) programs enjoy minimal unplanned downtime, minimal spare parts costs, minimal manufacturing interruptions from breakdowns, maximum manufacturing times, maximum product quality and longer machine lifespans (Plant Engineering).
These outcomes don't spring out of nowhere, however. They require forethought, planning, scheduling, training, and consistent follow-through.
We Can Help
Here at Thermodyne Foodservice Products, Inc., we have spent the last thirty years producing quality food warmers for commercial, industrial, and institutional kitchens. If you would like to hear more about best practices for preventative maintenance on any of our premium products, or if you would like to discuss anything else, please feel free to contact us at any time.
We look forward to hearing from you.
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