Top 5 Tips to Maintain Restaurant Appliances

Imagine you’re prepping food for the day when you realize that your fryer isn’t working. You end up finding someone to come repair it, but come out with a hefty bill. That’s what happens when you don’t maintain your restaurant appliances. If they’re not taken care of, you’ll rack up thousands getting them repaired.

But how do you keep your equipment in tip-top shape? Restaurant City talked to Alan Vicarioli from Gary’s East Coast Service located in Oxford, CT about how to properly take care of commercial kitchen appliances. He gave us five crucial tips on how to maintain restaurant appliances and keep the repair costs down.

Keep Them Clean

“The best way to maintain an appliance is to keep it clean,” said Vicarioli. “It should be cleaned daily.” If you aren’t cleaning your equipment constantly, issues can arise. This can include your fryer being clogged with oil or a slicer blade chip. The problem is that you won’t see that something’s wrong until it is too late. By thoroughly cleaning your kitchen equipment, you’ll be able to spot if something is wrong and prevent it from getting worse.

Inspect Often

Along with cleaning, you should be looking over your equipment regularly. You should “visually inspect the unit before and after use,” according to Vicarioli. “If something doesn’t look right, call a service provider.” This could be sparks, oil in places it shouldn’t be, etc. The service technician will provide preventative maintenance, taking your restaurant appliance apart to see what’s going on inside it. By inspecting often, you can catch small issues before they become serious.

Don’t Overuse

“One of the main reasons for breaking I see is abuse,” said Vicarioli. “The customer beat it to death.” In the restaurant industry, there’s always the desire to get things done faster. But if you overuse your commercial kitchen appliance to the point that it becomes abuse, it will burn out quicker. To prevent this, only use the equipment according to its parameters. Don’t turn your stove up to 500 degrees at 8:00 AM and keep it on till 9:00 PM. It will overheat and burn up. If you want to maintain your equipment, you need to treat it correctly.

Safe Storage

We’ve talked about how to maintain your restaurant appliance while using it. But what happens if you need to store it for a while? How do you keep the quality up? Vicarioli recommends storing equipment in a cool, dry environment with low humidity. “Never store in an outside shed or outside with a tarp on it,” said Vicarioli. For restaurants, a good place to store equipment is in a dry storage room or closet. While this can help maintain your appliance, if you’re storing something for over 6-7 months, be sure to get it looked over by a service technician before using it again.

Preventative Service

Regular maintenance on your kitchen equipment is crucial to maintaining it. “Form a relationship with a service provider,” said Vicarioli, “have them know your equipment, your working environment.” The service technician will know the ins and outs of your appliances, making it easier to identify problems. Vicarioli suggests having them come out to inspect your equipment at least once a year, if not more. By servicing your equipment, it will last longer and you’ll avoid catastrophic issues that could negatively impact your business.

Maintaining your restaurant appliances is key to increasing their life expectancy. Should you come across any issues with your equipment, we strongly recommend that you contact a service provider before they get worse. Restaurant City is proud to work with many experienced and respectable technicians, including Gary’s East Coast Service. It’s through their help that customers like you can maintain and repair your appliances.