For customers in the restaurant industry, refrigeration is the heart of their business. Display cases, blast chillers, walk-in freezers, and any number of other commercial refrigeration units are vital to day-to-day success. Losing even one of these could bring your restaurant to a standstill; it is scary to even think about.
What happens when your refrigerator suddenly breaks down?
Chaos. The staff will be panicked. Regardless of when the malfunction happens, it is never good. Loss of business and revenue is just the beginning. There is also the loss of food that can not be refrigerated, and the cost of replacing any spoiled products. Without an extra refrigerator, you are looking at an emergency repair—and at night or on the weekend? That is going to cost!
Now we should be clear, this is something that will happen one day. It is a question of when and to who, not if. Electronics malfunction. Machinery breaks. The cost of doing business is having to maintain and repair your infrastructure. But even if you are prepared and ready to pay in full, that does not mean someone will be dispatched immediately.
So what can you do to minimize your downtime? Below we will show you three tricks to get your refrigerator repaired during emergencies.
Trick #1: Service your equipment regularly
You are better safe than sorry. The best solution to an issue is to avoid it in the first place, but that is seldom a luxury you have a say in. What you do have a hand in is your maintenance. Regular maintenance keeps refrigeration equipment in working order and will provide you with a heads up for problems that are not issues yet.
By making use of a preventative maintenance schedule—and sticking to it—you can avoid most emergency refrigeration issues. Through preventive maintenance, you avoid most emergency refrigeration issues like refrigerator freezer or ice maker breakdown. When a technician services your equipment regularly, they will spot impending problems and failing parts. This will allow repairs to be made before a unit can fail; at the very least it will give you a warning so it does not surprise you.
But how does having been diligent in refrigeration maintenance help once an emergency has occurred? Well, any trained technician who has been performing maintenance for you regularly, should already be familiar with your equipment. While the issues will likely be more complicated than one of their regular visits, their familiarity with your hardware should make it easier for them to identify the problem and expedite repairs. If you have a service contract with a company covering maintenance and repair, they may even have the required parts in stock reducing the time necessary to resolve the issue.
Bonus: Another great benefit of a regular refrigerator check-up is that it reduces your energy bills. Efficient equipment consumes less electricity as it can maintain the required temperature with ease.
Trick #2: Invest in a maintenance contract
There are some significant advantages to investing in a maintenance contract. Priority service is often granted by service providers to those who have maintenance contracts with them. To a restaurant owner calling in with an emergency, this may be reason enough to invest in a contract. As a restaurant owner, if you are tired of calling technicians for emergency repairs and having them not show up, try investing in a maintenance contract. Not only will the technicians be more responsive to the emergency repair, but your repair costs will be less than you would pay without a contract.
The best part is that you will have peace of mind knowing that you will receive priority attention from your refrigerator repair service provider during emergencies.
Trick #3: Have the same service provider for all your HVAC and refrigeration equipment
Because you are customers are at the heart of your business their comfort is important to you. Keeping equipment like refrigerators, air-conditioners, and heaters operating properly is necessary; if even one of these breaks down your atmosphere suddenly goes from pleasant to uncomfortable—and nobody wants that. By making sure you use the same provider for all of your equipment you are helping to ensure that repairs are that much easier. You don’t have to track multiple service contracts with multiple companies—and that can be a real plus for the following reasons:
- You will deal with far fewer phone calls and much less paperwork by using the same provider.
- By minimizing the number of service providers you use, you can build a strong relationship with the ones you choose—consistency in relationships over time helps build trust as they learn what your needs are and you understand what to expect from your service providers.
- Systems working together make for a more efficient distribution of resources. The heat from the kitchen is going to tax your air conditioner—and if the AC malfunctions…that is going to increase the load on your refrigerators and they will have to work harder to maintain the same temperature.
- Having hands-on experience with your systems and knowing how they impact each other is another advantage of relying on a single company for maintenance.
Conclusion
No equipment is flawless. If you own a restaurant, repair emergencies are inevitable. Following the tricks highlighted in this article will help make sure that your restaurant runs with as few interruptions as possible, minimizing your losses to the unexpected. Most importantly, ensure that all your refrigerators are properly maintained and regularly serviced by an experienced technician to avoid emergency repairs.
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