There are few things in life as exciting as opening your own restaurant and watching the customers pour in, anxious for a delicious meal in your new establishment. Though you took every detail into consideration when it came to menu items, decor, lighting and more, there’s one aspect of restaurant ownership you might have overlooked.
Ongoing beverage equipment maintenance is an essential aspect of running a successful restaurant. Here’s a list of what you can do to make sure your equipment stays up and running:
Set Up A Maintenance Workflow
The first step in ensuring that your beverage equipment keeps working is deciding what will happen when a repair is needed. Teach all of your employees what to do as soon as they notice the machine is broken.
Who should know about the problem? Who is in charge of getting it fixed? Will you turn to a contractor or does someone in-house know how to perform basic repairs? Where will the maintenance and repair information be tracked for future reference? Who will make the decision regarding repair costs?
If your employees are uncertain who to take this information to when your beverage machine breaks down, they might just brush the issue under the rug and hope that someone else will tend to it.
Establish a Preventative Maintenance Program
For the most part, equipment under warranty requires a basic level of preventative maintenance in order to preserve the warranty. Routine maintenance is needed for your water treatment system and beverage equipment.
Assign regular cleaning and repair efforts as you go along, not only as an afterthought once your machine has broken down. Maintenance efforts can save you from more costly repairs and the inconvenience of a machine not working when it needs to.
Establish a Tracking System for Equipment Maintenance
Keep a reliable tracking system for the maintenance of your beverage equipment. It might include the unit’s model, serial number, all the warranty information, the manufacturer, and how many repairs it’s had to date.
You should also track the date of each repair, the cost of each repair, and any additional notes. If you have more than one restaurant or coffee shop with many beverage machines to maintain, a good tracking system is especially important.
Maintain Pre-Qualified Contractors On Hand
To keep your equipment running smoothly, keep a list of pre-qualified contractors on hand. These people might be in-house or contractors that you have used before who you trust to make the repairs. There will come a time where your equipment will break down unexpectedly and you’ll need your go-to list of repair companies that you can call in a hurry.
This list should include trusted workers who are fully insured and licensed. Have them sign a Master Service Agreement with you ahead of time to avoid any legal problems.
You can’t afford to shut down your restaurant during peak hours because your beverage equipment breaks down.
Keep Your Beverage Equipment Running Like New
One of the best things equipment maintenance methods you can practice is to buy the best beverage machinery, to begin with. Then follow that up with hiring expert technicians to repair your equipment should any issues arise and for routine maintenance.
We offer everything you need from cappuccino to coffee makers. We’re also here to provide you with ongoing preventative maintenance so you can avoid any major breakdowns and unhappy customers.
Contact us today to learn more about our machinery and our services.
Headquartered in Vista, California, NCB Sales is your beverage equipment repair specialists servicing San Diego, Orange County, Temecula, and Hemet. Since 1986, we’ve been repairing various beverage equipment, including coffee, espresso, soda fountain, Granita, juice, water filtration, and more, working on well-known brands in the industry.