Many small businesses that were natural gathering places, including restaurants and coffee shops, have been closed during the stay at home orders throughout the country. If your small business restaurant or coffee shop has been shuttered, you might be balancing multiple concerns. In addition, you have the capital investment of your commercial espresso machine.
Once the stay at home orders are lifted, your small business is going to face a rush of people who long for an espresso or other specialty coffee drink. Here are a few maintenance tips to keep your commercial espresso machine ready to handle the rush.
Keep Your Regular Maintenance Schedule.
If you had a regular maintenance and cleaning schedule, it is important to stick to that schedule. It will help to avoid any corrosion or mineral buildup while the machine sits idle. Your maintenance schedule should include cleaning the steam wand, the draining hose, the portafilters, filter baskets, and drip tray.
You also want to make sure to regularly check all the filters and seals to make sure that they are in good repair. It might also be worth it to have a back up set of filters and seals, as once your traffic increases, you might need to make a swap as the machine ramps up.
Check the Filters in Your Water Filtration System
While your small business is temporarily closed, your water filtration or water treatment system is also sitting idle. Therefore, it would be wise to consider replacing the filter and also making sure that the system is running efficiently before opening your doors. After all, if the water filtration system is not working properly, it can negatively impact the taste and flavor of your coffee.
If there is any other maintenance or cleaning that your water filtration system needs, make sure that is completed before you reopen, so your customers receive quality products right from the first day’s rush.
Keep Your Espresso Machine Running Fast
Another important thing to keep in mind is that the regular maintenance and cleaning will help to keep your commercial espresso machine running fast, which can be critical when there is increased demand. That includes regular deep cleanings to prevent the buildup of scale, which could impact the flow of your espressos, but also effect the taste of your espresso and coffee products.
Getting Ready for the Rush
Finally, it is important that you have the beans and other products necessary to make your espressos and coffees on hand. Working with a distributor, you can make sure that when your business is ready to open, you have everything you need. COVID-19 has impacted the supply chains of many products, so it is important that you reach out to determine if your products could be impacted.
By following these steps, you can make sure that your commercial espresso machine is ready to handle the rush. Contact us today for any questions about maintaining or caring for your commercial espresso machine.
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.