Annual Maintenance Tips for Restaurant Facility Managers

Whether you are managing an exclusive Michelin-starred restaurant or a fast-food joint, there will be a plethora of annual checks that need to be carried out to determine the required maintenance and repair works. With this in mind, let's take a quick look at a few annual restaurant maintenance tips that you can consider to keep your establishment running safely and efficiently.

Tip #1. Identify the type of restaurant you manage.

Of course, not all restaurants will require the same service regarding their maintenance. A fast-food diner, for example, is likely to experience considerably more 'traffic' in terms of the number of customers who walk through its doors over a year, compared with a luxury fine-dining establishment. Therefore, you might find that they experience more wear and tear, especially to flooring, furniture, and bathroom facilities, which can require repairs or replacements.

Tip #2. Don’t forget about the kitchen.

Facility maintenance is of the utmost importance when it comes to restaurant kitchens. Not only does it help ensure that the food being served tastes excellent, but it can also be essential in guaranteeing that the establishment complies with all the health, safety, and hygiene standards. Grease traps will need to be emptied, cleaned, and cleared during the annual maintenance checks, while all the kitchen appliances should be given a deep clean. Also, kitchen appliances that contain a thermostat (such as the oven and refrigerator) should be calibrated once, if not twice, every year.

Tip #3. Maintenance checks before winter.

As is the case with just about any property, you will need to check the roof for signs of debris, moss, and lose tiles during your annual restaurant maintenance survey. It is a good deal to engage exterior maintenance services during the autumn months so that any damage can be repaired before the winter weather causes further problems. Heating systems and air conditioning units tend to be infrequent use throughout the year in restaurants, and any issues can have a significant impact on the levels of business. Therefore, it is well worth carrying out system maintenance checks to ensure that such systems are operating as they should.

Tip #4. Maintenance checks before summer

The cold, wet weather can cause significant damage to any building, so use the spring as an opportunity to carry out your restaurant maintenance and repair work as soon as possible. Snow and salt can cause considerable wear and tear to restaurant car parks, and you may find that the exterior paint is in urgent need of touching up. Outdoor seating areas can also be affected, and furniture should be checked for cracks and splinters, while wooden chairs or tables may need refinishing on an annual basis. Restaurants need to have clean, well-maintained exteriors to entice customers to come in and try their food, so this is also an excellent time to carry out any landscaping work.

As the facility manager of a restaurant, if you want your establishment to operate safely and efficiently, keep the above annual maintenance tips in mind. As always, it is a good idea to hire a professional facility management company to attend to all the maintenance and repair works.

U.S. Facility Solutions has a remarkable history of offering general construction and facility maintenance services to commercial, residential, industrial customers.