Preventative maintenance (PM) is work that is performed on equipment that is still in working condition on a regular or scheduled basis, helping to minimize equipment failure that could result in costly downtime. When equipment breaks down, it can cause everything to come to a halt, and if a club’s kitchen isn’t running at full speed, there is risk of losing valuable business and product. Implementing a proactive preventative maintenance plan for kitchen equipment can help minimize stress and maximize investment over the long run.
Clubs should use a kitchen preventive maintenance plan to help extend equipment life, reduce utility consumption and avoid unexpected equipment breakdowns that can cause the kitchen to shut down. If it’s the first time making a preventative maintenance plan, it’s best to inventory all equipment and assets and start with scheduling preventative maintenance on the most critical assets. Determine which machines are the most important to a successful production, which pieces of equipment require regular maintenance, and which pieces of equipment have the highest repair and replacement costs. Once those assets are determined, a list of specific maintenance tasks and the frequency of those tasks should be created.
Clean and well-maintained equipment functions at its very best, for both performance and safety. A kitchen’s staff plays a big role in maintaining equipment by cleaning, sanitizing and running diagnostic tests. However, the value of routine professional equipment service, whether monthly, quarterly or annually, should not be underestimated. Service technicians can identify small or emerging issues before they develop into larger and more expensive issues, helping to extend the life of equipment and avoid costly repairs or unnecessary replacement costs. The shift from routine maintenance of kitchen equipment to emergency repair can be detrimental to a club’s bottom line.
Clubs can’t afford to take shortcuts when it comes to the upkeep and maintenance of their kitchen equipment. When a kitchen relies solely on reactive maintenance, it could be wasting tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars every year due to a lack of a consistent preventive maintenance plan. While creating and implementing a preventative maintenance plan may seem time consuming, it is an investment in ensuring the optimal performance of a kitchen’s equipment.
