Restaurant Equipment – Cleaning, Maintenance and Upkeep

Launching and operating your very own restaurant is not exactly the same as starting your home business from your kitchen table, investing a couple of thousand dollars and initially working a few hours a day. No matter how small your restaurant is, you’ve probably invested several thousands of dollars in your restaurant business. A significant portion of the investment is allocated to the acquisition of restaurant equipment. Since commercial kitchen equipment is expensive, you need to take additional care to ensure that it keeps humming at all times and never breaks down when your restaurant is brimming beyond capacity with a waiting line that extends far into the parking lot. Here are a few proactive steps you can take to keep your cash registers clinking even when there is standing room only at your restaurant.
Cleanliness is Godliness
Using restaurant equipment that is not clean and well-maintained means that you are compromising on the hygienic standards you are expected to maintain at your commercial food service operation. This brings up not just moral but also legal issues. Clean and nutritious food cooked on clean kitchen equipment is one way of inviting your restaurant guests to return for an encore.
Cleaning Restaurant Equipment that Runs on Electricity
Electric Appliances at your Food Service Facility
Before you clean electric appliances, unplug all the electrical connections and then clean the equipment. Make sure that water does not go inside the coil of the equipment. In case water goes inside the coil, wipe it well with a soft dry cloth until the coil dries properly. We recommend that you not use harsh abrasive detergents while cleaning the equipment. It is important that you closely follow the guidelines mentioned in the user manual that you received when you purchased the equipment.
Cleaning Kitchen Products and Accessories that do not Run on Electricity
You should gently rinse, wash and clean non-electric equipment such as utensils, cookware and cutlery with either a premixed solution of soap and water or a mild detergent specially made for this purpose. Thoroughly rinse all the equipment with clear water, and then sterilize the utensils like serving bowls, dishes, plates and spoons. Take special care when cleaning kitchen knives, and be aware that detergents or cleaners with lemon are not a good choice for any stainless steel products including cutlery and flatware. If you use a knife block, wash it at least once a week in mild soapy water since the slide compartments tend to get clogged quickly. So that there are no water stains on your kitchen appliances, serving dishes, cutlery and accessories, dry them soon after washing by using a soft towel. Check the labels before using your dishwasher to clean these kitchen products. Not everything in your restaurant kitchen can be loaded into your dishwasher for cleaning purposes.
Your kitchen is the center of your restaurant universe and not your dining room as most restaurateurs like to believe. Keeping your kitchen items clean and well maintained is your first ticket to successful restaurant ownership. While most of what we have said here applies to all the other types of food service operations such as college cafeterias, school lunch programs, hotels, resorts and even golf clubs, restaurants come first to mind not only because there are almost a million restaurants in the US but also because restaurants experience the maximum amount of customer traffic, more than any other food service facility. So follow the manufacturer’s instructions, standard practices and your personal instinct and watch how well your business performs not just in the future but also in the present.