How to Care For Your Commercial Catering Equipment

August 6th, 2020

Last updated: June 9th, 2023

In the commercial catering business, cleanliness and efficiency are everything. You need to achieve and maintain high standards in a fast-paced environment in order to stand out, and to do that you need to properly care for your commercial catering equipment. Commercial catering equipment maintenance may not be the most exciting aspect of running your business, but it is essential and can contribute to your success.

At Robinsons Facilities Services we have worked across all sectors of the hospitality industry; in pubs, restaurants and hotels, and in all of these, the common themes are hygiene standards and ensuring equipment is well-maintained and reliable so that you can deliver high quality food, fast.

Commercial catering equipment is very different to domestic equipment. You need to deliver food fast and often in bulk, but this needs to be delivered with craft, detail and control, so hobs, ovens, grills, fryers, dishwashers and refrigeration equipment needs to be kept in the best condition possible.

You have invested a lot into your catering business, so you need to ensure your equipment is properly cared for. Commercial catering equipment maintenance tips include:

Follow the Catering Equipment Manufacturer’s Guidelines

The starting point when caring for your commercial catering equipment properly is doing what the manufacturer tells you to. This applies to most equipment of course, but particularly where installation, use and maintenance is critical.

You should ensure you read the user manual properly and you should also sign up for the manufacturer’s warranty. This could save you significant money in the long-run. In fact, if you don’t stick to the manufacturer instructions when it comes to servicing your equipment you can void any warranties that they offer.

Every piece of commercial catering equipment is quite different so it is worth understanding how to use it properly and how to look after it. Manufacturers’ guidelines are the only way to do this.

Train Your Staff

New equipment means new methods and procedures, and with expensive catering equipment you need to ensure your staff are properly trained on the use and maintenance of the equipment.

Of course this is primarily so that the food is cooked to the high expectations of your customers, but using the equipment properly is a key element of it being cared for and maintained as able to perform to its original design function long term. Mis-use and bad habits can form very easily, and can also lead to the warranty being invalidated and some expensive repairs, so using and maintaining the equipment properly keeps your standards high and enables safe and efficient use of the equipment.

Try to make it enjoyable for the employees and get their buy-in. Perhaps reward your staff for keeping things particularly clean and performing maintenance tasks regularly. This way, you can make sure the equipment is always treated with a lot of due care.

Stick to a Cleaning Schedule

For all different types of equipment in your commercial kitchen, you need to establish a cleaning frequency. This is a system whereby key elements are cleaned during and after each service, on a daily basis and on a longer term basis with a deeper clean, where necessary. For instance, once in a while it makes sense to get duct cleaning which can help to keep your kitchen safe and ensure it is properly ventilated.

This is all about maintaining hygiene standards and ensuring good quality food is served, but it also looks after the equipment itself and prolongs its lifespan, so cleaning protects your investment. This cleaning schedule should also pay attention to using the right materials.

So you don’t want to use cleaning materials which leave a residue or have strong odours which subsequently can affect the food, and you don’t want to damage the equipment by using the wrong materials. A lot of catering equipment is stainless steel, but despite its name, this doesn’t mean it can’t be tarnished or damaged by the wrong cleaning materials.

Within your cleaning schedule, delegate certain jobs to certain staff to ensure accountability and make sure that the equipment is being cleaned rather than getting neglected.

Regular Service Visits

On top of regular cleaning, you should arrange for your equipment to be serviced as necessary. This might involve the equipment being disassembled for a deep clean, and where moving parts can be properly cleaned and/or replaced.

Creating a maintenance schedule can help to ensure that your equipment is properly looked after and also that you can enjoy peace of mind, knowing that the professionals will be handling a big chunk of your maintenance. It’s also a good way to spot any of the potential bigger issues before they become serious problems.

This will be a specialist job that your catering staff shouldn’t do themselves, and will be critical to meeting ongoing hygiene standards and ensuring the equipment still runs efficiently and is gas safe. Again, regular servicing may also be a condition of maintaining a valid manufacturer’s warranty.

How Robinsons Facilities Services Help With Commercial Catering Equipment Maintenance

At Robinsons Facilities Services we can help you with the service and maintenance of your commercial catering equipment, we have experience of working across all sectors in the Yorkshire region and can tailor our service to your individual needs. Our engineers are qualified, dedicated and professional and can help you get the most out of your equipment, and ensure your catering business continues to meet the high standards required and in a cost-effective manner. Contact us to find out more.