Coined by FoodService Equipment Consultant Cathy Goodwin, the three ‘R’ Rules for hospitality equipment can be applied across all kitchen equipment in the hospitality industry and act as shorthand guide for making important decisions to keep your business running smoothly and profitably.
Reminder, Routine, Reward
“Good planning always costs less than good reacting.” – Wayne Schmidt Commercial kitchen equipment works hard, which means it gets very dirty, very fast. Setting a regular in-house cleaning and maintenance schedule alongside reminders for intermittent deep cleaning and professional maintenance is a must for keeping your kitchen running smoothly and reducing the likelihood of downtime. The first set of ‘R’ rules exists to help maintain the health of current equipment. These ‘R’s help you create and follow through on good habits, like:
Reminders
In a busy kitchen, it can be all too easy for deep cleans and maintenance jobs to slip your mind. But your expensive kitchen equipment will last longer, use less energy, and be less likely to break down if maintained correctly. Setting reminders will help keep your team accountable and your equipment working properly.
Routines
Keeping a schedule of who is responsible and when each task is due, along with a log of all maintenance performed, gives you all the supporting data you need for an audit, warranty, or insurance claim. It also gives you full visibility over the cost of life of each piece of equipment, something that can be simplified even further with a dedicated asset management system.
Rewards
By implementing the first two ‘R’ habits, you’ll get to reap the rewards of a clean, smoothly running kitchen with a drastically reduced chance of any problems occurring.
Repair, Refurbish, Replace
As kitchen equipment gets older, with every operational issue you’ll face the decision of whether to repair, refurbish, or replace it. Considering the high cost of quality commercial catering equipment against the cost of potential future downtime means it’s imperative to get this right. Here are the questions to be asking yourself:
- What is the warranty on the repair?
- Is the repairer manufacturer authorised?
- Are genuine parts being used?
- What is the cost of disconnection and disposal of the old and the delivery and installation of the new?
- Will the item fit through the doorways or was it installed before other fixtures?
- Are you able to replace like for like?
- Is there joinery or stainless steel bench work that will need to be modified to install the replacement?
- Is there a more effective or efficient replacement?
- Is there a current government incentive to upgrade to a more energy efficient option?
While upfront, it may look cheaper to replace entirely, when you take all these extra potential costs into account, that may not be the case.
Respect, Responsibility, Results
The final three ‘R’ rules focus on your overall business, and when applied alongside the first two sets of ‘R’ rules, will help ensure you have a thriving kitchen that’s never short of customers.
Respect
Every stakeholder in your business should be treated with utmost respect. After all, without them you don’t have a business! This includes customers, suppliers, staff, contractors, landlords, cleaners, car park attendants, tradesmen, delivery people, equipment repairers – anyone connected to your business.
Responsibility
There is a great deal of responsibility that comes along with running a business, and how you own this will affect your success. Provide a welcoming, comfortable and safe environment for everyone who may enter your premises. Teach and mentor your staff, show them how to use the equipment, how to look after it, clean it and maintain it properly, and how to troubleshoot if something goes wrong.
Results
The result of being respectful and owning your responsibility will be sustainable, efficient equipment that contributes to a profitable and long term thriving hospitality business where people want to visit. When followed altogether, these nine ‘R’ rules serve as a guide to ensure your commercial kitchen, your equipment, and your entire business continue to operate as efficiently as possible. By putting good habits and routines into place, considering every variable when deciding whether to repair or replace, and treating your stakeholders well, you can set your business up for long-term success.