Every restaurant kitchen requires a commercial cooler or several commercial coolers. If you want to increase your profit margins, then an easy way is to reduce the amount of food that your restaurant wastes every day.
Commercial coolers store your food safely, helping you avoid spoilage and reduce your food waste. However, commercial coolers aren’t invulnerable.
They will need to be maintained and managed properly in order to continue to operate efficiently. A poorly maintained commercial cooler will accelerate the spoilage process of your perishable goods, which will translate to increased food wastage.
Below, we will focus on commercial cooler tips that will help maintain your cooler to work optimally for many years to come.
Temperature Control
You should perform temperature checks daily. By doing so, you will help ensure that your food and beverage inventory is stored safely. Moreover, the temperature in your cooler will need to be appropriate for the type of beverage or food item that you are storing.
As such, you may need to make modifications to the temperature of your commercial cooler now and then. Train your staff so that they can make the necessary adjustments to keep your food tasting fresh.
Labelling
Every food and beverage product should be labelled properly with expiration dates. To help facilitate the process, you can ask your employees to follow the ‘First In, First Out’ method.
Ask your workers to organize and rotate your goods so that the items that will expire the soonest are placed at the front of the unit.
The FIFO method will help you reduce food spoilage and waste, which will help increase your profits at the end of the month.
Cleaning
You need to clean your commercial coolers regularly. By doing so, you will prevent mould from forming. Mould is a toxic substance that will adversely impact the quality of your produce.
It can make your customers sick if they accidentally ingest it, which may lead to lost customers, and damages to your brand’s reputation.
If you want to keep your commercial coolers in good condition, then they need to be inspected and cleaned at least once every 12 months by a licensed and bonded professional.
Organization
If you want to easily access your food and beverages to serve your hungry patrons quickly, you need to ensure that your products are well organized.
If your food items are not well organized, then you may lose track of them. Forgotten items may begin to rot, leading to wasted food that will affect your bottom line.
As such, you should set aside some time to organize your food and beverages properly. Your customers and your wallet will thank you for putting in the extra effort.
Maintenance
If your commercial cooler is not maintained, it will not work as efficiently. Your energy bill will spike, and your cooler will eventually stop working altogether, which may require that you spend thousands to have it replaced.
It is best to err on the side of caution and perform routine maintenance inspections to ensure that your cooler is up to speed.
You should not wait for an issue to develop. Instead, focus on preventative maintenance to increase the lifespan of your cooler and reduce your overall upkeep costs.
You may want to consider signing a maintenance contract with a reputable company to ensure that inspections are performed on a routine basis for peace of mind.
Going the Extra Mile
The commercial freezer and refrigeration market has grown rapidly in recent years. More and more businesses have discovered the benefits of owning a commercial freezer. The value that a commercial freezer can bring to a restaurant should not be taken lightly.
Not only will your commercial freezer help reduce the amount of food that you waste, but it will also help maintain the freshness of your food and beverages. Fresh produce will taste better, which will help improve the customer satisfaction of your hungry customers.
Happy customers will soon become loyal customers, helping produce recurring revenue streams that you can use to expand your business.
However, if you want to maximize the benefits of your commercial cooler, then you need to go the extra mile and perform routine maintenance tests on it.
A well-maintained commercial cooler can last for several years before it needs to be replaced, making it a superb investment for any restaurant business that has long-term business goals.
Source: Restaurant Walk In Cooler Food Safety Guide – My Food Safety Nation