For restaurants, it can be difficult to attract customers during the winter months since many people are reluctant to venture out to eat in the freezing cold. Getting customers to your front door is only part of the battle. If you’re not careful, Jack Frost may deliver some nasty surprises to your kitchen—ranging from power failures to flooding and burst pipes. These can all interfere with your business operations and seriously cut into your bottom line.
With a little planning, restaurants can meet these challenges and even thrive in spite of them. Here are a few tips that will help you cope with the cold:
Get your heating system professionally inspected – A little preventative maintenance can go a long way. You definitely don’t want your heating system to malfunction in the middle of winter. An inspection by an HVAC professional can both prevent breakdowns and improve system efficiency.
Prep for power outages – Power failures are not uncommon during the winter months. Install a generator to maintain power, and the safety of your food, in the event of an outage. Remember to set it up away from vents, windows, and doors, or else dangerous carbon monoxide could enter the premises.
Weather-proof your pipes – The onset of winter can potentially lead to major damage of external pipes. The water trapped within the pipes could freeze and expand, possibly bursting them wide open. In the worst case scenario, your restaurant could become flooded. Even if this isn’t a serious threat, exposed pipes in winter tend to run up your energy bills. Using foam insulation to protect your pipes can save you money and headaches later on.
Set up a temperature alerting/monitoring system – A temperature monitoring system will alert you of potential food loss in the event of a power outage. Invest in a system like ComplianceMate™ that continuously tracks the temperature of your refrigerator and transmits real-time alerts and data to a device of your choosing.
These four preventative measures will help you ensure that your back of house will continue to thrive during these cold winter months.
ABOUT COMPLIANCEMATE:
Headquartered in Georgia, ComplianceMate™ specializes in the manufacturing of innovative food safety management software and wireless temperature monitoring solutions. The company’s free app, ComplianceMate C19, assists food service managers with the demands of keeping guests and employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The app includes checklists that cover COVID-19 cleaning, employee wellness, handwashing, and guidance on when an employee who previously tested positive for COVID-19 can return to work.
This post is sponsored by ComplianceMate™