A highly underrated R&M savings tool

Hi!

Restaurants and restaurant tech companies have this in common: you can create the coolest, best-looking restaurant (or software platform), but if no one actually visits it, what’s the point?

Happily, people are actively using Prefix more and more – we closely track total number of work orders created, and we’re seeing major growth in that metric each week.

Our goal is straightforward: Keep making Prefix easier and easier to use, which leads to more employee engagement, which in turn leads to better-running stores and happier customers.

Anyway, onto the newsletter. This month in Uptime, we’re tackling everyone’s favorite subject: cleaning.

No! Don’t go! We’ll make it interesting, we promise.

Tip 1: Schedule it out

The truth is, cleaning tends to be underrated as a tool for saving on repair and maintenance costs.

Grease, dirt and other nasty bits accumulate in restaurant equipment, clogging the equipment and leading to costly repair visits. 

Cleaning, then, doesn’t just keep customers healthy and satisfied, it also saves you money on R&M. But as with anything, what doesn’t get scheduled doesn’t get done, so here are some actionable tips on creating an efficient cleaning system:

1. Create a comprehensive cleaning checklist broken down into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Assign specific responsibilities to team members to ensure accountability.

2. Invest in food-safe cleaning agents and ensure they’re properly labeled and stored. (We’re big believers in all things digital… but keeping a print-out of the cleaning schedule next to the cleaning supplies serves as an excellent visual reminder.)

3. Schedule periodic deep cleanings for areas that are not part of the daily routine, such as behind equipment and in storage areas.

4. Align your deep cleans with your restaurant volumes. Hood cleaning services, for example, should be scheduled quarterly for a high-volume operation — or weekly for a very high-volume operation, like a certain delicious burger spot in NYC:

Mental health break

The world seems to be getting more confusing. New technologies pop up overnight. Life keeps moving faster and faster.

What if there was a place where you could sit down with your family and bask in a veritable cornucopia of choice? What if that meal was served quickly, in a restaurant “backed by a new kind of courteous, friendly service”?

In 1991, Sizzler filmed an irony-free promotional spot that laid out a vision of just such a place, where harried businessmen, caring moms, and, uh, old sailors could all come together in ‘90s Heaven:

(Shoutout to our customer Sizzling Platter for this wonderful find.)

Tip 2: Get specific

Your highest-impact equipment needs some special care when it comes to cleaning. 

Here are some specific tips on how to care for two of the most important pieces — your refrigerator and oven:

1. Clean your refrigerator condenser coils

Clean condenser coils allow refrigerators to cool down more quickly after the door is closed, which helps reduce the compressor’s workload. 

Consider using compressed air to blow away dirt and debris from condenser coils, or use a soft brush to gently clean the coils.

Degrease the coils if necessary. Soak them in a degreasing solution, rinse with water, and allow them to dry completely before restarting the unit.

2. Don’t forget your oven’s interior cabinet

Regularly cleaning the oven interior prevents smoky odors and avoids problematic buildup.

Scrape off leakage from the walls and bottom of the oven interior. Regularly check and empty crumb trays. And use a quality oven cleaner to take care of stubborn buildup. 

Thanks for reading UPTIME #4!

We’ll be back next month with more tips and details on what’s new at Prefix.

Have something you’d like to see covered in a future newsletter? Shoot us a reply!

All the best,
Jared