Work orders quicker than a fast break 🏀🔥

Hi!

Despite keeping one eye on the NCAA Tournament (go Boilermakers!), we’re staying busy here at Prefix. More restaurants are joining our best-in-class Prefix Vendor Network, and we continue to refine our product to make it super easy to onboard and submit issues (in under 30 minutes 👀). 

With that in mind, here’s our first tip on how to keep your facilities running smoothly:

Tip 1: Make it dead-simple to submit issues from the store level

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a critical piece of equipment goes down in the middle of a dinner service. The manager calls her district manager, who is … also working in a store and doesn’t pick up. The manager gets back to her immediate tasks, figuring that she can report the issue when things die down. 

Time passes, and she tries her local technician. But it’s after hours, so she leaves a message. She’ll try again in the morning. When she does, the tech is booked up for the next few days. When is she going to find someone else to do the job? There’s a lunch rush to prep. 

It’s gotta be dead-simple for an operator to submit an issue. In 10 seconds or less, a manager should be able to:

• Identify the piece of equipment that isn’t working correctly

• Explain in one sentence what, exactly, is wrong

• Have the confidence that the report will make its way to someone who can fix the problem in a timely manner

We’ve tried to build Prefix with those goals in mind. Right now, managers can quickly submit a work order, identify the problem, and get back to work without expending more mental energy on follow-ups:

We’ve harnessed AI to make things flow even easier:

• The manager creates a work order, and jots down a note like “my cooler is too warm and the food is starting to go bad - help!”

• Prefix prompts the manager to select “Expo cooler” as the item to be fixed

• Prefix reads the manager’s message and automatically assigns the problem: “Too Warm”

• Boom! The work order is created. The manager goes back to her day

More to come – we’ll keep innovating to make it easier and easier for managers to report problems.

Mental health break

Tip 2: Pay attention to the weather

January and February were rough sales months for many restaurants. A major reason why? The weather. Said Restaurant Business last month:

In the old days (all of 5 years ago), weather played a huge part in determining a restaurant’s sales. Now, after several years of … unexpected sales factors (a pandemic, stimulus checks, etc.) we seem to be entering a more normal environment.

So. What does that mean for your restaurant – and its facilities?

Traditionally, warmer weather brings out the customers. That’s great for your bank account, but can also mean more wear and tear on your equipment. Keep a closer eye on the facilities that are seeing a ramp-up in usage. 

Additionally, air conditioning systems work harder to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures during hot spring and summer days. A full dining room also puts added pressure on your HVAC system. And if you’re in the South, take note that humidity can accelerate deterioration of your facilities. Make sure you schedule your preventative maintenance before the summer months and spot-check any potential problem areas.

Thanks for reading UPTIME #2!

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