With the Restaurant Facilities Management Association (RFMA) Annual Conference taking place in Las Vegas this week, all the talk is about solutions for restaurant facilities maintenance. This event brings restaurant facilities maintenance pros together from across the country to meet with vendors, attend educational sessions and network with their peers.
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As usual, one key topic of discussion is what restaurant facilities maintenance services are best handled by a strategic service provider like Chain Store Maintenance - an MCS Company. Several factors—including the number of restaurant sites you manage, the number of markets you’re in, and the size and skill set of your in-house crew—will help you determine what you really need in a multi-site restaurant facilities maintenance partner. Outside partners can be particularly helpful for specialized commercial services or programs in these seven key areas.
Plumbing
Because plumbing issues in a restaurant can escalate quickly, your facilities maintenance partner should be able to deliver fast, reliable and cost-effective solutions for routine maintenance as well as emergencies. They should be well versed in areas like replacing equipment and repairing leaks, managing clogs, cleaning sewer and drainage systems and servicing water heaters. They can also help you determine if converting to tankless water heaters makes, providing efficiency at your locations.
Pest Control
As part of a typical program, your pest control partner should visit at least monthly, checking for potential issues and noting any pest-proofing work that might be needed. If any issues are discovered in a particular area, they will likely recommend additional traps or treatments as well as cleaning to resolve issues (particularly food-related ones).
Your provider should also be able to handle exclusion services without having to coordinate through another vendor. Chain Store’s pest control professionals inspect your restaurant properties and identify any potential points of egress for pests, and then our qualified handymen are deployed to address any issues. This includes ensuring screens and door sweeps are in proper condition as well as installing mesh wire to block larger openings and vulnerable areas.
Grease Trap
Well-maintained grease traps are critical for avoiding unexpected service disruptions and ensuring your restaurants stay in compliance with regulatory health codes. Your facilities maintenance partner should provide a grease trap program that includes FOG (fats, oils and grease) inspections and reports and thorough cleanings to empty and refresh traps as needed to keep your sites running smoothly and up to code.
Electrical and Lighting
Your multi-site restaurant facilities maintenance partner should offer comprehensive interior and exterior electrical and lighting services, starting with regular inspections and proactive maintenance that will keep your systems up and running. They should be able to handle electrical maintenance and repairs of switches, outlets and charging stations as well as breakers and disconnects.
Your partner will also be able to help with lighting repairs and installations when needed, from simple bulb changes to supplying and installing custom lighting and maintaining lighting in your parking lots.
An experienced partner will also suggest and be able to help with upgrade projects like LED retrofitting and installing light timers and motion detectors that make your restaurant properties safer and more efficient, saving money.
Parking Lot Maintenance
Your multi-site restaurant facilities maintenance partner should be able to provide the parking lot maintenance services you need to ensure the safety of your guests. This starts with preventive maintenance, including regular sweeping and proactively addressing low spots or areas of standing water as well as repainting lines, sealing cracks before they can become hazards and repaving as needed. They should also be able to help maintain your parking lot lighting and signage and provide security services like access control (via fences or gates) and regular landscaping to maintain visibility for drivers and pedestrians.
And if you have a drive-thru, they can sweep and power wash those spots that tend to get messy when handing over food to your customers. A clean impression is integral to the perception of the quality and safety of your locations.
Backflow Maintenance
Backflow testing and maintenance are essential to help prevent untreated or contaminated water from being back-siphoned into your clean water and ensure compliance with your local municipality. Your trusted partner should be able to conduct the backflow tests, file the related paperwork and take over the process of managing testing. This includes building a database that tracks testing and any violation notices that could have accumulated before you had a program in place.
Multi-location Rollouts
Your restaurant facilities maintenance partner should be able to help with multi-location rollout projects. For example, if your quick-service restaurant needs to add a second microwave and a new shelf at all their locations, your restaurant maintenance partner can take the hassle out of this simple upgrade and maintain continuity across your locations by performing this task at each site.
Contact Chain Store Today
Need a facilities maintenance partner to help your restaurants run efficiently and safely? Talk to the pros at Chain Store today to find out how we can help.
