Commercial refrigeration systems are an important part of a successful commercial kitchen. They are also the only appliance that is in constant use, so if they’re not functioning effectively they can become a costly issue. At Midlands Catering, we know the benefits of refrigerator maintenance and how it can help your business, prevent unforeseen costs and extend the life of your appliances.

The benefits of refrigerator maintenance for your commercial kitchen

This helpful guide lists the 7 benefits of having a commercial kitchen maintenance plan in place:

1. Ensure food safety

For health and safety reasons, food has to be stored at a certain temperature. If your refrigerator is not functioning correctly food can become contaminated with bacteria and if served to customers, potentially make them unwell. Not only could this result in the loss of customers, but also your failure to meet health and safety regulations.

commercial freezer in a commercial kitchen
Commercial refrigeration maintenance

2. Avoid business downtime

A commercial kitchen can’t run without food and the majority of food is stored within your refrigerator. Therefore, if your refrigerator is faulty this impacts your entire kitchen. If food is unsafe to serve you may have to quickly rethink your menu or shut your kitchen down until the problem is resolved. With this loss of custom and the urgency of fixing or replacing your parts, costs can quickly rack up. A maintenance plan can spot and prevent these potential issues, saving you time and money.

3. Improve your refrigerator’s efficiency

It’s our mission at Midlands Catering to be environmentally responsible and support our customers in ensuring their kitchen is as sustainable as possible. When a refrigerator is not functioning correctly it’ll overheat and run up your electricity bills. By having a regular maintenance plan you can ensure your refrigerator is working efficiently to reduce energy bills, be more reliable and reduce its impact on the planet.

commercial kitchen engineer working on refrigeration unit
food waste prevention in commercial kitchens

4. Stock loss prevention

If food stored in your refrigerator is not at the recommended temperature, then it’s unsafe to serve to your customers and will have to be binned — resulting in a loss of stock, and an additional cost for replacing wasted supplies. In addition to this, it could impact your menu or result in complete kitchen downtime, meaning more unforeseen costs as well as disappointing your customers.

5. Budgeting and preparing for replacement equipment

Unplanned repairs are always a shock and rarely included in your forecasted budget. They usually require some urgency too, incurring higher charges. With a maintenance plan, you can be reassured that an experienced engineer will thoroughly inspect your equipment, recommending fixes to prevent these repairs. They’ll also be able to give you a clear health status of your equipment and provide plenty of warning as to whether it should be replaced or upgraded. By having this insight, you can adjust your budget to allow for these updates.

commercial refrigerator unit controls

6. Extend your equipment’s lifespan

Commercial kitchen equipment is a costly investment. Each piece needs to be maintained correctly in order to get the most from it. As we mentioned previously, faulty refrigerators will overwork and overheat, wasting more energy than needed.

When your refrigerator is serviced by a qualified engineer they will check, test, and clean the whole appliance including parts you’re unable to reach. Meaning it will be functioning effectively, be more reliable and last longer.

7. Reduce your emergency repair bills

With a commercial refrigerator maintenance plan in place, our engineers have the experience to spot potential faults and fix them early on. This will save you from having to replace parts in an emergency, or purchase new appliances entirely. You’ll also be able to plan any fixes within your budget and avoid costly call out charges.

commercial kitchen engineer fixing catering equipment

Finding the right plan for you

Midlands Catering can help you and the success of your kitchen through our maintenance plans. Depending on your needs, we work with your requirements and find the right service for you. Our plans give you the use of our bespoke online customer portal, where you can review your equipment’s documents, service dates and log any urgent issues. For more information, take a look at our Preventive Maintenance Plans.

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