3 Ways Repairs Management Can Help You Navigate Rising Costs & Grow

Our constant news cycle has been full of topics lately that affect restaurant margins: Wildfires raged through southern California. Avian flu put a huge dent in the poultry and egg supply. New tariffs are driving up the cost of imports. Inflation never ceases.

Restaurant operators have never had it easy, of course. Food service hospitality is an industry familiar with high labor turnover and volatile expenses. Perhaps the thrill of the challenge is part of the allure for those of us who join its ranks.

Fortunately, relief exists for those who know where to look. Repairs and maintenance (R&M) management is a commonly overlooked avenue for significant cost savings and margin growth, especially for scaling concepts. In this article we’ll explore three ways R&M management can help you navigate rising costs. 

Flipping a necessary evil into a margin multiplier

Repairs are simply a fact of life for restaurants. Any business moving a lot of people and product through its facilities will experience natural wear and tear. Add to that the complexity and extreme temperatures of a commercial kitchen, and you’ve got tons of failure points baked into your operations.

How do growing brands stay on top of all of it, especially when managing repairs isn't top-of-mind for frontline staff? 

1 - Approach Preventative Maintenance Strategically

Getting ahead of major repairs before they become emergencies is a time-tested strategy for minimizing equipment downtime. Routine, proactive check-ups for your operationally critical equipment is one of your best defenses for avoiding emergency repairs.

Here are a few best practices for strategically approaching preventive maintenance: 

• Create inspection checklists. These will serve as guardrails for catching issues before they become emergencies. A good checklist will be simple for your staff to follow and will streamline the process for properly cleaning and maintaining your equipment. 
• Track equipment performance. If you record the service history of your equipment, you’ll be able to identify patterns and predict potential failures. In some cases, you may have a “lemon” on your hands—an asset you’re paying more to fix than it’s actually worth. In other cases equipment service and parts might be covered by a warranty, surfacing valuable cost savings for your restaurant. 
• Schedule professional preventative maintenance. Expert eyes can catch what you might miss. Even the best trained restaurant staff won’t be fully qualified to diagnose advanced mechanical problems. Have a certified technician assess and sign off on your essential kitchen equipment. 

2 - Build Your Repair Network

Equipment still breaks despite proactive guardrails. When this happens, you want to be prepared with a trusted network of repair technicians in every market where you operate.

Start with developing relationships with service companies. Over the last few years there’s been a worsening shortage of skilled technicians in the marketplace, so building connections with quality, reliable service providers will help ensure there’s a timely response to your calls in emergency situations.

Another detail to track in relation to service providers is the total cost it takes a service partner to complete a repair. Note that this is different from the lowest hourly quote you receive. If a service company regularly requires multiple visits to fix issues, or frequently misdiagnoses a problem, they are likely costing you more than a competitor with higher hourly rates.

Finally, have a contingency plan if your preferred service company isn’t able to dispatch a technician when you need them. It’s ideal to have a working knowledge of other options when your go-to solution isn’t available. 

3 - Relentlessly Document Your Inventory

You simply can’t reliably track equipment performance if you don’t document your assets. Details like make, model, manufacturer, age, and warranty information are essential for monitoring your R&M costs.

A well-documented equipment inventory is a blueprint for identifying covered repairs and tracking faulty equipment. Maximize your R&M management (and margin growth) with a meticulous asset catalog. 

Finding the right partner for R&M management

Consider working with a trusted partner to handle R&M management for you so that you can focus on the many other aspects of running a successful restaurant brand.

For ​​help proactively managing your R&M, consider 86 Repairs, the only solution built to empower multi-unit restaurant operators to improve margins. Contact us today to learn more.

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