By Warren Wu, Contributor
If you run a bar or restaurant, it can be tricky to remember what tasks needs to be done when there are so many processes that need looking at on a regular basis. This is especially true when you add in the hectic nights and weekends at any successful bar. You need to remind yourself of what tasks are absolutely essential and must never be forgotten – lest it cost you a ton of cash later. This article seeks to highlight some of the four most essential bar maintenance tasks that you might have forgotten about.
The purpose of these tasks is to keep preventive maintenance at the forefront of your restaurant’s maintenance plan. Preventive maintenance is the practice of performing maintenance on your equipment and food-service systems in an effort to keep reactive maintenance at a minimum. Reactive maintenance is fixing your equipment after it’s become a problem. It’s when you are in the middle of the after-work rush and find out your most popular beers won’t pour because the lines are blocked and you have to find a repair mechanic to come fix the problem while your guests go to another bar.
Clear Keg Lines
As one of the most important preventive maintenance tasks that a bar can include in its regularly scheduled maintenance programs, clearing the keg lines is at the top of the hierarchy. Clearing keg lines is important because not only does it keep the taste of the beer at their most flavorful, it also keeps them clean for your customers. Keeping the lines clean ensures that unwanted pests are kept at bay and also ensures that your guests are safe from mold and other bacteria that can build in the lines.
Keg lines are cleaned using a special cleaning fluid or pressurized air to clear the keg lines. However, because this is not a daily task it is often ignored and deposits -- commonly referred to as “beer stone” -- build up and cause problems and ruin the taste of the beer. A CMMS or computerized maintenance management system software is often a good way to schedule this task for all necessary parties without forgetting. The maintenance software will allow you to schedule this task and review its completion as needed from your desktop or smartphone. The system also helps you and your employees to ensure that all scheduled tasks are being completed on time and to measure the monetary effectiveness of those tasks with reports.
Move & Sanitize Moveable Restaurant Equipment
Moving and sanitizing moveable equipment is one of the most essential tasks a bar owner can have their staff to complete on a weekly basis. This task is important as it allows the bartending staff the opportunity to check a few different items to ensure the health and hygiene of the bar. When the moveable equipment has been relocated, you can clean missed items and spills from behind. Additionally, this is a great time to schedule preventive maintenance checks to ensure that the component parts -- like gaskets, wires, and other parts -- are still in good working condition.
If this task is not completed on a regularly scheduled basis you may find a buildup of mold behind an item like your ice machine and, depending upon the severity of that mold, you may need to call in a costly repair team. Moreover, this mold can also build up inside the ice machine if it is not cleaned out properly on a regular basis causing you to damage the health of your customers which can lead to expensive litigation. This is another task that takes a few moments to complete but can easily be forgotten as it is not a daily chore and should be added to the maintenance management program to be remembered.
Clean Glass Washing Systems
Debris from fancy drinks can build up inside your glass washing system. It is important to clean this system regularly to avoid more costly repairs as well as many of the common problems associated with a glass washing machine like slime. Slime in the washing machine is a common problem that occurs when treated water is used. This causes bacteria slime and can be easily fixed by cleaning the internal surfaces of the machine with a steam cleaning machine.
This task should be done on a weekly basis or after 40 hours of use. If your bar is open long enough, then the task should be done at least twice a week to ensure that you keep your cleaning equipment in working order.
Sanitize Soda Guns & Faucets
The final essential task for keeping a well-maintained bar is to sanitize the soda guns and beer faucets regularly. This task should be done daily to ensure that sugar and other build-up is kept to a minimum, keeping your guests healthy and to reduce pest problems. To clean your soda guns or beer faucets, you should use a bath of warm soapy water to clean them, followed by using a sanitizing solution to bathe them. You can then wipe down the taps and put them back in place. The soda gun faucets can be bathed in the sanitizing solution overnight as they are not at risk of rusting or other corrosion from being left in water for a long time.
About the Author
Warren Wu has years of restaurant experience of being a waiter at Common Theory Public House in San Diego, California. He is now the Head of Growth for UpKeep, a software company that helps companies streamline their maintenance process.
