Beat the Heat in Your Restaurant Kitchen This Summer
Restaurant kitchens can easily get extremely hot, especially during the summer months. With the hot air outside combined with heat coming from the food preparation equipment, it's important that employees have ways to stay cool. Today's blog from Fast Fix LLC focuses on ways to beat the heat in your commercial kitchen this summer:
The most important aspect of keeping cool in a hot kitchen is an efficient AC system that's working properly. Before the summer heat kicks in, it's important to have your AC system checked. It's also important to keep up with regular maintenance to ensure everything is working properly and efficiently. Not only will this decrease the likelihood of a system failure, but also cut your energy costs down.
While pushing cool air in is important, you also need a way for the hot air to get out. Proper ventilation is another important aspect of any restaurant or commercial kitchen. Installing hoods over the stove tops helps with this. Not only does that pull the heat from the kitchen, but it also filters out any smoke, keeping it from filling up the kitchen and leaking into the dining area.
Make sure that drinking water is readily available to your entire staff. This could include bottled water or a water cooler in the break room, or a sink with filtered water and cups for employees to use. In addition to having the drinking water available, make sure that they are taking regular breaks to rehydrate. Having Gatorade on hand and educating about the dehydrating effects of coffee also helps. Dehydrated employees are going to have difficulty working efficiently and could even make themselves sick to where they are unable to work at all. Heat exhaustion can be a major issue in the restaurant industry and you don't want anyone fainting in the kitchen.
Another way for employees to cool off and get a break from the heat of the kitchen is to visit the walk-in. Have employees take turns going to retrieve refrigerated items and setup a schedule for employees to clean and organize that area. Taking a break and stepping into the walk-in can help employees from getting overheated during a dinner rush.
Some restaurant kitchen employees have developed new ways to beat the heat during the summer months. Some restaurants store damp towels in the refrigerator that can be placed on the back of the kitchen staff's necks if they become over heated. Another way to keep cool is rolling up your pant legs and wearing breathable clothing. If you're a restaurant owner that requires a uniform, make sure to pick a uniform that's lightweight and breathable.
While we may not be able to make sure your employees stay hydrated, we can help with all your HVAC maintenance needs in Missouri and Western Illinois. We'll make sure your AC is in proper working condition to keep your restaurant as cool as possible during the hot summer months. In addition, we can maintain and repair all your other restaurant equipment. Our specialty is Missouri and Western Illinois food service equipment repair. One call does it all - contact us at 573-254-3748!
Fast Fix LLC. Restaurant Services
9403 County Road 154
Auxvasse, MO 65231
Phone: 573-254-3748
St. Louis Customers: 636-FASTFIX
Website: www.FastFixLLC.com
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1. Ensure the AC System is Working Properly.
The most important aspect of keeping cool in a hot kitchen is an efficient AC system that's working properly. Before the summer heat kicks in, it's important to have your AC system checked. It's also important to keep up with regular maintenance to ensure everything is working properly and efficiently. Not only will this decrease the likelihood of a system failure, but also cut your energy costs down.
2. Install Proper Ventilation.
While pushing cool air in is important, you also need a way for the hot air to get out. Proper ventilation is another important aspect of any restaurant or commercial kitchen. Installing hoods over the stove tops helps with this. Not only does that pull the heat from the kitchen, but it also filters out any smoke, keeping it from filling up the kitchen and leaking into the dining area.
3. Keep Employees Hydrated.
Make sure that drinking water is readily available to your entire staff. This could include bottled water or a water cooler in the break room, or a sink with filtered water and cups for employees to use. In addition to having the drinking water available, make sure that they are taking regular breaks to rehydrate. Having Gatorade on hand and educating about the dehydrating effects of coffee also helps. Dehydrated employees are going to have difficulty working efficiently and could even make themselves sick to where they are unable to work at all. Heat exhaustion can be a major issue in the restaurant industry and you don't want anyone fainting in the kitchen.
4. Visit the Walk-In More Often.
Another way for employees to cool off and get a break from the heat of the kitchen is to visit the walk-in. Have employees take turns going to retrieve refrigerated items and setup a schedule for employees to clean and organize that area. Taking a break and stepping into the walk-in can help employees from getting overheated during a dinner rush.
5. Other Unique Ways to Keep Cool.
Some restaurant kitchen employees have developed new ways to beat the heat during the summer months. Some restaurants store damp towels in the refrigerator that can be placed on the back of the kitchen staff's necks if they become over heated. Another way to keep cool is rolling up your pant legs and wearing breathable clothing. If you're a restaurant owner that requires a uniform, make sure to pick a uniform that's lightweight and breathable.
While we may not be able to make sure your employees stay hydrated, we can help with all your HVAC maintenance needs in Missouri and Western Illinois. We'll make sure your AC is in proper working condition to keep your restaurant as cool as possible during the hot summer months. In addition, we can maintain and repair all your other restaurant equipment. Our specialty is Missouri and Western Illinois food service equipment repair. One call does it all - contact us at 573-254-3748!
Fast Fix LLC. Restaurant Equipment Service & Repair -
One Call Does It All!
Fast Fix LLC. Restaurant Services
9403 County Road 154
Auxvasse, MO 65231
Phone: 573-254-3748
St. Louis Customers: 636-FASTFIX
Website: www.FastFixLLC.com
"Like" us on Facebook
"Follow" us on Twitter
"Follow" us on LinkedIn
"Follow" us on Google
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