To Repair or Replace … 4 Questions to Ask First

January 08, 2020

When you own or manage a restaurant, there are a lot of decisions you have to make. It’s a bustling place, and a lot of your choices need to be fast and accurate as you whip up food, address customer concerns, and make orders. One thing that can cause a hitch in your plans is when a piece of equipment breaks down, and then you have to decide if the equipment is ready to replace, or can be repaired efficiently. Here at Fast Fix LLC, we can help you determine if a piece of equipment is repairable, and if it is, we can help with your commercial appliance repair in Mid-Missouri! Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you make this decision.

Q: What is the age of the commercial appliance?

The fact is, every appliance has a lifespan, and it’s going to vary depending on the appliance. A refrigerator generally has a lifespan between 10 and 15 years. When your commercial refrigerator is approaching that age, you’ll want to start planning ahead for the repair or replacement costs. The effectiveness of the appliance is going to be crucial to the way your business operates, and in some cases, it’s more effective to replace the appliance than to continue repairing it.

Q: Is the appliance under warranty?

Many appliances have a 12-month warranty. If it’s still under warranty, then it’s probably a good idea to repair instead of replacing it.

Q: How many times has the commercial appliance been used?

Regular repairs can be a costly investment to your business, so before you start down the path of repairing, it’s important to decide how viable the appliance is first. If your appliance is breaking down regularly, it’s going to affect the efficiency in your facility - as well as be costly. One thing you can do is determine how long it’s been in use. If it’s nearing the “age of expiration” you may find that the piece isn’t worth it. However, another thing you can do to help your business is to invest in regular maintenance agreements with Fast Fix. Instead of waiting for your equipment to breakdown and cost you money, we can come to check on it and repair it regularly to eliminate downtime and additional repairs from the breakdown.

Q: Do you qualify for any tax rebates when you buy new appliances?

This can be a huge reason to invest in new equipment - especially if you are comparing to old equipment, to begin with. Take advantage of tax benefits or other financial benefits when you make a new purchase.

Other Factors to Consider

There are a few other things you can consider if you aren’t sure whether replacement or repair is the best choice:

Is it still safe?
Will it have a high cost of repair?
Are the spare parts available?
Does it fit your current needs, or is it too small?

Let Fast Fix LLC Give You a Hand!

Whether you need to buy a new piece of equipment or repair commercial kitchen equipment in Mid-Missouri - we can help! We have an amazing commercial appliance maintenance service in St. Louis, Missouri and surrounding areas. This can help keep your appliances running longer, and allow us to catch the issue before it blows up into a bigger issue (sometimes, literally!). Visit our website to learn more about our Missouri restaurant appliance repair company, or give us a call. We look forward to helping your restaurant serve more customers in the best way possible in 2020!