Walk-Ins Go Down
QUESTION FROM: Lauren in PA
“We’ve lost a lot of food this year from storms tripping breakers, doors popping open in the in middle of the night and fridges getting inadvertently unplugged. Just walked in to another hot walk-in this morning. Any suggestions?
While we’re in the building they are doing temp logs so that usually heads off human error but then the storms and ‘ghosts’ are an entirely separate issue. Ready to fix this problem!! What do we do?”
HH ANSWER:
First things first - If you have a walk-in down, first thing to do is determine the cause.
Check the switch, breaker and temp. If you haven’t lost power or thrown a breaker and it’s a compressor, do you have any low boys or neighboring refrigeration that can hold the contents at temp? If not - KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED, call your service tech, order ice and let your Chef know ASAP.
While I can’t help you with ghosts or people unplugging units; I can help you prevent a this small catastrophe from recurring in the future.
There are some steps you can take to mitigate loss and scrambling.
Many operators rely solely on tech. There are small monitoring devices and downloadable apps that notify you via push notifications when there’s trouble...most often just in time to get a tech out before there’s any serious risk of spoilage (you set the low temp alarm).
But regardless of what devices, apps or security systems you employ, be sure to FIRST have a policy that reminds people to keep the damn doors closed in the event of a compressor or power failure and be sure your managers have the number of a reputable ice delivery service on hand. You might be surprised at how long things can stay at 40deg with the doors closed and a couple hundred pounds of ice delivered in a timely manner.
Here are some steps to take to prevent things going from bad to worse:
1. Try preventing the problem in the first place. Ensuring temp checks via temp check logs is (of course) your best/1st line of defense against spoilage but you’d be Surprised at how many times I walk into a kitchen only to see sporadic, at best, adherence and strings hanging without the china marker that once was there). If they’re only doing their job while you’re there - the walk-ins are the least of your problems. The sooner you start holding people accountable for their actions, the sooner they’ll make better choices (See this article if you’d like some help in that department: https://www.hospitalityhelpline.com/labor/2018/12/27/the-8-essential-components-of-a-constructive-write-up)
2. Additionally, ensuring that your closing manager has “lock walk-ins” on their walk-through checklist Is a great way to ensure the doors are actually closed all the way.
3. A solid temporary fix (or even a long-term one - as was the case for a client of mine who parked a refrigerated truck in his parking lot for 6 months during a remodeling) is to rent a refrigerated truck. It’s not cheap but it beats closing. Additionally, You may find that larger food or beer distributors may have one to loan or rent you for less if you’re a big account or a high-visibility location due to the fact that it offers both good will AND some additional brand exposure for them / their brands.
4. Another preventative measure against premature compressor failure (there’s a softball lobbed right over the plate for the jokesters) ) would be to keep all refrigeration coils clean / dust-free (especially low boys and reach-ins) by blowing them off with compressed air / wiping them down with a dry bar mop and keeping disposable air filters (or air filter material) on top of them to prevent them from getting caked-up and having to work harder / hotter. This really will extend the life of any unit.
5. Contact a local electrician and determine a reasonable load to run any/all walk in coolers, your sump pump and any electric start equipment.
There are plenty of generators on the market that you can get hardwired into your box that are well worth the investment if you have the space for them. If you don’t… Find it. (and while I’m thinking of it - be sure you have a wet/dry vac, a gas powered water pump and at least 200’ of hose. The two should cost approx. $200 and worth their weight in gold).
6. There are also several alarms on the market that will not only monitor walk-in temps and allow you to check them real time via your cell phone - but they’ll also notify you via your cell phone/app if the temperature increases above a certain preset limit however, these are often tied directly to Wi-Fi (and power) which can go out and completely disable the entire system regardless of how much you’ve invested.
These alarm apps are invaluable in the event of a door being left open/a jar or a bad seal/compressor but the greater value (IMHO) is in having one that is not reliant on wifi/electricity. If the power doesn’t go out but the wifi signal fades occasionally (or breaks off entirely due to the walk-ins being located outside the building or too far from your router, consider a wifi extender / mesh network…more on those here: https://www.hospitalityhelpline.com/tech/2019/4/30/the-best-wifi-extenders-for-your-restaurant)
Interested in learning more? Check out temp alarm devices like SensorPush (You’ll need 2 pieces for it):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N17RWWV/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_ZjO1EbVYA6GF5
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AEQ9X9I/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_OlO1EbE8D68EE
and the latest temp & humidity monitor I’ve come across but have not yet tried (or received any feedback on) - Therma:
7. Having appliances plugged in to a device that runs on cellular service (like iSocket) means you are also notified in the event of a power outage.
Consider leaving one or two small appliances or lights on as well (i.e., illuminated alarm clock, desk lamp, sign, etc...) and regularly checking security feeds on your phone to ensure you haven’t lost power. That’s a cheap hack but it works.
(NB* Having a large digit alarm clock is helpful in determining the time and length of any power loss.)
8. Asking your electric company for assurance that they will notify you in the event of any outages is also helpful. You’ll want to make sure they have your updated PERSONAL NUMBER for this as the contact number is usually for the billing address / business .
9. Hindsight is 20/20 and although this ship may have already sailed- it still makes sense for you to get your insurance agent on the phone and see if you have appropriate coverage or a rider that reimburses you for lost product. If you don’t, it’s never a bad time to add it or at the very least, get a quote.
Hope that helps,
Josh Sapienza | HospitalityHelpline.com