Make sure your restaurant ventilation is ready for you to reopen your kitchen now that restrictions and mandates regarding on-premise dining restrictions continue to be removed. More and more restaurants are reopening their doors to customers but even if you’ve already reopening, you might also be overdue for some deep spring cleaning. Either way, these tips for reopening a commercial kitchen post-pandemic will help make sure your restaurant is in tip-top shape and ready for customers.
Do A System Check On Your HVAC & Restaurant Ventilation
Ensure that your restaurant ventilation system is operating properly and is able to provide the required amount of indoor air quality for the occupancy level of your facility.
Check your HVAC air filters
Check your HVAC air filters to make sure they are offering as high as possible filtration without reducing the design airflow of your HVAC system. A pleated MERV 8 air filter offers long service life and can also help reduce your HVAC maintenance costs by protecting expensive equipment from damage and harmful effects. This filter performs well as the primary air filter in HVAC systems or can be used as a pre-filter to a more efficient filter.When replacing air filters, inspect the filter housing and racks to ensure a proper fit and installation. And don’t forget to check the exhaust fans in your restrooms to confirm that they are operating at full capacity.
Clean Your Air Vents
Don’t skip cleaning dusty or grease coated air vents in your restaurant and kitchen. These are often overlooked and with just a little time, can make a noticeable difference in both the appearance and cleanliness of your dining areas as well as help reduce allergens by removing trapped dust and other particulates.
Check Your Makeup Air Supply
Check your exhaust ventilation system to ensure that it is balanced with enough makeup air supply. If you don’t have enough makeup air entering your system, your HVAC system will become unbalanced and cause problems from hot and cold spots to doors that slam shut out of nowhere or that are hard to open. Commercial kitchens need makeup air fans in addition to their HVAC systems in order to supply the required amount of airflow.
Clean and maintain your hood and exhaust system
It’s important to maintain the proper operation of your ventilation hood, filters, ductwork, exhaust fans, fan belts and if you have one, also your fire suppression system.
Check Your Commercial Kitchen or Restaurant Ventilation Hood
Your vent hood is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your kitchen. For a true deep clean, make sure it is cleared of all grease, oil, or carbon buildup down to the bare metal. Empty and clean all grease cups. Remove, clean, and inspect all hood filters. Replace any worn or damaged hood filters. Baffle grease hood filters can be hand washed, cleaned in a soak tank, or run through a dishwasher. You should also clean the areas around your vent hood with warm soapy water to make sure any remaining oil residue is removed. Keep your stainless steel surfaces bright and shiny with an earth-friendly polish like WOW! Stainless Steel Cleaner. It’s 100% natural, biodegradable, and made with organic ingredients.
Check Your Exhaust Fan
Check your upblast exhaust fan for worn fan belts or bearings. Worn belts are common but easy to fix. It’s a good idea to keep a few extra fan belts on hand so that you can quickly swap out an old one. Ensure your upblast exhaust fan blades are clean and free of grease and make sure the fan is balanced and working properly with no vibrations or squeaking. Empty and clean out any grease catchers or grease containment systems used with your exhaust fan.
Kitchen Equipment Cleaning And Maintenance
Grease buildup in your restaurant ventilation system and cooking equipment can pose a serious fire danger. Proper hood maintenance and cleaning is vital to avoiding costly downtime. Grease fires can quickly get out of hand and lead to full closures as well as expensive repairs.
Clean and degrease your burners, burner grates, grills, and fryers
Other than your hood, these are probably the greasiest area of your entire restaurant ventilation system. Keeping your burners, grates, grill tops and fryer components free of grease and oil buildup can both reduce your fire hazard and increase your cooking efficiency. It can also have a significant effect on the flavor consistency of your food.Clean and sanitize cooktop equipment such as broilers, griddles, and ovens .You can even use fryer oil extending powder and fryliquid antioxidant to help keep your fry oil fresher and make it last longer. And for cooked on grease and oil, the cleaning power of a Driploc soak tank or our 80 gallon FOG Tank can’t be beat. They help you tackle the toughest baked-on grease and carbon build-up with ease.
Clean, inspect, and maintain your refrigerators, freezers, and walk-ins
Power wash the floors of your walk-in as well as any floor mats. Disinfect and sanitize exterior surfaces. Check gaskets on doors and clean condensers. Make sure you have working thermometers and that the units are cooling properly. Empty ice machines, check and replace any in-line water filters, and then run a sanitizing cycle on it.
Clean And Sanitize
Cleaning and disinfecting are critical to reopening your restaurant and keeping it open. There’s no better time than now for a deep clean both inside and outside of your restaurant – dining areas, kitchen and restaurant ventilation, cooktops, prep spaces, common areas, bathrooms, plus your dumpster area.
Put your customers at ease
While it may seem daunting to clean and sanitize your entire restaurant, it is one of the best ways to reduce pathogens, viruses, and other illness causing agents that can infect your patrons, your staff, or even the food you serve. A noticeably clean and sanitized restaurant will enhance the experience of your customers and help put them at ease. Also, don’t forget to have plenty of hand sanitizer available to both staff and customers.
Fast and easy ways to disinfect and sanitize
A great way to make restaurant sanitizing both faster and easier is by using a disinfectant and sanitation sprayer or fogger. Foggers, in particular, are extremely effective at disinfecting large areas as well as areas with hard to reach places. They are the perfect choice for sanitizing large groups of chairs and tables, sinks, countertops, bathrooms, and even trash receptacles. Best of all, disinfectant foggers are a breeze to use. Just fill with our one step disinfectant and spray!While keeping your dining area and kitchen or restaurant ventilation system clean is a high priority, don’t forget about the outside areas of your restaurant though. Outdoor dining areas should receive the same level of cleaning and sanitizing as indoor dining areas. Don’t forget high-touch areas like railings and door handles. But the cleaning shouldn’t stop there either.With the help of a high pressure hose and a spray gun, you can power wash your sidewalks, parking lot, drive through, and your dumpster area to help make sure your customer’s first impression of your restaurant is a good one! We also carry a wide selection of lances, foamers, and spray nozzles to make sure you have the right tool for every power washing job from cleaning your business signage to cleaning dumpster corral surfaces and drive-thru lanes.
Wear Gloves
Even when hands are properly washed, they can still carry dangerous pathogens. Encourage your staff to wear gloves when appropriate. This includes any situations where staff would be touching ready-to-eat food with their bare hands. And in order to avoid cross-contamination, gloves should be changed frequently. Used in combination with proper hand washing protocols, using gloves can provide an effective barrier between food handlers and the foods they handle. Disposable nitrile gloves are a great choice for restaurants and commercial kitchens.
Wear A Mask
Both the CDC and the FDA are encouraging food service industry employees to wear masks at work in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Our disposable 3-ply face masks can help keep respiratory droplets from the mask wearer from spreading. This is especially important for preventing the spread of COVID-19 when a foodservice worker unknowingly carries the virus. In addition to face masks, face shields can be used for additional protection. Having a readily available supply of face masks for both employees and customers who may need or want one during their visit to your facility is a really good idea.
Be Prepared For An Inspection
New rules and regulations may be in place. Be sure to check with local agencies such as the health department and fire marshal. Preparing ahead of time for any new restaurant ventilation inspection or health inspection requirement updates will save you both time and hassle. It is also a good idea to have a written plan outlining your sanitizing processes and cleaning schedule so that you can provide it to the inspector if needed. They may also want information on your staff training regarding COVID-10 protocols as well as your social distancing plan for restaurant patrons.
We’re All In This Together
While based on information from the CDC and FDA, this is by no means a complete checklist. Always check with your local and federal regulatory agencies to confirm you are in compliance. But if you’ve done everything in this guide, you’ve definitely got a head start and are well on your way to safely reopening your kitchen and your restaurant. And remember, we’re all in this together!If you have any questions about any of the products we mentioned or need some advice on choosing a hood system, replacement filters, exhaust fan or any other piece of commercial kitchen and restaurant ventilation equipment, we’re always here to help. Just give us a call at 877-394-9731 or email us at customerservice@hoodfilters.com.
While keeping your dining area and kitchen or restaurant ventilation system clean is a high priority, don’t forget about the outside areas of your restaurant though. Outdoor dining areas should receive the same level of cleaning and sanitizing as indoor dining areas. Don’t forget high-touch areas like railings and door handles. But the cleaning shouldn’t stop there either.
With the help of a high pressure hose and a spray gun, you can power wash your sidewalks, parking lot, drive through, and your dumpster area to help make sure your customer’s first impression of your restaurant is a good one! We also carry a wide selection of lances, foamers, and spray nozzles to make sure you have the right tool for every power washing job from cleaning your business signage to cleaning dumpster corral surfaces and drive-thru lanes.
If you have any questions about any of the products we mentioned or need some advice on choosing a hood system, replacement filters, exhaust fan or any other piece of commercial kitchen and restaurant ventilation equipment, we’re always here to help. Just give us a call at 877-394-9731 or email us at customerservice@hoodfilters.com.