Equipment & Supplies

Restaurants endure at least 1.5 monthly equipment issues

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October 1, 2020

Repairing equipment can be a costly burden, especially in the limited-service industry, in which operators reported that a critical piece of equipment goes down about one and one-half times per month per location, according to the "State of Repairs" report.

Conducted by 86 Repairs — a company that manages repairs and maintenance processes for restaurants — the study polled 250 operators of limited-service brands as well as fine-dining locations and found that resolving an average repair takes seven to nine unique touch-points. Also, QSRs, fast casuals and casual brands spend nearly 9% of their projected yearly repair spend per location on reactive, in-time repairs, averaging $520 per incident.

"This year's State of Repairs report just scratches the surface of the amazing data we're able to gather on behalf of our customers," 86 Repairs CEO Daniel Estrada said in a company press release. "Our data isn't just for show — it provides true insights that have never existed before in the industry, saving operators thousands of dollars per store every year."

The study also revealed that the most common category for service was cold side equipment with refrigerated prep tables, walk-in coolers and ice-makers having the greatest number of incidents.

Categories covered in the report include:

• Understanding overall R&M spend and equipment repair spend by restaurant category.
• Frequency of repairs by service category.
• Timing of repairs by day of week and week of year.
• Actionable tips for making the most of your R&M budget.