Commercial Kitchen Preventative Maintenance Checklist

Palm Beach Restaurant Repair — 24/7: (561) 695-9808 · service@palmbeachrestaurantrepair.com · palmbeachrestaurantrepair.com

Weekly — closing crew, ~10 minutes, no tools

• ☐ Walk-in & reach-ins: log actual temps (cooler ≤ 40°F, freezer ≤ 0°F); note any drift from yesterday
• ☐ Door gaskets: quick look for tears; do the dollar-bill tug test on one door per unit
• ☐ Fryers: skim and filter oil; check for slow recovery vs. normal
• ☐ Pizza deck: brush and vacuum stones; clear flour dust from burner intake area
• ☐ Dishwasher: check final-rinse temp/sanitizer readout; clean wash arms and strainer pans
• ☐ Espresso machine: backflush (per manufacturer), soak portafilters, wipe and purge steam wands
• ☐ Ice machine: scoop stored properly, bin door closing fully, no odd noises on harvest
• ☐ Hood filters: visually check grease loading; swap/wash if saturated

Monthly — manager-owned

Refrigeration (walk-ins & reach-ins)

• ☐ Brush/vacuum condenser coils (unit off first) — the #1 preventable failure we see
• ☐ Check evaporator for ice buildup; confirm drain line drips freely
• ☐ Verify door closers & strip curtains seal; clean gaskets with soapy water only

Cooking line (fryers, ranges, ovens, griddles)

• ☐ Boil-out fryers; inspect baskets and check oil-level sensors
• ☐ Check burner flames: steady blue = good; yellow/lifting flames = book a PRO visit
• ☐ Test oven door seals and hinges; calibrate with an oven thermometer vs. the dial
• ☐ Degrease pilot areas and control panels (power off)

Ice machine

• ☐ Replace/inspect water filter cartridge (Florida water is hard on them)
• ☐ Sanitize bin interior; check cube size/clarity — small or cloudy cubes = early scale warning

Dishwasher

• ☐ Delime per detergent supplier instructions; check detergent/rinse-aid tubing for kinks
• ☐ Confirm wash/rinse temps against the data plate (high-temp final rinse: 180°F)

Espresso machine

• ☐ Replace group gaskets if the portafilter locks past 90°; check shower screens
• ☐ Confirm brew pressure ~9 bar and steam boiler pressure per spec on the gauges

Quarterly — calendar reminder

• ☐ Deep-clean hood plenum & fan visually accessible areas; schedule NFPA-96 hood cleaning as required — PRO
• ☐ Refrigeration: full coil clean, refrigerant charge & superheat check, defrost cycle test — PRO
• ☐ Gas equipment: manifold pressure, safety valves, thermostat calibration — PRO
• ☐ Ice machine: full descale & sanitize cycle — PRO (or trained staff per manual)
• ☐ Espresso machine: boiler descale/inspection, pressurestat & vacuum breaker check — PRO
• ☐ Mixers/slicers: gearbox oil level, belt tension, blade/guard condition — PRO
• ☐ Review this log: anything checked "off" twice in a row gets a service call before it fails