Restaurant And Kitchen Exhaust Hood Cleaning Frequency

Many new restaurant owners or commercial kitchen managers struggle to know how often their exhaust hood fans and ducts should be cleaned. Cleaning the exhaust hoods, ducts, fans and filters are not only important but are required by the law under fire code NFPA 96. Failing to properly maintain the kitchen exhaust hood system can result in fires, unpleasant odors, premature breakdown and catastrophic loss. The grease that builds up in the system provides ample fuel for a fire that can burn at an incredible heat. Most exhaust systems have a fire suppression system within the hood and at the mouth of the vertical duct, but fire suppression systems do not provide protection in the vertical and horizontal ductwork or the fan on the roof.

So how often should a restaurant have their exhaust system cleaned? The frequency of cleaning is something that is highly dependent on the volume of cooking and the type of cooking that you perform. Obviously, higher volume cooking locations require more frequent cleaning. However, what most restaurant owners do not realize is that the type of food their kitchen prepares also plays an important role in how often the exhaust system should be serviced.

For instance, preparing foods that are high in fats and oils (such as cooking burgers, char broil cooking, foods cooked in a wok, cooking with solid fuels (wood) or open vat fryers) deposit much more grease into the exhaust system than traditional cooking. So if you are preparing burgers on a daily basis at a high volume your kitchen exhaust hoods will need to be serviced regularly (quarterly at a minimum) to prevent fires and unacceptable grease buildup.

Determining the optimal level of exhaust hood cleaning that your kitchen or restaurant requires takes years of experience. It is often best to consult with a reputable and certified kitchen exhaust hood inspector who can evaluate your system and cooking habits to provide a recommendation on a cleaning and maintenance schedule. Some commercial kitchen and restaurant hood cleaners provide exhaust hood inspection services for free, and some will even provide pictures of the internal ductwork.

As a rule of thumb no commercial kitchen exhaust system in regular use should go over six months without a thorough cleaning. However, if you are cooking a high volume of foods that are high in fats and oils a thorough cleaning might be required as often as twice a month. This is where the expertise of a certified kitchen exhaust system inspector can help you determine how often your exhaust system needs to be cleaned. Once you have a cleaning and maintenance schedule in place reevaluate the schedule every year to ensure that changes in cooking load or menu options have not increased grease buildup between services.

Make your Family smile with your tweaked favorite restaurant recipes

Meal times are essential moments for families to get together to talk and catch up. This is when most or if not all family members should be present. There are times however that meals can get very boring due to a repetitive menu. So why don’t you tweak some of your own favorite restaurant recipes and feel the difference.

Dining out is a good experience especially if you have enough money to do so. Eating your favorite restaurant food is a major gastronomical fulfillment. But even dining can become a routine when it is frequently done. Money is not the answer for everything. Cooking at home is one of the most economical options to consider when meal times are concerned. You have to be creative though to sustain a certain hold of enthusiasm in the dining table.le.

Each of your family members may have their own favorite restaurant recipes. So why don’t you make it as a challenge for yourself to cook their favorite restaurant recipes? Cooking involves planning and research. Since you are cooking for your family, try to customize the recipe that they like to suit to their own liking. Choose the best yet cheap ingredients that you think may suit your taste. Tweaking favorite restaurant recipes is a major advantage for you because you can add things or eliminate things which you think you and your family would not like in the dish. If possible, open more chances for you to bond with your family by actually sharing views of your planned recipes. Set a date for this recipe to be served so that everyone will make themselves available during that time. Build your own family tradition when you cook favorite restaurant recipes.

Savor the essence of meal times in your own homes with this new idea. Break the tradition of just serving turkey during Thanksgiving, might as well charge it up together with the favorite restaurant recipes that you have agreed upon. Let everyone crave for more of your recipes by doing it right and cooking it right.

Most of us agree that the family is a very important part of our existence, with this in mind; we want everything to be so special for them. Go ahead, tweak your own favorite restaurant recipes and feel the closeness that it will bring.

Are you tired of the same recipes over and over again? Get a free recipe ebook right now. Get it at

Identify Your Dream Restaurant Manager’s Position

Can you write out a description of a typical day in your life when you are in your dream position? Is your view of the job realistic? Do you know what the job entails? Have you watched your manager?

These are real questions that need to be answered before you can create a career plan. This outline can be revised at any stage through the career development cycle mentioned in Part 3.

It is important to identify this position early in your career. Taking the wrong restaurant job today can pay the bills, but this short term focus can derail your long term plans. This is why it is important to work with a recruitment firm who can help you find the right job.

How to Identify the Right Job?

Is it time to move forward and take a risk by approaching hospitality recruiters at a trade show for restaurant managers? Is it time to take a couple years in a mid level career and build on your strengths and gain experience.

Various statistics say that the average employee spends some time each afternoon looking for a new job. This is not surprising. Coaching brings another aspect to job hunting that many people are unaware of. Everyone wants a job that makes them feel fulfilled and energized. Few people invest the time needed to find what job will make them happy. Are you a restaurant manager or a general manager? Do your talents ride in preparation or execution? These are important questions to answer ‘before’ entering a job interview.

It isn’t important to have pat answers for a pre defined list of interview questions. What is important is to know what you want so that you can land the ‘right’ job. It’s not about the job. It’s about you. Recruiters focus on helping their candidates secure jobs that they will want to keep for longer than one year.

Recruiters help their candidates find clarity and understanding. Once this is accomplished then it is easier to identify yourself as a ‘restaurant manager’ or ‘general manager’. As the candidate sets intentions, explores possibilities, brings their curiosity alive, focus on the future instead of fearing outcomes. What you focus on expands! Did past jobs stretch your skills and expand your vision? Did you learn how to identify opportunities to grow and change?

Mike Moore is published on more than 300 websites. He writes success and career articles that cover topics from restaurant management, career paths, business management, home based business, and business start up. . He is published on various website including

Basics of Restaurant Design

The success of a restaurant does not only depend on the quality of food and customer service but also on the environment or what we called the “restaurant design”. This is an essential factor to keep every customer come back in the restaurant. Lets discuss some of the basics of restaurant design.

First is the seating capacity. In dealing with the seating capacity in a restaurant, you should also consider the welcoming ambience. This is simply letting your customers visit your restaurant while creating a balanced environment. This factor can be easily seen in different types of restaurants today. For example, fine dining restaurant concentrates on the ambience of the place-music, ventilation and heating and not on the seating capacity.

Next thing that you need to know is the problem areas of a restaurant. The truth with restaurateurs is that they cant escape from having one problem area in the place. Restaurant problem areas include tables near restroom and front entrance. To solve this problem, simply place a divider like tall plant or screen. Problem areas can be easily determined by sitting in every chair. And try to look at different views while sitting and if you see that theres one thing that is unpleasant to your eye. Then its time for you to replace such thing.

Music is one of the neglected factors in terms of restaurant design. Well, music can change the mood and attract customers even without noticing it. Avoid playing music that is repetitious. When you choose songs to play, dont depend on your staff. Even if they dont like it, the music must be appropriate for your customers and be suitable for your restaurant. Popular restaurants today have live music. They usually hire famous singer or band that can be a tourist spot for customers.

One of the important aspects for any type of businesses like restaurant is the heating and ventilation. Good air ventilation attracts customers. People dont want a non-air conditioned restaurant during summer. For some restaurants, it is normal for them to operate with electric fans only. They dont even know that it loses sales.

In the busy world, people especially Americans view eating in a restaurant as a form of nourishment as well as entertainment. Restaurateurs must think of a unique idea that will attract customers and thus, increase their sales. So if youre planning to establish a restaurant in your area, you need to consider the basics of restaurant design that I mentioned earlier. Also, think of ideas that will distinct your restaurant among other restaurants. Remember that food and service are not enough. Top restaurants worldwide aims not only for delicious foods but also for a soothing environment. For you to be able to design a good restaurant, you need a restaurant design expert who will you help to think of new ideas for the design. Hiring a restaurant design expert will save money and reduce the chance of committing mistakes.

Critical Factors To Keep In Mind For Running A Successful Restaurant

Having your own restaurant is one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable business ventures. Food is a renewable commodity. This means that people won’t stop looking for different sources of food because dining out is entertaining as well as functional. Many people dream of owning their own restaurants, whether it is fast food, coffee shops or gourmet. In reality, many people fail to sustain their restaurants and most of them die during their first year of operation. This is due to the lack of preparation and dedication on the part of the owner. Many people jump into the industry too fast without really weighing the pro’s and con’s of the project or having the necessary expertise.

However, there is a way to lessen the risk that is associated with new ventures such as restaurants. Preventive planning and proper management are keys towards success but there are also small things which count in the whole process of setting up a restaurant. Every business needs a business plan. Business plans are meant to lay down the different conditions and characteristics that should be inherent in the business. The availability of a good business plan which has been carefully formulated is a step towards success. It covers a crystal clear description of the concept of the restaurant, target market, food category, food items and their prices, financial evaluation, ownership and marketing plan.

There are so many other things that should be considered before entering into the restaurant business. The ones listed above are only part of the whole scheme of restaurant creation. The most important thing is that the restaurant should reflect the preferences of the owner so as to make it enjoyable. However, a lot of thought should be given to the way it’s going to generate money because this is the only way that the restaurant will become sustainable.

Take a feedback from the other restaurateurs of your area or also another area! They would always be open to giving advice and will also give you some important contacts. You can also hire a professional consultant who would help you create a budget and also manage your financial matters. You will have to hire an architect and an interior designer to construct and design your restaurant. This is an important point when you are looking about how to start a restaurant.

In the end, how to start a restaurant also depends greatly upon your menu! If you take all these basic things into account then I am sure that you will be able to plan your restaurant business successfully. Always remember that the success of a restaurant depends on the number of customers you can attract!