You don’t have to own a restaurant to have a commercial kitchen. Hospitals and nursing homes, airports and government facilities, hotels, schools and even food trucks all have kitchens that can feed a crowd. It takes longer for grease to build up in a low-volume commercial kitchen, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore it altogether.
As you know, having a dirty hood, filters and grease trap in a commercial kitchen is fuel for an intense fire. Such build up of grease and oils can quickly overcome the fire protection system and lead to disaster. A clean vent hood and exhaust system can drastically reduce the chance of a fire in your kitchen.
Regardless of your kitchen’s size or the type of food your business prepares, your staff and guests in the building could be in danger if the vent hood does not have a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule.
It is suggested by the International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association that restaurants follow the below schedule:
| Type or Volume of Cooking Frequency | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Systems serving solid fuel cooking operations | Monthly Cleaning |
| Systems serving high-volume cooking operations such as 24-hour cooking, charbroiling or wok cooking | Quarterly |
| Systems serving moderate-volume cooking operations | Semi-Annually |
| Systems serving low-volume cooking operations, such as churches, day camps, seasonal businesses or senior centers | Annually |
Routine system cleaning by a professional will keep the vent hood free of dangerous grease build-up, preventing fire hazards while prolonging the life of the components in the exhaust system. A system that is safely working at peak performance leads to a work environment that’s safer and more productive for your staff, while ultimately providing guests and patrons a clean, top-notch experience.
