Guide
Kitchen equipment maintenance: logging faults and keeping machine history
Give every machine an identity, report each fault against that identity at the moment it happens, and keep the history for each machine. That is the whole method. A fault logged as 'oven not working' tells an engineer little; a fault logged against a specific oven, with the time and who reported it, tells them where to go and what happened before.
Why a history per machine matters
Most kitchens know which machine is the problem one. Few can prove it. When the combi oven has failed four times in six months, the history is what lets you have a useful conversation with the engineer, the manufacturer or the person who decides on a replacement. Without the history, each failure is a new event, and the pattern is in someone's memory until that person leaves.
What to record for each fault
| Item | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Which machine | Combi oven, pastry section | So the fault is not filed against "the oven" in a kitchen with three |
| What happened | Service message on the display, will not heat | Gives the engineer something to bring parts for |
| When and who reported | 21/10/2026, 06:40, the pastry chef | Shows how long the machine was out of use |
| Who was told | The engineering team | Shows the report did not stop at the kitchen |
| The answer | "On my way", then fixed and back in use | Shows the time to respond and the time to fix |
Setting it up
- List the machines that matter. Ovens, dishwashers, fridges, mixers, slicers, packing machines. Start with the ones whose failure stops service or production.
- Give each one a label. A name on a sticker works; a QR code works better, because a scan opens the right machine without anyone typing.
- Decide who is responsible for each. The kitchen needs to know who receives a fault for the dishwasher and who for the walk-in compressor.
- Make reporting the easy thing. If it takes more than a minute, people will tell a colleague instead, and the record will not exist.
- Review the history monthly. Ask which machines appear most often, and what each one has cost in downtime.
Planned servicing is separate
A fault log records what went wrong. Planned servicing should follow the manufacturer's instructions and the schedule agreed with your engineer. The two connect, because a machine with a long fault history is a good candidate for a closer look at its servicing. A fault history shows what has already happened; it does not tell you what will happen next.
Common mistakes
- Reporting by word of mouth, so nobody can say when the fault began.
- One general fault form for the whole kitchen, with the machine written in free text and spelled five ways.
- No answer to the person who reported it, so they report it again, or stop reporting.
- Fixing the fault and not recording the fix.
- Keeping the history on the engineer's own phone, where it leaves with them.
How ProOps does it
With Maintenance Management, every machine has its own QR code. Scanning it opens the report for that machine, not a general form, and the fault is filed against the right machine. The report goes to the team responsible, as a notification on the phone, and the engineer can answer, for example, "On my way". The report and the answer stay in that machine's history.
It works in a hotel with dozens of machines and in a small kitchen with five. See ProOps for hotels and ProOps for food production.
Scan a machine and watch the fault reach the engineer. The demo uses sample data from a fictional hotel.
Book a demoQuestions
Do I need a QR code on every machine?
Only on the machines whose failure matters to you. Start with the ones that stop service or production and add more when the habit is established.
Who should be told when a machine breaks?
The team responsible for that machine. In ProOps the report goes to them as a notification on the phone.
What happens after the engineer sees the report?
They can answer from the phone, for example 'On my way'. The answer is kept with the fault in that machine's history.
Is a fault log the same as a service schedule?
No. The fault log records what went wrong. Servicing should follow the manufacturer's instructions and your engineer's schedule.
How do I find the machines that cause most trouble?
Look at the history per machine each month. The ones with the most entries are the ones to discuss with your engineer.
See it on your own checks.
A 20-minute call. We set up your checklists, tickets, audits and machines in a demo account and walk through them with you.
Prevent. Acknowledge. Prove.