How to Train Staff to Spot Appliance Issues Early
Your staff are on the frontlines. They touch the appliances more than you do. They hear weird noises. They feel the dodgy heat. If anyone’s going to catch something early—it’s them. But only if you train them properly.
Most appliance problems start small. A rattle. A weird smell. A fridge that’s just a bit warmer than usual. These aren’t quirks. They’re warning signs. But staff often shrug and carry on. “It still works, right?” Yeah—until it doesn’t.
Step one: show them what normal looks like. What should the walk-in cooler sound like when it’s running right? What temp should the dishwasher hit? What does good airflow from an extractor feel like? If they know what’s right, they’ll notice when something’s off.
Make simple checklists. Stick one on or near every major appliance. Keep it dead clear:
- Listen for weird sounds
- Check the temp display
- Look for puddles, leaks, or rust
- Feel for unusual heat or vibration
No fluff. Just what they need to check. It takes 10 seconds after a shift, but it can save you thousands in appliance repair later.
Empower them to speak up. Don’t punish someone for saying “the fryer’s acting weird.” Reward it. Make it part of the team culture. “See something, say something” works in kitchens too. It’s not nagging—it’s keeping the place running.
Also: teach them what not to do.
- Don’t yank stuck buttons
- Don’t slam doors that don’t shut right
- Don’t try to fix things with duct tape and hope
If something’s broken, they should know who to report it to, and how. Not just “fridge is broken,” but: “Fridge temp keeps jumping between 4°C and 10°C after closing the door.” That’s proper info for a tech.
Run quick refreshers—five-minute sessions before a shift once a month. That’s enough. Show photos of common issues. Use real stories from your kitchen. Let staff share what they’ve spotted too. Make it normal, not a lecture.
Why bother? Because spotting early issues means faster appliance repair, less downtime, and way fewer angry customers wondering why their drinks are warm or why the fryer’s “out of order” again.
Ignore early warnings and you’ll end up in a mess. A £40 part fix becomes a £400 repair. Or worse, you’re replacing the whole thing because no one flagged the signs.
Training doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be consistent.
Give your staff the knowledge. Give them permission to flag stuff. Back them up when they do. And for god’s sake—don’t be the boss who only acts when steam’s pouring out of the dishwasher vents and the whole kitchen smells like burnt plastic.
Trust me. You’ll be bloody grateful when someone saves you from your third ice machine flood by spotting the clog early.
Or you can ignore it… and get ready to fork out for another emergency appliance repair. Again.