Keep your cooler organized and efficient with help from the storage experts at Metro. Coolers are often overlooked in the design of the back-of-house. However, they are one of the most essential areas of the kitchen to keep clean and organized. The cooler is the epicenter of your freshest and most-used ingredients. When they are unorganized, this can mean purchasing additional ingredients and wasting large amounts of money. Instead of wasting hard-earned money on extra supplies, organize your cooler in a way that keeps ingredients easy to inventory and less likely to spoil due to a lack of organization.
Here are some tips from our experts to create an organized and efficient walk-in.
1. Utilize all Available Space
One of the biggest mistakes restaurants make in their cooler is not using their space efficiently. By merely planning your area and making the most of both your vertical and corner storage, you can make a more space-efficient cooler. First, utilize corner space appropriately. Corner space is often cramped and inaccessible, making it virtually useless. Instead, use “S” hooks to hold shelves in corner areas. This will eliminate unnecessary posts and free up that space for additional storage. By opening up the corners for walk-ins, your facility creates a more open design and gives you access to put a product on any shelf.
Vertical space is also often underutilized. Often facilities
do not adequately utilize their vertical space. This can be a costly mistake
when it comes to cooler capacity. Using all vertical space allows you to create
more supplies, making it easier to spread materials and keep a clean and
organized cooler. This extra space can allow you to create a better inventory system.
Giving your team more space to work gives them an organized area to keep
ingredients visually accessible without overcrowding.
2. Plan Ahead
When creating a walk-in cooler area, it is essential to go in with a plan. Having a general idea of how you plan to organize supplies can help you to outline the number of shelves you need within the cooler. Before spending the money and time to create a new cooler set-up, measure what you plan to store. Measuring the boxes of your most commonly used ingredients, you can gather a general idea of the space you will need on shelves and the heights they should be placed at when you begin building the storage area in the cooler.
Having a blueprint is one of the easiest ways to ensure that your storage is the absolute best it can be. Metro experts can use various tactics to help you choose the perfect storage solutions for your needs.
3. Accessorize to Organize
Another way to make the most of cooler space is to utilize accessories to create an organized system. Dividers and label holders can help keep smaller materials contained more efficiently while also making the most of your usable space. Dividers are the most efficient way to keep smaller items organized. Dividers can be moved as storage needs change and can be placed without taking up any unnecessary space. This is much better suited to a kitchen environment than the use of totes or bins for organization. Totes and containers take up more space than is necessary. Totes and bins are also more problematic for a clean kitchen environment because they hold onto dirt and debris over time. This makes your holding areas less sanitary and causing your team to have to do extra cleaning to keep the kitchen up to code.
4. Don’t Do it Alone
When it comes to creating a storage solution you and your team will use every day, don’t try to make an efficient cooler system alone. You can speak to many industry experts that will layout your options and the best choice for you.
Take advantage of layout tools and ask for advice as you go about the process. There are many options, and it can get overwhelming. Storage experts can help break them down and make the most of your usable space.