Walk-in cooler died during Saturday dinner rush in Portland

I'm the sous at a place in Portland and last Saturday at 5:30pm our main walk-in cooler just stopped. Panic city, we had 40 covers on the books. I grabbed the thermometer, ran to the backup fridge, and we shifted all the proteins and dairy in 15 minutes flat. Lost a few quarts of cream that were already borderline, but the ticket went out on time. Has anyone else had a cooler fail mid-service and how did you pull it off?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_morgan7518d ago

That's a solid move hitting the backup fridge that quick. Having a clear plan for where everything goes in the walk-in saved you, because those 15 minutes feel like an hour when tickets are piling up. Probably smart to keep a cooler-specific emergency checklist taped inside the door for the next time the compressor decides to take a vacation.

claire6418d ago

The backup fridge call was smart, but @sage_morgan75 I gotta gently push back on one thing. Taping a checklist inside the door looks good until someone rips it off grabbing a bus tub or it gets covered in condensation. Honestly, the real move is having that plan in your head or on a laminated card in the office, not on the cooler door itself.