We May Not Have Glamour but We’re Big on Purpose

We may be the best kept secret in the food service industry. There’s almost no chance you’ll bump into the rich and famous while we’re in the act of our KEC effort. When you think about it, not many restaurant managers are all that excited when we show up to do our thing. After all, what we do does not improve the food, service or reputation of the establishment. Yet, when well executed, we revitalize much of the kitchen’s stainless steel with a shine that enhances the kitchen environment for the culinary professionals. It’s almost like an extension of a crisp clean uniform. Sadly, we are often judged on the cosmetic aspect of the job, which represents about 10% of what we actually do. It’s kind of like looking at an iceberg and seeing only a fraction of its total mass – 90% of what we do is out of sight.

As professionals in our industry, what we do and how we do it are common denominators we all relate to, but why we do it separates those that have greater appreciation for purpose of our efforts. The process is cleaning, but the purpose is to assist the food service operators achieve fire safe operations by satisfying their fire code maintenance requirements. This puts us under the umbrella of the life-safety industry.

Small details of our diligence lead to big results. Something as simple as good filter cleaning to achieve the grease extraction filters are engineered for, and properly cleaning filter tracks so they don’t impede the grease flow into collection cups are small yet essential steps that yield a quality exhaust system performance. As duct work design becomes more complex, the need for reasonable and safe access increases as well. KEC operators who make excuses that they are not responsible for inaccessible areas fall short of fulfilling their role as life safety professionals. It starts with confronting the issue. The solution may be beyond the scope of what you can do, but avoiding the issue does not eliminate the liability.

Do you remember the lesson presented to us at the 2019 Las Vegas Annual Conference by Mr. Gallagher?

He challenged us to ask ourselves: What do you know? When did you learn about it? What did you do about it?

The AHJ Community has become a great partner willing to assist in the effort to improve the state of non-compliant code issues. Get involved with your local Fire Marshals Associations. You won’t regret developing a positive relationship with them. Don’t be afraid to embrace third party reporting entities like The Compliance Engine. Many times they have become the catalyst that motivates the food service operator to upgrade facilities making our job doable. Taking advantage of the support made available from outside the KEC industry is just good business, and it helps build credibility for the “Why we do it?” that demonstrates that we have purpose in our efforts.

IKECA has contributed to code development for years, specifically on issues that enhance the ability of KEC operators to accomplish a higher standard of service with a greater degree of safety.

So if you are up to your elbows in grease, make the difference in taking exhaust systems to a fire safe standard, take pride in knowing that it’s not that “others can’t” when you can, it’s that others won’t when “you will”! We all want to be successful and earn a good living, so make a plan to separate your business from the “rag and taggers”. Whether the intent is an end result of improved life safety for the public at large or for making the job achievable for the solitary crew that works through the night, we do have purpose buried in all we do as KEC professionals.