Equipment Storage Supplies Tips

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How do I move the contents of my restaurant's storage shed?

Moving Your Restaurant

Sometimes restaurants have to change location. Moving plates, silverware, even furniture is obvious enough, but what about the equipment in your large storage shed? Cleaning equipment like long-handled brooms -- or anything similarly shaped and without sharp edges -- should be bundled together and packed away from power tools, should you have any. Use towels or sheets to wrap up sharp edges of power tools, knives, or food prep blades of any kind. Better yet, keep them in their original boxes. Also, learn what you can and cannot ship and/or move (oils and gas are on the list of prohibited items).

   
How can I keep kitchen knives sharp?

Storing Kitchen Knives

Busy restaurants need to rely on sharp knives. One of the ways to make sure your knives stay sharp is to store them properly. Storing knives by mounting them on heavy-duty wall magnets by their blades is the most effective way to keep them sharp. Wooden knife blocks are also effective, but more so if you store the knives with blades up instead of facing down. When the knives are slid into the slots in the wooden block with blades up, the weight of the knife rests on the dull side of the blade, keeping the cutting side sharper longer.

   

Factors to Consider When Buying an Outdoor Storage Shed

Now that you've decided to purchase a storage shed, there are many factors to consider:

1. style (choose a style that fits the building it stands beside).
2. price (cedar and vinyl are the highest quality sidings and also the most expensive).
3. quality (research the durability of different types of sheds).
4. building and zoning codes (make sure the size shed you want and the amount of land you want to put it on is allowed).
5. site preparation (leveling the area beneath the shed).
6. accessories (have fun with options like windowboxes and weathervanes)
7. space (how big is too big and how small is too small?).

   

Instructions for Building a Shed

The carpentry-challenged will be happy to learn that some storage sheds, including Arrow storage sheds, are easy to build. For example, Arrow comes with easy-to-follow instructions. According to the Arrow Web site, each part is identified with a factory number. The instructions contain a drawing and an assembly illustration of each step. Read the manual before beginning. Call 1-800-851-1085 ext. 1 if a part is missing or damaged. It's a good idea to take everything out of the package and lay it before you for easy identification as you go.

   
Where should I build my storage shed?

Sometimes Shedding is a Good Thing

An economical way to provide extra storage for your restaurant supplies is to purchase any of a wide variety of storage shed kits. Designed for simple construction, these kits are available in a multitude of sizes and materials to suit your restaurant's specific needs. Build your shed relatively close to your establishment, for quick access. This will make restocking less of a burden. Before you build, however, be sure to check with your local municipality to be sure you are meeting zoning and permit requirements.

   
What cabinets are best for food storage?

Cabinet Savvy

Restaurant equipment varies, and so should your method of storing it. Heavy-duty plastic storage cabinets are ideal for dry supplies such as paper and plastic products, cleaning supplies, well-packaged dry food products, etc. Plastic is more porous than metal, so keep oils and more perishable (sealed) food products on metal shelving and/or in metal cabinets. Metal cabinets can be cleaned with stronger sanitizing materials, so they are a better choice for food storage.

   
What improvmentes have been made in outdoor storage

The Versatility of Outdoor Storage

Outside storage sheds are much more versatile than they once were. Take advantage of storage shed kits that offer multi-door access. With these, you can store your restaurant equipment by theme rather than packing everything all together and running the risk of creating disorganized clutter. Also, you may consider matching the motif of your restaurant to your storage shed. Beyond just matching colors, you may consider a more creative approach, adding your restaurant logo and/or artwork to the sides of your shed.

   
What are the benefits of a mesh locking storage cabinet?

Bulk Food Supply Storage

It's dinner rush. You have a party of 10 who just ordered fish fries...and someone forgot to restock the tartar sauce. It's only a matter or running down to the storage basement and grabbing another tub from the storage cabinet, but which one ? You can easily avoid a scenario like this one by using mesh locking storage cabinets instead of cabinets with solid doors. Cabinets with mesh metal fronts allow you to keep sealed food supplies safe and organized while still being able to see what is inside the cabinet. When you're in the weeds, this can be a real help!

   
What is the best material for a storage shed?

The Best for Your Shed

When considering what kind of outdoor storage shed you need for your restaurant equipment, think of what you're putting in the shed. Use this as a guide: The more valuable the items are inside, the more you should invest in the quality of the shed's outside. There are two ideal materials for a storage shed: vinyl and cedar. It's true, they're a bit more expensive than metal or plastic, but they last longer and offer better protection for your equipment.

   

Winter Upkeep for Outdoor Tools

Winter is here and you are tucking away your landscaping and gardening tools until spring (assuming you live in a climate with cold winters). Here is a good way to keep your tools in tip-top shape while in your storage shed until spring.

1. Scrape off any excess mud or dirt. You may need to soak the tool.

2. Use a small piece of steel wool to remove rust from the tool. Remember to wear gloves.

3. Sand wooden handles so you won't face splinters months down the road.

4. Sharpen tools like spades with a file made for sharpening tools.

5. Spray metal parts with a penetrating lubricating oil to protect from rust.

6. Make sure your storage shed is dry. You do not want your tools to lay in water for several months, as this could ruin them.

   

Fashionable and Functionable Sheds

Always thought of storage sheds as functional and not stylish? Well, they can be both. Consider yourself on the storage fashion front by ordering a storage shed with stylish gambrel or gable roofs.

Some outdoor storage buildings come with large skylights and function as greenhouses. Your storage shed can be as elaborate or as simple as you'd like. And for even more function, look into adding what are called "corner sheds," "horizontal sheds," or "vertical sheds" for added space. Or build a loft in your shed. There are endless possibilities.

   

Arrow Storage Sheds

Arrow is the world's leading maker of storage buildlings. Arrow storage sheds are great as a storage shed, tool shed or utility shed. Metal storage buildings are the most economical form of storage compared to wood, plastic, and monthly rent. Shed plans give you kits that are the ultimate in strength and durability. They offer the full line of Arrow Sheds including regular polyester enamel finishes, the vinyl coated steel for strength and low cost steel sheds.
All shed parts are numbered and pre-drilled for easy assembly. Whether you need a tool shed or to create a space for your utilities, the Arrow Shed line of backyard sheds are the ultimate in affordability and lasting quality.

   

Tools Needed to Assemble an Arrow Storage Shed

According to Arrow, the tools you will need to assemble an Arrow storage shed are as follows:

1. A #2 Phillips screwdriver
2. a stepladder
3. pliers
4. work gloves
5. a magnetic tip cordless screwdriver (which will speed up the assembly time by 40 percent)

And it is also helpful to have an extra pair of hands!

   

Storage Shed Cost

Before you can figure out how much you will need to spend on a storage shed, you'll need to figure out how much you actually want to store. Generally, the bigger the shed, the bigger the cost.
A shed that is 6 feet long and 3 to 4 feet wide is big enough to store hand-held tools. This size shed will cost a few hundred dollars. However, if you need to store big appiances such as a riding lawn mower, you'll need a shed measuring 6 by 8 feet. This could cost you more than $1,000.

   

Landscaping Matters!

People are attracted to a restaurant by more than just the good food. Though important, good food is only a part of the total dining experience. Equally important is the way
people feel walking into the restaurant and then, of course, the ambiance inside. People have a both a physical and emotional response to their dining atmosphere and you want to make those both positive.

Research the right sod for your climate. For example, if you are an establishment in the south, you'll want to use warm season grass such as Buffalo or Bermuda. Bermuda is recommended by experts if you are just starting to establish grass and you want to get a lot of bang for your buck. Learn how often your grass must be cut. With some sod grass, cutting it too short will ruin it. Beyond grass, you'll want to invest in beautiful shrubs and flowers. With a little extra attention to the landscaping, customers will be smiling before they even enter your establishment!

   

Where to Buy Arrow Storage Sheds

Arrow storage sheds are a popular brand because they are so easy to assemble. Here is a list of where you can purchase Arrow storage sheds in the United States: ABCHomecenter.com, Ace Hardware, All American Home Center, The Betty Mills Company, Blain's Farm & Fleet, CarBox4u.com, CarportsUSA.com, City Mill, Clean4Less.com, CleaningStuff.net, Country Home Products, Direct Marketing, Dixieline Lumber, Do-It-Best Center, Fingerhut, For the Farm, Foxworth Galbraith, Fred Meyer, Inc., Friedman Brothers, H&E Home Centers, Hechinger's, HPM Building Supply, The Home Depot, Imperial Hardware, Jerry's Home Center
Lowe's, Menard's, Mills Fleet and Farm, Mobile Home Advantage, Northern Tool and Equipment, Orchard Supply Hardware, Orgill Brothers, ReStockIt.com, Screenhouses Unlimited, Sears Dealer Stores, Sears Hardware Stores, SearsHomeCenter.com, Shed City USA, Shedtopia.com, Shed Town USA, Sutherlands Lumber, The Andersons, Tru-Serv Hardware, Stores and Wal-Mart.

   

Landscaping Tools for Your Shed

Looking to keep the land around your restaurant beautifully landscaped but not sure which tools to invest in? Stock your shed with well-built, high-quality essentials - the classic tools you'll use year after year.

Here are a few musts to keep your property neat and trim, according to experts:

1. a balanced weight that is easy to use and comfortable to handle.
2. a round-point shovel (which both digs and throws soil).
3. a leaf rake, preferably an expandable model that cleans up debris between and under shrubs at its narrowest setting and rakes up a lot of leaves when fully expanded.
4. a hand pruner with bypass blades rather than anvil blades (anvil blades strike one another and crush the stem of the plant you are pruning).
5. a hoe to cut off weeds at the surface level in paths leading up to your restaurant and around other established plants.
6. long-handled shears for cutting branches.

   
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