— By Chris Gurreri — How restaurants can rise to the raised expectations of what “clean” means in a post-pandemic world. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened everyone’s awareness of everyday actions, from breathing to touching doorknobs. One area…
— By Megan Varano — The benefits to outsourcing your facilities maintenance program and what to look for when choosing a provider. If you’re considering outsourcing any part of your company’s facilities maintenance services, you’re not alone. There is…
— By David Vigil — Embracing consumer demand for a new standard of safety and hygiene. Retail and restaurant leaders understand the importance of customer service, but amidst the events of the past 12 months, a greater focus has…
— By Ramez Naguib, P.E. — Effect of air filter rating on energy consumption in restaurants during COVID-19. This we know: COVID-19 is primarily transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets, which are then released when someone with…
— By Alexandria Pegnato and Tom Coble — Roof management enters the digital age. Historically, when it came to managing a multi-site roof portfolio, a difficult choice had to be made. Does one commit a sizeable budget to being…
— By Bob Lester — Tips to ensure outdoor spaces are structurally safe for al fresco dining and more. Enjoying a delicious meal in the sunshine and warm breeze is one of the most pleasant experiences to come out…
— By Steve Smith — Managing shopping center roofing issues with a post-pandemic budget. As the retail industry begins to fully reopen and emerge from the pandemic, shopping center owners are busy getting their operations back in full gear.…
— By Joe Pazdan, AIA — Open-air restaurant and music venue thrives through COVID-19. The restaurant business is notoriously fickle, but the COVID-19 pandemic dealt death-blows to thousands of establishments across the country as they struggled to stay afloat…
— By Rick Orman — Why power surges are the hidden threat to restaurant business operations. The last decade has seen the rapid adoption of digital equipment in quick-service and full-service restaurants. It’s not uncommon to see mobile devices,…
— By Robert Kravitz — Exploring three cleaning technologies that have taken center stage since the pandemic began. An entire floor of a high-rise office building in Chicago is rented out to a global, “virtual” office company. Most of…
— By Pat Hottel — Controlling filth flies inside — and outside — restaurant facilities. Filth flies, like house flies and bottle flies, reproduce quickly and are associated with pathogen laden environments like manure, garbage and sewage. The bodies…
— By Steve Peldiak — The importance of having a disaster plan in place — prior to the emergency at hand. Did you know, there is a new bill being introduced to streamline disaster recovery assistance? It is named…
— By Lesley Dunham — [EDITOR’S NOTE: This column originally appeared in our April 2021 magazine.] Before you jump into spring, be sure to schedule a property inspection. After the last snow melts and before you jump into spring,…
— By Chris Murphy — Planning your successful painting program. As we begin the next season of reimage, repainting and rebranding, many facility managers will be using all their creativity to find the “magic” to maximizing budgets and facilities’…
— By Clive Samuels — Creating safer and healthier indoor air quality. The spotlight is on indoor air quality as COVID-19 continues to change the way we look at the world. While there is more to learn about SARS-CoV-2,…
— By Andrew Eck — From the inside looking out: 2021 foodservice industry trends. I think we all put a lot of pressure on 2021 to be a year of rebounding, the year that we return to normal. So…
— By Pranav Tyagi — Enhancing your store location strategy with technology. Retailers and restaurants live and die by the addresses they call home. Yet, over the last few years, rapid digital transformations have all but forced some retailers…
— By Carol E. Carey — Does your parking lot and exterior say your company is clean and inviting — or stark, dark and unsafe? Deciding not to keep your parking lot and building exteriors clean and fresh…
— By Chris Birkinshaw — Limited-service concepts, high-quality food options take pole position for QSR buildouts. The COVID-19 global pandemic changed the landscape of many businesses. As we move forward with vaccines and a stronger understanding of how the…
— By Jayson Hill — Five store redesigns and upgrades retailers will implement in 2021. If 2020 was a year of survival and adaptation for retailers, 2021 will be the year they make sense of the seismic shifts they’ve…
— By Melissa Hard — Restaurant cleaning in a post-COVID era. As the saying goes, every cloud — even a very dark cloud like COVID-19 — has its silver lining. This is undoubtedly true in the restaurant and hospitality…
— By Steve Peldiak — Communal air solutions in retail and restaurant locations. Sanitation conversations around indoor air quality (IAQ) at restaurants and retail locations will be critical to their longevity and bottom lines. 2021 has seen the arrival…
— By Trip Jobe — How physically maintaining your brand/facility will pay off in 2021. Over the past 30 years, I’ve witnessed and faced the budget pressures most of us have all experienced in 2020. Two areas, that I…
— By Conner McGill — Why retailers and restaurants are investing in EV charging stations. If electric vehicle (EV) charging has sparked your interest recently, you’re not alone. Retailers and restaurants across the country are giving more consideration to…
— By Sean Gillespie — Managing your refresh and reimage painting needs. Over the past 13 months, one word has nearly dominated everything: COVID. As a result, many have had to make adjustments — some dramatic — to their…
— By Jen Castro — How a commercial security door can protect your business. You have invested a lot of time and money in your business and have developed its resources and reputation to be the best it can…
— By Dan Smith — Investing in the right commercial-grade digital signage is as strategic as a brand’s messaging. Would you like fries with that? Increasingly, thanks to digital signage, the answer is yes. At quick-service, fast-casual and other…